How An Eye Procedure Helped Stanford Basketball Star Cameron Brink's Game
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Stanford University senior Cameron Brink has racked up plenty of accomplishments in her college basketball career. The 22-year-old forward has led the Cardinal to a 2021 NCAA championship, three Pac-12 championships, and a WBCA Defensive Player of the Year honor. She was also the first-ever women’s basketball player to sign a deal with New Balance. Before this season began, she underwent a game-changing vision procedure called EVO ICL that eliminated the need for glasses or contacts. Here, she shares her story.
I started struggling with my eyesight when I was seven or eight years old, but I would always lie to my parents about it. I would try to figure out a way to sneak around the fact that I couldn't see the numbers on a clock and things like that. They finally figured it out when we were on vacation in Spain when I was in the fourth grade. There’s a cathedral in Salamanca, and it’s said to be good luck if you can spot the frog in the engravings. I started crying, "Mom, I can't see the frog. I won't have any good luck. I can't spot it."
I couldn’t fool them anymore—they knew I needed glasses.
Because I played sports from a young age, I got both glasses and contact lenses. But my contacts would always either fall out or get poked out when I played. It's the worst feeling—you’re at an AAU tournament and a contact gets knocked out, but you didn't bring any extras, and your stomach drops. You have to play with one contact, or you can't go back in the game at all because you can't see. It’s so disorienting; you get dizzy when your eyesight is messed up.
When I started getting serious about basketball, I would give my trainer all my contacts just in case. I got used to the hand-off, but it definitely added so much extra stress. It made basketball harder than it needed to be.
Last year, I began struggling with dry eye. My contacts were bothering me, and I wanted to go back to my eye doctor to get a softer lens. So when my agents told me about a potential partnership with EVO ICL Implantable Collamer Lenses, I was open to it. Other NBA players had done the procedure, like Max Strus of the Cleveland Cavaliers, so I wasn’t too skeptical. I did my research and trusted the science. I was really lucky that the NIL deal came to the table when it did.
The procedure was so much easier than people think.
A lot of people ask me whether I was afraid to have a surgical procedure done on my eyes, but I've worn contacts since I was young, and I'm super comfortable with my eyes being touched. The thought of someone poking and prodding in my eye didn't bother me. I also have amazing doctors—so I trusted the process 100 percent.
I had the procedure in September, and it went so smoothly. We started with rounds of numbing eye drops, so I couldn't feel what's going on, and they gave me medication to help me relax as I laid down on the surgery table. You can see what they're doing because your eyes are open, but like I said, that doesn't bother me, so I was just lying there observing. They finished the first eye in five minutes, and then moved on to the next. It was just so easy.
I probably got the best sleep of my life after the procedure. There are pictures of me sleeping afterwards at home, with my name tag still on my chest and all my stuffed animals around me. I had to tape shields over my eyes so I wouldn't scratch them. But I felt so well-rested. And my mom brought me these big superstar sunglasses the next morning, because the brightness does bother you a bit.
Recovery only took about two days. A week later, I was back to contact basketball. I did have to wear protective goggles for a month and a half after I got the surgery, and my teammates made fun of me. I looked silly, running around with these carpenter glasses on. I had worked with Oakley before, so they sent me 10 different styles of really cool glasses, and I would wear a different pair every day.
I have a video on my TikTok of someone air balling a three pointer, and it just barely skimmed the rim. I didn't put my hands up fast enough, and it hit me square in the face. Thank god I was wearing my glasses. They went flying off and everyone gasped; it was pretty funny.
Not wearing contacts has helped me feel less anxious before games.
I've been doing an activity with my strength coach every morning: We say five things we're grateful for. Lately, it's been my five senses, especially my vision. When you wake up and you can't see, it’s frustrating—I could never see my clock that was right in front of my face. Now, I’m able to start the day on such a good note, not having to worry about all of that. I’ve become really grateful for my senses and being able to see, which is something I took for granted.
People have asked me whether there's a correlation between my improved vision and my increased free throw percentage. I do think it's a piece of it. I don't think it's a direct correlation because I worked hard on my free throws in the offseason. But being an athlete, performing at a high level, you're always looking for that next thing just to improve even one percent more, and this is something that's helped me improve.
Plus, anything you can do to clear your head or give yourself some peace of mind definitely improves your performance. So when I step up to the free throw line, I don't have to worry that, "Oh, my contact's about to fall out of my eye. My eye's still dry, I have to go take it out. My trainer has to get me a new one." There's none of that anymore. I can just focus on the game.
