One eye dilemma?

[Jennifer]

Hi everyone

I seem to have lost the last thread I was using but it's okay, here's a new one. Hope you're all well and coping with today's dry eye. I have DES and woke up this morning not too dry. I haven't had surgery, my DES is induced by swimming and contact lens wear.

I've been considering epi lasek so I don't have to deal with prescription goggles that give me headaches anymore and so I can go abroad and do my volunteer work without worrying where my glasses are, I no longer wear contacts. The thing is everyone I've chatted to on here has advised me brilliantly and I have been seriously doubting the procedure, yesterday I chose simply not to have it done. However after reading a few more things I have discovered you can have one eye done at a time, has anyone had this?

My fear is the headaches or dizziness from imbalance. My prescription is
-2.75 left and -1.50 right, I have astigmatism in both. My idea is to possibly get the left one done (the right is the drier one), this would allow me to be less reliant on my glasses when I'm outside active and when I'm working in the hot sun over summer? I would be more than happy to have glasses the rest of the time, I just want to see when I'm moving about and in the pool. If anyone can tell me anything about having one eye done and what the dry eye implications are (my left is a much healthier eye).

Many thanks as always to all of you

Have a good day

Jennifer

[calli66]

Just my opinion, but I think having one eye "done" is a poor choice.

A friend of mine (much higher myopia plus high astigmatism) had one eye done with lasik maybe 10 years ago, but she had very poor vision in both eyes at the time (irregular astigmatism--glasses and contacts not able to correct), and this improved her life (had no dry eye pre-existing condition). I don't know how she's doing now.

I am a high myope myself (-8.00), and so from my perspective, your vision seems good, tolerable. Having one eye done means that without glasses, your vision with be "unequal" and you will lose some binocularity function--both eyes with not work together well. You will be seeing distance with your "good" eye and close with the uncorrected one.

By having your left eye corrected to 20/20, you will be reversing the natural balance that your eyes have arrived at during your life--right now your left is the "weak" one, and after surgery, it would be the "strong" one.

If you already have dryness in the right eye, and perhaps the left eye is headed in that direction, too--you just don't know. Lasek could tip it over the edge into becoming more symptomatic. It would be better to get to the bottom of WHY your eyes are dry (like Dr. Latkany is always saying), before thinking about surgery.

Your uncomfortability with your blurry vision and seeing outdoors at the pool could be helped by vision therapy (behavioral optometry), which helps balance the "load" between eyes, train binocularity and tracking skills, fine-tune accurate "pointing" and focusing of eyes, and increasing self-awareness of vision and good vision practices.

I think a wise "next move" on your part would be to search for a new pair of Rx goggles that have a better design or a higher quality lens. If you're current goggles are giving you headaches, you need to find out WHY (again). Maybe there is distortion in the lens; perhaps the Rx is wrong; perhaps they pinch nerves around your face.

If you were to get surgery, there would be the recovery time to think about, and the exposure to chorine water, bacteria, etc.---any complication could keep you from swimming and working at the pool. Your lasek-ed eye would be much more vulnerable.

PLEASE take the advice from members here seriously before deciding to have surgery on even one eye. There are a great many things you can do still to improve vision, comfort, and hassle-free swimming--before going the route of surgery.

C66

[Rebecca Petris]

Jennifer,

Do you know which eye is your dominant eye?

[Guest]

Jennifer

Your original post was attached to mine but Rebecca moved it to here http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showt...ight=epi-lasek to start a new thread.

I certainly wouldn't consider 1 eye, sure you can have the mono vision thing but I ended up with mono vision (ie 1 eye different to the other) for several months after my surgery whilst my refraction settled down, each eye is still different today and this takes a lot of getting used to.

I was nauseous for months after my surgery. I actually vomitted several times because of the visual disturbances.

Sure some people can adjust to mono-vision but I would look into it very carefully.

If you want to email me please do so, I see you are in the UK, I had my surgery in the UK also.

Just be very careful with your decision, it is not something you can retract. You may have no problems, you may adjust to the mono vision quite well but then again, you may end up with dryness also. There is just NO WAY to predict your outcome and the risks are something that you need to assess, but the balance as I see it is currently not in your favour.

Regards

IanP

[Jennifer]

Food for thought

Hi everyone

Thank you very much for your replies, some of the advice about things to do for focusing and stuff was really good (Calli66 your time out doing that was very kind), am going to have a good luck into that online and into the goggles however my extensive research so far has made it such that they can't do seperate eyes but I'll delve deeper. The optician said they can't suggest anything more for me about goggles.

