Meet Photographer Andrew Oxenham

Hi, I’m Andrew Oxenham, though most everyone calls me Ox. As a photographer, it's important to see the light around you, which requires your peripheral vision. With glasses, you sort of learn to avoid those areas your eyes only look straight through the glasses which makes seeing the light around you really difficult. With ICL I don't have to think twice about any of those things.

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What led me to Visian ICL

Growing up, I considered other eye procedures, but had a lot of skepticism specifically from the fact that they're non-reversible. And so that was actually the biggest and the kind of main selling point for me on ICL. One of the [other] things that made me feel pretty comfortable about getting ICL is that it's a tried and true method.

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Ox's day-to-day, and where ICL helps most.

Through the lens

Glasses don’t cover your whole field of vision. So one thing that’s important for people who take pictures is to constantly be a student of the light around you.

Planning it out

Most of my work, surprisingly, happens in a notebook before even picking up a camera. Being able to quickly grab a notebook to sketch out an idea, or write out a concept, or even record exposure settings, without having to first find and put on my glasses, is a huge time-save.
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“There’s a few big road blocks to having glasses and being a photographer. Now I’ve got ICL and I can run out and live my life unhindered.”

There’s a few big roadblocks to having glasses and being a photographer.

When you can’t see your entire field of vision you’ve got a whole bunch of space to your left and to your right, specifically your peripheral vision, that you sort of learn to avoid those areas your eyes only look straight through the glasses, so that kind of light part of it is really difficult.

Thinking about life with glasses, my life had a whole bunch of tiny little hurdles. Things that I jumped over, granted. But it was basically [how] I lived my life... I made my life conform to these constraints that I had. And now I’ve got the ICL and I don’t have to think twice about any of those things. I can grab my camera or grab my notebook and just run out and live my life unhindered.

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Questions with Andrew

What do you do for a living?

I am a photographer who creates what I like to call visual puns, where I take ordinary items and apply them in unexpected ways.

What’s your biggest pain point about contacts or glasses?

With glasses, you still can’t access your peripheral vision clearly, which accounts for a lot of your field of vision.

What about Visian ICL helped make your decision?

One of the things that made me feel pretty comfortable about getting the Visian ICL is the fact that it's actually been around for a lot longer and that actually helped me see that it’s a tried and true method.

Ready to Discover Visual Freedom With ICL? Find a Doctor Today

This information is presented in the public interest by STAAR Surgical™ to create awareness of options available for those with near-sightedness with or without astigmatism. Please consult your health care provider to determine which option is right for you.

References

1Patient Survey, STAAR Surgical ICL Data Registry, 2018

2Sanders D. Vukich JA. Comparison of implantable collamer lens (ICL) and laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for Low Myopia. Cornea. 2006 Dec; 25(10):1139-46.

3Naves, J.S. Carracedo, G. Cacho-Babillo, I. Diadenosine Nucleotid Measurements as Dry-Eye Score in Patients After LASIK and ICL Surgery. Presented at American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) 2012.

4Shoja, MR. Besharati, MR. Dry eye after LASIK for myopia: Incidence and risk factors. European Journal of Ophthalmology. 2007; 17(1): pp. 1-6.

5aLee, Jae Bum et al. Comparison of tear secretion and tear film instability after photorefractive keratectomy and laser in situ keratomileusis. Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery , Volume 26 , Issue 9 , 1326 - 1331.

5bParkhurst, G. Psolka, M. Kezirian, G. Phakic intraocular lens implantantion in United States military warfighters: A retrospective analysis of early clinical outcomes of the Visian ICL. J Refract Surg. 2011;27(7):473-481.

*American Refractive Surgery Council