Corneal nerve neuropathy AFTER LASIK or other damage to cornea this could be you

[socratese]

I started a thread a month ago, after my trip to see dr rosenthal in boston, about my new diagnosis of corneal nerve damage and resulting hypersensitivity and neuropathy.

I have found another source pointing to corneal nerve neuropathy
I am wanting to get more people aware of this problem because a lot more of us may have this than is realized, and we need to learn root causes instead of just only trying to treat what we can see on the surface (MGD/BLEPH/DES)



here is a paper from University of Helsinki in Helsinki, Finland describing corneal neuropathy after damage from surgery like lasik.
CORNEAL NERVES IN REFRACTIVE
SURGERY AND DRY EYE
heres the link to the main article. I put excerpts of the most important parts down below...
https://www.doria.fi/bitstream/handl...pdf?sequence=1

Here are some important excerpts
"Presumably, at least part of the symptoms of “LASIKassociated
dry eye” are derived from aberrantly regenerated and abnormally functioning corneal
nerves. Thus, they may represent a form of corneal neuropathy or “phantom pain” rather than
conventional dry eye."

""""Corneal refractive surgery (PRK and LASIK) severs corneal sensory nerves, impairing corneal sensitivity and function. Corneal nerve regeneration begins shortly, but the original fine nerve architecture may never be completely restored. Patients experience varying degrees of dry eye symptoms for a 1to 6month period following refractive surgery. Occasionally, extensive dry eye symptoms or even ocular pain may persist for years, with or without dry eye signs. On the other hand, patients may have clinical signs compatible with dry eye, but present with minimal or no symptoms."""""

'''''Secretion of tear fluid is also regulated by the corneal nerves
forming the afferent loop of the cornealacrimal
gland reflex arc. Several systemic and corneal
disorders as well as ocular surgery may damage the corneal nerves and impair their function.
Consequently, the regulation of epithelial cell and keratocyte metabolism and also tear
formation and corneal sensitivity are disturbed until innervation is restored.''''

"""""""changes in corneal curvature
may interfere with even tear distribution, but the mechanical rubbing due to the anatomical
change may also be causative. Moreover, patients who seek refractive surgery are often contact
lens intolerant and may have preclinical dry eye before surgery. In addition, mechanical trauma
caused by the microkeratome suction ring to limbal Goblet cells has been suggested to play a
role in LASIKassociated
dry eye (Lenton and Albietz 1999). Diminished afferent input also
results in a decreased blinking rate, which appears to be involved in the pathogenesis of
LASIKassociated
dry eye (Toda et al. 2001)"""""""""""

[LaDiva]

I had PRK four years ago, and had no severe problem with dry eyes until about 3 years after the surgery. My eye doctors had been telling me for years before this, however, that I had dry eyes. They weren't dry enough to be a problem until last year. Can the surgery have this much of an effect three years later? I am guessing what I am now living with is probably just the normal progression of DES, but who knows.

[cvowr]

Refractive surgeries as Lasik uses Excimer Laser. Execimer is UVC laser (ultraviolet light, subtype C). UVC is VERY MUTAGENIC! This can to be really problem... Nerve damage is other possibility.

Did you know this? I didn't know this.

I did not do Lasik, but I had an accident with UVC germicidal lamp. Next day I woke up with drastic reduction of eye boogers. The first 4 days I did not have any symptoms, beyond the reduction of eye boogers. Gradually were appearing symptoms such as dry eye and photophobia.

For many reasons I associate my accident (UVC germicidal lamp) with Lasik. I found a very interesting thing that I already suspected, but i could not find this information explicitly. The Lasik and other refractive surgery using excimer laser, which is a laser with 193 nm wavelength,i.e.,ultraviolet laser type C (UVC). UVC (wavelength range: 280 – 100 nm) can cause mutation of cells and other things that perhaps only God knows!

I.e., my thinking was right about UVC and lasik!

It seems that researchers are testing to use other frequencies less dangerous. We know that any laser is potentially dangerous to vision, including those of visible light that children play. There are cases that the excimer laser burned the retina.

hugs

sorry my english