Greetings,

I am a highly myopic (-18 diopters on each eye) 51-year old male. I have been following the progress of the latest corrective surgeries and despite all the great news I am still uncertain about the best surgery for my particular situation.

I would like to know which surgery is more appropriate for my sight and age, since I get conflicting information regarding the benefits and drawbacks for ICL, IOL, P-IOL and whatever else is out there.

Some claim that IOL increases my already high risks of retina detachment; others state that I should have my lens removed anyway and that the ICLs will damage my cornea.

Are there any unbiased, scientific (i.e. not funded by the lens manufacturers) studies that compare the risks/benefits for each surgery?

Thank you very much.

The best thing to do is stick with glasses and once you develop cateracts, get IOLs. You can get clear lens extraction which will mean youll never have to worry about cateracts. What does -18 look like anyway? What can you see without glasses? how far can you count your own fingers? how well do you see with glasses?

I happen to know a lot about the Staar ICL as an investor and prospective patient. A local doctor just treated a woman who was -22 with and ICL! And although he was not able to bring her to 20/20 (the product is only manufactured in powers to -16), he greatly reduced her myopia and she is very happy. Google the King County Journal and search for "Patel" and/or ICL or Staar in the last week or so.

I'm not a doctor but I think you have to determine whether you have early cataracts forming (cataracts point toward IOL rather than ICL); presbyopia (possibly look at multifocal IOLs or crystalens); astigmatism (toric IOLs, ICL + Lasik, or toric ICL to be approved hopefully within 6-9 months). Also you need to figure out your expectations and vision values (are reading glasses OK? Would you put up w/ dry eyes to be glasses free?). Are you willing and do you have the resources for a combination procedure - ICL + Lasik? These are dimensions for you to consider but you definitely need expert ophthalmologist guidance.