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Lasik, dry eye, and aberrations

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  • Lasik, dry eye, and aberrations

    Hello everyone, I have been reading for a long time everyone's experiences and suggestions, and finally thought I should register especially after I saw Jeannie's post, and thinking that dry eye might also contribute to bad vision.

    To summarize my experience...I am 25 years old, and had Lasik 13 months ago to correct moderate nearsightedness (-4D, but I really, really felt blind without correction - I remember not being able to find my glasses because even when I squinted, it was impossible to discern them on a desk full of clutter )

    So I had Lasik, and even though I was corrected to 20/20 (well it depends - dryness makes me fluctuate between 20/25 on bad days and 20/15 on really good ones) I started having severe ghosting after the procedure (for the lucky unfamiliar ones, ghosting is an astigmatic-like phenomenon of image "bleeding" to the extent that resembles 2 images, one under the other.) I was shocked. I had second, third and fourth opinions, just like Jeannie did, and they could find no ablation defect, striae or a prescription, just a difference in tear production (left-ghosted eye had a Schirmer's of 15, and the right one 35, but I had a very rapid TBUT and dry spots).

    For the first couple of months, I remember how hard it was for me to open my eyes in the morning, just like PRK patients describe. I had no signs of dry eye pre-op, except when I would accidentally fall asleep with my contacts in - then they would give me grief...

    A doctor had the epiphany of putting me on Restasis, and I saw a dramatic improvement vision-wise in only 3 weeks (I suppose that I was probably responding to its Refresh Endura component, because after that I hit a plateau). Why did the oily stuff work? Well I have no MGD or blepharitis that I know of, but I'm a smoker, and I've read time and again that there's a connection.

    After trying literally everything and time went by, I started getting some sensation back. My left eye started to hurt, and time and again I thought I had red eye and used a bottle of FML that I keep for these instances. It did work in making the "red eye" subside, as well as the pain, which felt just like conjunctivitis, until I visited another doc who said that it was dry eye instead and put a Smart Plug in (the only one that stayed in after multiple attempts with other models).

    I had had some instances of really good, non-ghosted vision a couple of times, but it never lasted long enough (ie. more that 2-3 days). I have probably used every single drop in the market, and with the exception of Soothe, all others made my vision (and discomfort) worse. Soothe did work wonders for the vision, but had to use it every hour.

    Then I started using Dwelle, Dakrina and Nutratear a month ago, as well as using the Thermoeyes for an hour daily (I have discovered that eye closure, heat and rest works tremendously well). I recently saw again an improvement in vision - much longer instances of ghost-free vision, and when ghosting does appear, I can blink it away. And most importantly, I don't mean while/immediately after putting drops in, but rather after a day of having used drops 5-6 times and kept eyes closed for 20-30 minutes.

    Ghosting is way worse when I have used the computer for more than 6 hours, when I haven't had my usual short evening siesta, when I stare and don't blink, and when i use other drops (like TheraTears or other thin - watery drops) during the day, with the exception of my beloved Nutratear. I also tend to notice worsening of vision as the day goes on, regardless of lighting conditions - these issues are labeled "night vision problems", but why not have them at 6pm when it's pitch-black outside, and have them at 11pm?

    So, my main question would be - has anyone had these visual issues from dryness and/or seen similar improvement? I keep on trying to improve my condition after having read tons of articles that explain the aberrations caused by a bad tear film, but after reading Rebecca's reply to Jeannie (stating that many people had the same impression after Lasik but an ablation defect was to blame for vision quality) I am starting to get suspicious and discouraged...

    Thanks for reading on, looooooooooooong post I know...
    Last edited by cristinalatina; 11-Nov-2006, 16:11.

  • #2
    Then I started using Dwelle, Dakrina and Nutratear a month ago, as well as using the Thermoeyes for an hour daily (I have discovered that eye closure, heat and rest works tremendously well)
    Cristina, these simple measures will probably help a lot of people IF they are patient and use them continually. From your whole post, I think this part is important. We all know these drops don't help everyone. But, the heat on your eyes and RESTING WITH YOUR EYES SHUT periodically during the day is a real help. I know people will say "well, I can't go around with my eyes shut all day......etc." Well, you can set aside breaks and lunch and do this. It helped me make it through 5 years of secretarial work after my lasik. I did literally have my eyes shut a lot of the time. Still do.

    Continued good luck to you.
    Don't trust any refractive surgeon with YOUR eyes.

    The Dry Eye Queen

    Comment


    • #3
      Christina,

      I came across this article today. It might help deepen your understanding:

      [emphasis added]

      Click me!

