6 Signs You May Be a Strong Candidate for EVO ICL

You sat through a LASIK consultation, answered every question, and heard something you didn’t expect. Your corneas are too thin. Your prescription is too high. Your eyes are too dry. Now, you’re still wearing the glasses or contacts you were hoping to retire.

That answer closes one door, but it doesn’t end the conversation. A different procedure was designed for many of the people laser surgery can’t safely treat. Instead of removing corneal tissue, EVO ICL places a thin, flexible lens inside the eye, behind the iris and in front of your natural lens. Patients who aren’t good candidates for LASIK often find EVO ICL is an excellent alternative that can help them achieve independence from visual aids.

Keep reading to learn more about six signs you may be a strong candidate for EVO ICL.

1. You Have Moderate to High Nearsightedness

If distant road signs blur and you reach for your glasses before your feet hit the floor, you likely have nearsightedness. The FDA approved EVO ICL in 2022 for adults with myopia from about -3.00 to -20.00 diopters. That upper limit sits well past what laser procedures can comfortably treat.

High prescriptions are where the difference shows. LASIK corrects vision by removing corneal tissue, and stronger prescriptions require removing more of it. At some point, there isn’t enough cornea left to do the job safely. EVO ICL adds focusing power instead of subtracting tissue, so a -10.00 prescription doesn’t create the same problem it would under a laser.

2. Your Astigmatism Falls Within the Toric Range

Astigmatism happens when the cornea curves more in one direction than another, stretching and smearing what you see at every distance. Many people with nearsightedness have some degree of it.

The EVO Toric ICL was built for this combination. Each toric lens is made to match an individual eye and is positioned to offset the uneven curve. Within the FDA-approved range, it corrects about 1.00 to 4.00 diopters of astigmatism along with myopia. If you’ve worn toric contacts that rotate and blur by mid-afternoon, a lens that stays put inside the eye is worth asking about.

3. Your Corneas Are Thin or Irregular

Corneal thickness is one of the first things measured during any vision correction evaluation. LASIK creates a flap and reshapes the tissue underneath, so surgeons need a healthy margin of thickness left over afterward, making thin corneas a disqualifier.

An irregular corneal shape raises a similar concern, especially if you have a family history of keratoconus, a condition where the cornea thins and bulges over time. Because EVO ICL leaves the cornea untouched, thickness and shape carry far less weight in the decision. For many patients turned away from laser correction, this is the reason they consider EVO ICL in the first place.

4. You Already Deal With Dry Eye

Laser procedures cut through corneal nerves that help signal tear production. Most patients recover from that temporary dryness, but if you already have chronic dry eye, surgery can make a manageable problem worse.

EVO ICL goes in through a tiny opening at the edge of the cornea, leaving those nerves largely intact. Dry eye doesn’t automatically disqualify you from LASIK or EVO ICL, and your eye doctor may still want your tear film treated and stable before taking measurements. Even so, EVO ICL sidesteps the main reason dry eye complicates laser surgery.

5. Your Prescription Has Held Steady

Any lens or laser correction is calculated from your current prescription. If that number is still drifting, the correction may not be as effective. Most EVO ICL surgeons look for a prescription that has changed very little over the past year, typically no more than about half a diopter.

Prescription stability is why patients who are considering the EVO ICL must be 21 or older, as prescriptions tend to fluctuate into your late teens and early twenties. This is also why women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are advised to wait until at least three months after they are done nursing, as shifting hormones can temporarily change your prescription.

6. You Want a Reversible Procedure

Laser vision correction is permanent. Once tissue is removed, it can’t be put back. Some people are comfortable with that, and others hesitate.

EVO ICL doesn’t remove any tissue, and your eye doctor can remove or replace the lens if your eyes change significantly down the road. The lens is made from Collamer, a soft material containing a small amount of collagen, and it’s designed to stay in the eye long term with no maintenance on your part. If permanence is what has kept you from booking a consultation, this flexibility can give you peace of mind.

If several of these signs sound familiar, a previous “no” from a LASIK consultation may not be the final word on your vision. Confirming candidacy takes a detailed evaluation of your corneas, the depth of your eye, your tear film, and the stability of your prescription.

Wondering whether you’re a good fit for EVO ICL? Schedule an appointment at Total Eye Care Centers in Hamilton, NJ, today.