6 Months post Epi-Lasek. Induced dry eyes

Thanks

Shells,

Thanks so much for your reply, it is nice to hear that there are others out there somewhere with similar problems and that I am not alone in this. Although it would be nice to think that we didn't both owe this to laser surgery but that would be dwelling in the past and I am absolutely over that now - onward and upward.

I guess it is difficult to compare products as there are a number of products here in the UK that are not available in the states and vice versa. Lacrilube (Allergen) is an ointment - I believe it is the same/similar to Refresh PM in the states, the product here is preservative free and I am told is identical to Refresh PM. Either way, it is a lanolin based product and it doesn't make a lot of sense to me that it could be good for your eyes, after all oil and water didn't mix well in year 8 science, let alone in my tired sore eyes.

My current doctor has suggested that I may have had a slight condition of dry eye prior to surgery but it has definately been exacebated since the surgery and yes at the 4-5 month mark became intolerable.

He is confident (and so am I) that I will get over this, or at least learn to live with and manage it to a tolerable level. I may always experience dry eye but I am certain that it will improve to some degree with time. At least that is the hope that is keeping me on this road at this moment in time.

Do you know if the products available on this site can be sent to the UK or whether there may be a UK link that I could get similar products. I have asked my chemist for Genteal gel but he has not heard of them, but recommended the viscotears gel and Celluvisc instead. So that is what I am using of a night at the moment, although still having to apply it several times a night is a little frustrating but then again so is corneal erosion (and I don't want to go through that again, still healing from a minor incident of erosion on Sunday Morning and another minor incident yesterday morning).

I haven't tried flax seed oil, I just thought this was the vegeterian variety of Fish oil. I am currently taking 2 X 1000mg tabs each day. That is what the health store recommended but I will pop in tomorrow to find out about flax seed oil. I will try anything!!

Thanks for the suggestion on goggles, will look into that more, I have been wearing an airline mask at night and am still using a humidifier (although it is now spring so the air is not as dry as winter) so I don't think it is doing much for me at the moment.

My punctual plugs were collegen (?? spelling) and were supposed to last 6 weeks, although 4 weeks have passed and I think they are losing their effectiveness as my tears seem to be draining quite quickly. Will speak to the Doctor again in two weeks when I go back for my next follow-up. The priority on my last visit (yesterday) was to get me on the Restasis. I am not sure if it is mind over matter, but I feel like my eyes are more comfortable about 15-20 minutes after using it. I have read that some people get a really quick result (usually within 2 weeks) and for others it takes a little longer. I am hoping that I have paid my dues and for the first time since surgery I will be one of the lucky ones.

Good luck with your silicon plugs, that was the next move for me, after another round of temporary ones. It is just a waiting game now, see what happens with Restasis 2 X daily and Systane 4-6 X daily.

Thanks again for taking the time to read this and more importantly for posting a response, I am absolutely confident that this will improve to a manageable level. A few people said they had similar (although not as severe) issues at about the 4-5 month mark but reassured me by saying that it improves with time.

I have found some of the stories on this site very inspirational and reassuring, it is such a great board, I just wish that I had signed up earlier.

I live my life in hope. I have a fantastic friend who constantly reminds me that everyday is a great day, some are just better than others.

Cheers
Ian

[shells]

Hi Ian!

Welcome to dry eye talk! I'm sorry to hear about your experience, but I'm glad that you have found this site. You are in good company. You are exactly 4 months behind me in your lasik (I just had regular lasik though). I had mine on June 24, 2005. I also did not notice the dryness to be a major issue until a few weeks after surgery, and just like you, my symptoms seemed to get worse around the 4 or 5 month mark. I attribute this partially due to the fact that this is when winter was starting (heaters, dry air, etc.), but also due to nerve regrowth. The doctor I see now thinks that my eyes were probably just as dry initially, but since my corneal nerves had been severed during lasik, I just could not feel any major discomfort.

As for the Lacrilube, I believe this is an ointment? If you search around on here, you'll find some information on other products to use at night. I tried ointments for a few weeks and noticed my eyes were worse. Ointments don't mix well with tears, so I think that it really made my tear film unstable when I was using them. It sounds like you may have had a similar experience. Have you tried Genteal gel yet? This is what I use at night now, and it seems to be popular among others here. Another popular item is Dwelle, which is an eye drop that you can buy on this site. Many people have had good luck with Dwelle and the other drops offered here. You can find them in the Dry Eye Shop.

I'm glad that you got a second opinion and found a doctor that you like. I find that alot of us here have went from doctor to doctor until we finally found one that was willing to help and who understood. I also did not get proper post-op car from my lasik center, and had to go elsewhere for help.

From what you've listed it sounds like you have tried quite a bit. You did not mention flax seed oil. You may want to try this as well. I get mine in the liquid form. Apparently it takes several of the capsules to equal just one tablespoon of the liquid. You may also want to consider some sort of eye protection during the day and at night also. It sounds like you have severe problems during the night, have you tried wearing moisture chamber goggles to bed? There is also a product called Tranquil Eye goggles that have a foam insert that you can soak and then put in the goggle at night. It helps keep your eye surrounded my humid air during the night. I think that you can purchase those through this site as well.