My gratitude practice has made a huge difference in my mental health.
I'm someone who struggles with anxiety. Sometimes, I wake up and I'm anxious for no reason. I've always been super open about that. The biggest thing for me with mental health is realizing that so many other people struggle with the same exact stresses and anxieties. That's the human experience. We all struggle with the same things, and we don't talk about it enough.
To be completely honest, I feel a lot of pressure to play well. I'm so glad women's basketball is getting more exposure, but it does make things more stressful. My coach, Tara VanDerveer, always tells me, "You can take pressure and you can turn it into diamonds or you can crumble." I'm so lucky to be surrounded by people that help me process all of that, because it’s a lot. I can sit and reflect and be with my thoughts and know that it's okay to feel that pressure.
For me, this year has been about reframing situations in a positive way. I’m reading The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama, and the thing that stuck out to me the most was the theme of wanting and appreciating what you have. Staying in the moment has been huge for me. I'm so lucky to be able to play basketball at Stanford. I'm so lucky to wake up and be able to see. I’m really thankful.
What to know about the EVO ICL procedure
What is EVO ICL?
ICL (which stands for “Implantable Collamer Lens”) may seem like a new innovation, but it’s actually “one of the most popular ways to fix vision around the world,” says Ashley Brissette, MD, an ophthalmologist who regularly performs this procedure at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. “This surgery has been around for a long time, and in some countries, it's actually more popular than LASIK.” EVO is the most updated version of the procedure, a “revolutionary new design” in the way a patient's lens implant is created, she says. Here, Brissette outlines what people should know before getting EVO ICL.
The procedure implants a custom lens into the eye.
“It sits in front of your natural lens, but has a prescription in it,” Brissette says. It also has built-in UV protection. “It's completely compatible and safe to be inside the eye for many, many years, and your body doesn’t have a reaction to it.” The lens can be removed at any point, so if your prescription changes over the years, it can be updated. (LASIK uses a laser that changes the shape of the surface of the eye, which is a more permanent fix.)
Anybody who is looking to improve their vision could benefit from ICL.
Your prescription should be fairly stable for about a year, though. “You don't want to spend all this money for these lens implants and then have your prescription change,” Brissette says. ICL can correct issues like nearsightedness and astigmatism, but you’ll want to speak to your doctor if you have any other eye disease or condition. Often, folks will be recommended for ICL if they’ve been told they aren’t a candidate for LASIK, since reshaping the eye is not the best option for everyone.
Young people are typically great candidates for vision correction.
While you must be at least 21 years old to get ICL, Brissette says your twenties or thirties is actually a perfect time to have this procedure done. “The sooner the better, because then you'll get more years glasses-free,” she explains. “As you get to age 45, naturally, everybody starts to need reading glasses to help them to see. That’s just a normal aging change of the eye. So I always say, ‘Don’t wait until you're 40 to do this.’”
The procedure is fairly simple.
It starts with a pre-operative evaluation, so an ophthalmologist can assess a patient's prescription and eye shape and design their custom lenses. But the actual surgery only takes about 30 to 45 minutes start to finish, with both eyes undergoing the procedure in the same session. An ophthalmologist will make a small incision into each cornea, then put the lens implants inside. Results are almost immediate. “I've had patients sit up right after surgery and start crying tears of joy, like, ‘Oh my god, I can see,’” Brissette says. “It’s the best feeling in the entire world.”
Recovery is quick and easy.
There may be a bit of itchiness and light sensitivity afterwards, but most patients are seeing well by the next day. Brissette’s patients use eye drops for two to four weeks to help the eye heal and prevent infection, but otherwise, she says they can go back to normal activities. That’s why ICL is a nice option for athletes like Cameron. “They can't take a whole month off of playing their sport,” she says. “It's usually just a couple of days and then they're back in action, which is great.”
What potential side effects should I be aware of?
The biggest risk is infection, which is why Brissette prescribes antibiotic eye drops and encourages patients to not touch or scratch their eyes during the recovery process. Some people may also experience a glare or halo in the first few weeks, which is common. “It subsides over time as the eyes and the brain get used to it,” Brissette says. “Your brain is kind of learning to use your eyes again.” There’s also a risk of cataracts, but it’s “extremely, extremely rare.”
EVO ICL is slightly more expensive than LASIK.
On average, ICL ranges from $3,500 to $5,000 per eye, while LASIK can cost around $2,200 to $3,000 per eye. This is due to the custom nature of the implanted lenses used in the ICL procedure.
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