Meet Web Designer Jennifer Puno

Hi, I’m Jennifer Puno, Co-Founder of ilovecreatives.com and madewithmap.com in Los Angeles, CA. I was recently selected as the first Brand Ambassador for ICL. As a designer, you know something is designed well when you don’t even notice it. And that’s what ICL is for me, it’s this amazing invisible benefit!

They told me, I couldn’t get LASIK.

I’ve been wearing contacts since I was about 11 because my glasses would fog up when I played tennis. So sad. I’ve always wanted LASIK, but my eye glasses doctor didn’t recommend it. The worse your prescription is, the more they have to laser off. Mine was -6.5 in both eyes. A side effect to lasering that much cornea off is dry eyes. I already have dry eyes living in LA and my eye glasses doctor recommended against it to avoid discomfort and maintenance with artificial tears. Additionally, because they would need to laser so much of my cornea off, I wouldn’t be able to correct it as I got older. Alas, I assumed that I would have to wear contacts forever and be completely screwed when the Zombie Apocalypse came!

My eyeball angel.

Fast forward to a few months ago and I was eating at Pie Hole with a friend. Naturally, the subject of Zombies came up and I told her that I would be screwed because I wouldn’t be able to find contacts or glasses. As luck would have it, my friend knew all about the ICL. First of all, I had no idea that there was an alternative to LASIK out there!

Why ICL?
Here are the top three reasons why ICL made sense for me:

• ICL is the only procedure that is REMOVABLE! I know my eyes are going to get worse… I’ve seen my dad’s eyes. I’m 30 years old and spend many hours in front of the computer (I’m a web designer). I know that I’ll eventually need to get correct my vision again.
• I didn’t want dry eyes (a possible side effect of LASIK). I live in Los Angeles and it’s DRYYYY.
• I wanted clear and sharp vision during the day AND at night.

How was the surgery?

The surgery itself lasted about 20 or 30 minutes. I had two valium and a ton of numbing drops. I was completely awake for the entire procedure and probably moved my eyes a lot. I have no idea Dr. Lee did it, but he said I did great! Right after the surgery, I had 20/15 vision. Even though the surgery is quick, I would definitely take off the rest of the day. Driving with valium is not recommended. Plus, your pupils are really dilated (sensitive to light) and your eyes have a slight pressure. I slept the rest of the day and felt fine the next morning. My eyes were sensitive to light, but I was 100% on the 5th day. I think the hardest part was the few days before the surgery when they had to laser two holes in each eye to circulate fluids. It was like a medium-hard flick in the eye. I wouldn’t call it “painful”, but I also wouldn’t want to do it on my day off. It’s a little worse than getting waxed. If you love getting waxed, then you might love this!

Update on Puno: She is doing great! With 20/15 vision she is currently traveling in Europe (first time without her contacts) and loving the views with ICL. Photo via instagram @Punodostres