Also, how long did your plugs last? If you only had the collagen ones that last a few days, they may not have been in long enough to really determine if they would help you or not. I had 90-day dissolvable ones with little relief, but am having the silicon ones with the cap on them put in tomorrow, and hoping that they will help more than the others did.

I like your attitude about putting aside the regrets and just tackling this problem head on. I hope that you can reach a manageable level soon. I also wanted to mention that at only 6-months out, your eyes still have a very good chance of doing lots of healing on their own. I imagine that you have looked around this site, and read some of the stories. There are many people suffering here from lasik induced dry eye, but even some of those that still suffer from some degree of dryness have seen improvements well past the 6-month mark, so there is still hope for that! Anyway, good luck and again welcome!

-Shells

I have been reading this forum since having bi-lateral epi-lasek eye surgery on 24 October 2005. It is such a shame that I didn't read it before hand, as I am certain that I would not have gone ahead with my "procedure".

I am a 37 year old male and I decided on epi-Lasek as I was told that it was far less invasive on the eye and that complications were rare and any complications could be easily treated.

It is amazing that when you read of the "life changing event of laser surgery" one automatically assumes that the benefits are positive, little did I think that there could be such a negative impact on my life.

My pre op vision was L – 2.75, R – 2.0 (with very mild astigmatism), my expectations were to be less reliant on glasses but had no issue accepting that any residual prescription could be corrected with a pair of low prescription glasses should I want/need them.

My post surgery result is good (plano with -0.5 astigmatism in each eye), however, the mild astigmatism does cause me some challenges in low light, my vision does fluctuate depending on my mood and the state of my dry tired eyes.

My challenge is that I started to suffer with dry eyes within weeks of the surgery. I experienced my first corneal abrasion soon after the bandage lenses were removed. The clinic put me on Lacrilube (preservative free) until my new "sticky" cells healed (most likely 2 - 3 weeks).

I stopped using Lacrilube after being instructed by another consultant at my clinic during my 3 week checkup.

This was welcomed advice given that I hate using the stuff and I actually feel that my eyes felt and looked worse whilst using it. I took a holiday in Australia for 2 months (no computers or eye strain) and only experienced very mild discomfort on very rare occasions maybe the humidity helped.

To cut a very long, frustrating and often debilitating story short, I am six months post epi-Lasek and my dry eyes has gotten worse during months 4 - 6.

My eyes have looked like I have been on a month long drinking binge (terribly bloodshot and red bottom lids)

I have tried the following artificial tears/gels
- Refresh Contacts (preservative free)
- Hypromellose (preservative)
- Viscotears gel (preservative free – I think)
- Blink (preservative free)
- Refresh Celluvisc (preservative free)
- Systane (preservative free)
- Lacrilube

In addition to this I have also used the following:
- Vitamin supplements (1 x Multi-Vitamin A – Z with minerals)
- Omega 3 Fish Oil (2000mg/day)
- Humidifier in the bedroom
- Warm and cold compresses
- Eyelid scrubs
- Eye mask of a night

I find that my eyes feel like they are “on fire” by the end of a day. It is a bit like wearing contact lenses that desperately need to come out, unfortunately, it is difficult to get relief.

After getting extremely frustrated and upset with my current clinic constantly dismissing me with “well that was on the consent form” and a fairly debilitating corneal abrasion (severely affecting my vision), I insisted on seeing another doctor at another clinic within the company.

Finally, I was referred to a doctor in London, the first Doctor in this company that I can talk to and understands my position. More importantly, he is committed to working with me to find a solution. At last, I feel that I am back on the right road to recovery.

I started with temporary punctual plugs in my lower lids, this did not resolve the problem but certainly helped.

Then he suggested that I stop using lacrilube, to use a night time gel and Systane as required during the day.

I was very reluctant to stop using Lacrilube at night due to the pain inflicted by a corneal abrasion on waking. Whilst I hate the stuff it seems to help avoid corneal abrasions, instead, I used Viscotears Gel and Refresh Celluvisc.

Since having the surgery, I only get about 3 – 4 hours sleep at a time, so each time I wake up, I reapply Celluvisc. I prey for a night sleep of more than 4 hours, maybe one day I will receive my wish.

My eyes are still very dry when I wake in the morning, so I start the day with a few drops of Refresh Contacts (or Blink).

I regret that I had this surgery but I am not prepared to live a life of regrets. I made the decision to have this surgery and I have accepted that decision as being somewhat questionable. I am not blaming anybody else, I am simply looking for a solution that works for me and makes my induced condition manageable. I am determined that this is not going to rule/ruin my life.

I just hope if anyone reading this post is considering laser surgery that you consider all the options and ask your surgeon about the possible complications. Like you, I thought “These things don’t happen to me”. Well they can happen to anyone and chronic dry eyes can be debilitating and life changing condition.

Thank you for taking the time of reading my post, sorry it is so long. I feel so much better that I have at least broken the silence and feel that I am ready to tackle this condition head on and get it sorted out.