ICL Patient Experiences with Dr. Ahmed Shaarawy
If you’re searching for real ICL experiences, you’re probably weighing how much you want to be rid of glasses against the fear of a permanent change inside your eye, and that’s completely normal. The two questions we hear most in the clinic are “will I see clearly quickly?” and “is the lens safe long term?” On this page we’ve gathered honest answers: videos of patients who actually had surgery at our clinic, verified reviews you can check yourself, and a step-by-step timeline of what recovery typically looks like.
Before surgery: a full exam determines the most suitable lens type (EVO Visian, or Toric to correct astigmatism) and its exact size. During surgery: a quick procedure of about 10 minutes per eye under local anesthesia, with no stitches and no cutting of the cornea. The lens is implanted inside the eye as an additional lens and does not touch the shape of the cornea. After surgery: improvement is almost immediate.
Dr. Ahmed Shaarawy, cornea and LASIK surgery consultant, fellowship at Devers Eye Institute in the US, and a surgeon certified by STAAR Surgical for EVO Visian ICL lenses, with more than 800 successful ICL procedures.
Recovery after ICL lens implantation
A quick look at what to expect. The full details are on the ICL lenses page.
Day of surgery
The procedure takes about 10 minutes under local anesthesia, with no stitches and no cutting, and you go home the same day.
First 48 hours
Most patients notice their vision improving within 24 hours, and close to final vision within 48 hours.
First week
Back to desk work after a day or two, and full physical activity after about a week.
First month
Vision settles completely, with the standard follow-up schedule: the next day, the first week, and the first month.
Realistic expectations from ICL lenses
Most patients notice a clear improvement in their vision within 24-48 hours of surgery, but as with any vision correction procedure, the brain may need a short while to adapt fully to the new way of seeing, especially in low light at night. That is normal and usually temporary. What makes the ICL unusual is that it can be removed or fully replaced at any time without any permanent harm to the eye, because it never touches the cornea. Dr. Ahmed Shaarawy will explain what is realistic for your own case during the full exam before surgery.
Start your journey, book an ICL consultation
The first exam determines whether ICL is right for your case. If you’d like an idea of the cost first, use the ICL cost calculator.