      1: J Refract Surg. 2004 May-Jun;20(3):243-7. Links
      Wavefront analysis of higher order aberrations in dry eye patients.Montes-Mico R, Caliz A, Alio JL.
      Research, Development and Innovation Department, Ophthalmologic Institute of Alicante, School of Medicine, University Miguel Hernandez, Spain. roberto.montes@uv.es

      PURPOSE: To compare ocular wavefront aberrations of normal and dry eyes and to describe the characteristics of higher order aberration in dry eyes. METHODS: Wavefront analysis of higher order ocular aberrations (total S3+4+5, spherical-like S4, coma-like S3+5) was performed with a Hartmann-Shack aberrometer in 20 dry eyes and 20 normal control eyes. RESULTS: Total, spherical-like, and coma-like aberrations were significantly greater in dry eyes than in normal controls (P < .01) both for a 4-mm (total S3+4: factor of 2.58; spherical S4: factor of 2.50; coma S3: factor of 2.70) and 6-mm-diameter pupil (S3+4+5: factor of 2.29, S4: x2.53, and S3+5: factor of 2.40). CONCLUSIONS: Eyes of dry eye patients showed greater optical aberrations compared with normal control eyes. Increase in higher order aberrations in dry eyes resulted from increased tear film irregularity.

      Comment


      • #4
        And another one. Maybe not exactly headline news to most of us, but....

        [emphasis added]

        Click me!

        1: J Cataract Refract Surg. 2004 Aug;30(8):1649-52. Links
        Changes in ocular aberrations after instillation of artificial tears in dry-eye patients.
        Montes-Mico R, Caliz A, Alio JL.
        Research, Development and Innovation Department, Ophthalmologic Institute of Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernandez, Avenida Denia 111, 03015 Alicante, Spain. roberto.montes@uv.es

        PURPOSE: To study the effect of artificial tear instillation on ocular aberrations in dry-eye patients. SETTING: Research, Development and Innovation Department, Instituto Oftalmologico de Alicante, Alicante, Spain. METHODS: Ocular aberrations (total, spherical-like, and coma-like) were measured with a Hartmann-Shack aberrometer before and after artificial tear instillation (immediately and 10 minutes later) in 15 eyes of 15 dry-eye patients. RESULTS: Optical aberrations showed a statistically significant reduction after artificial tear instillation (P<.01). Total aberrations decreased on average by a factor of 2 to 3 times immediately after instillation; the reduction was maintained after 10 minutes (P>.01). CONCLUSIONS: After artificial tear instillation, the reduction in optical aberrations associated with an increasingly irregular tear film may cause an improvement in the optical quality of dry eyes. Wavefront analysis facilitates the evaluation of improvement in optical quality after artificial tear instillation in patients with dry eye.

        Comment


        • #5
          You know, Neil--the corneal aberrations may be why I have developed "worse vision" over the last several years. I wonder whether the cornea even "shrinks" in weird ways due to dryness. That would create irregular (and sometimes ephemeral) astigmation--something I have definitely noticed.
          C66

          Comment


          • #6
            Neil,

            Thanks so much for posting these. Yes, they do seem to reconfirm my experience of transient bad vision during the day (I can't see the PC screen clearly sometimes) and the aberrations at night, most of which are probably caused by the surgery but exacerbated, imho, by the dryness.

            I am convinced that my post-Lasik aberrations are far more annoying and prominent when my eyes are dry, and I do lose at least a line of vision because of that.

            Calli, I agree that dry eye can make your vision fluctuate. I can't believe it myself, but it can even be quite different between blinks.

            Comment


            • #7
              Cristina,

              Is this a dry eye problem, or a problem of irregular cornea/epithelium temporarily made better by saturation dosing with artificial tears and eye closure, the results of which may be causing the cornea to swell slightly?

              You mentioned the presence of "dry spots." Did those spots stain with fluorescein, or did they just show irregular pooling of the fluorescein?

              Comment


              • #8
                Dr.G,

                I am told since day 1 after Lasik that I have "trace SPK" that persists even after 14 months after the surgery and agressive dry eye treatment. I also have a Schirmers of 10 in the aberrated eye and 25 in the good one.

                I've had ghosting in low light conditions that is made better after eye closure. Drops help as long as they're applied about 1 hour before, not immediately. My eye tends to be "dry" not wet when I see the least amount of ghosting.

                The weird thing is that I notice some form of easy "adaptation" in a good eye day. Ghosting shrinks as I look at it. However, I am not sure if it's a matter of focusing (I doubt it, because it doesn't happen every day) or of dryness (as my vertical ghosting seems to follow the opposite movement than my lids, as my upper lid goes upwards the ghosting goes downwards).

                I do believe that it must be some aberration, but I don't know if it can be corrected with glasses. I have a prescription of +50sph -50cyl in that eye, stable for a year now. But I'm unable to tell if glasses/contacts help, since the ghosting is evident on white text on dark background, so the Snellen chart is useless-I just can't tell.

                If you have any suggestions, I would be very interested in hearing them.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Whatever it is, if it is consistent, then it ought to be able to be captured by topography and wavefront consistently. Then we go from there. I would probably try a series of contact lenses, starting with a suitable soft lens like Focus N&D as a bandage to see if this improved the situation and work up from there.

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