I think my right eye is my dominant Rebecca, I would only consider doing my left eye, right sees more than my left without glasses therefore I'm guessing dominant. My vision is only ish tolerable because of my astigmatism, really up close stuff is okay but distance is terrible ie my team mates. Your threads really did help, didn't realise how much there was to think about. I have seen three opticians about the reasons why I have developed dry eye particularly in my right and they say because I'm so athletic my eyes produce more protein or something therefore they dry out?? Didn't make much sense but basically I know I have dry eye. What's a humidifier? Can these go ond esks or do they make loads of noise? My office is really dry!

My right eye is -1.50 which if I've done research wouldn't be too bad if I didn't have astigmatism, correcting the left would be weird and perhaps induce more dry eye, just looking into options because I'm at the stage were I can't do lenses. My friend only sees out of one eye the other is lazy and he says it's okay, I wouldn't be getting the right done at any point, not worth the risk, I'm just trying to imagine what it would be like looking at the computer screen, can anyone describe this? IE one eye 20-20 and the other not (this is imagining if I didn't have glasses on which obviously I normally would), what does it make your brain do? I've done brain and cognition psychology but didn't cover much on visual perception. I literally am just weighing up options and I think you are all the best people to speak to as you have dry eyes to. Like I said my left is okay, it's my right dryness that struggles most. I wouldn't be training in the pool over summer as I'm away that's why I've been thinking about getting lasek before I go. Am sure you're all thinking 'no, don't do it' but please chat to me as I am not very good at decision making and need all the advice I can get because it tends to get me to the right place. If there's anything I can advise about dry eyes etc just ask, I truely believe in hot flannels these days.

Ian, sorry you were sick, that is horrible... what was your difference in vision as your eyes settled after the procedure? It must have been bad to induce nausea. If I remember correctly you and I were quite similar which concerns me...

Thank you all

Nite

Jennifer

[Rebecca Petris]

Jennifer,

In my heart of hearts I hope you don't have surgery, because I worry about creating new vision problems and making your hitherto healthy left eye dry - particularly since the exact cause of your dry right eye has not been identified.

Having said that, I understand your frustration with the present situation.

If you do give any further consideration to laser surgery on the left eye, now or in the future, I would urge you to first get a contact lens for the left eye and pop the left lens out of your glasses, then try that out for awhile so you can get a sense of what the vision would be like. I'm not a doctor but... if you really are right eye dominant, then I think that even setting aside dryness issues, lasering the left does not make sense as it is your dominant eye that you would naturally depend on for distance vision. Disrupting that is asking for further trouble. At any rate, a contact lens trial would give you some idea what your best-case scenario is.

If you can't tolerate a contact lens in the left eye for a few days, then you should be ruled out for laser surgery anyway.

[calli66]

Hi Jennifer-

I was thinking about you today, after I posted my message, and wanted to add something.

I wonder if you have exhausted all the possibilities of contact lenses. I have very dry eyes, and I go to alot of trouble trying all the new lenses as soon as they "go commercial"--and I DO wear contacts--still. I have found some that work for me.

Sometimes the inability to wear contacts comes from the disinfecting solutions used. Most have detergent compounds in them--making them "no-rub." These can be very irritating. There are many techniques and tips to successful contact lens wear.

I was also thinking today--that if you are hesitating about getting surgery on both eyes, then you should be equally hesitant about one eye---even if it is your "good" eye.

It's your decision, of course, but what I'm hearing is your desire for the freedom and convenience aspects of Lasek (the very things stressed in advertising). This is very alluring. Please be very careful.

C66

[Guest]

Jennifer

The nausea was unusual but created because I had an imbalance in my two eyes and I had induced astigmatism in both also so nothing was clear and everytime I moved for the first few months I felt sick.

You dominant eye GENERALLY follows your dominant hand (right handed, right eye dominant, left handed - left eye dominant) - well that is at least what the laser surgeon told me.

As I have said previously, it is not just the risk of dryness you need to consider, it is the risk of long term damage (halos, ghosting, astigmatism). Have a look at one of the laser clinic consent forms and you will end up with a list of potential complications longer than your arm.

I appreciate you looking for possibilities, I am using a bandage contact lens at the moment (Focus Night and Day) and with dry eyes, it is quite tolerable, I guess they come in a normal prescription - ask your optician for some different trial lenses.

A friend of mine in Australia has mono vision laser surgery and I called her to discuss your thoughts, she indicated:
- She had to wear a contact or glasses on 1 eye for 12 months to adjust to the condition pre surgery to test her tolerance to mono-vision, some people can, some can't.
- Her dominant eye was corrected for distance visition.
- She didn't have existing dry eyes.
- She has adjusted to the corrected vision but finds her binocular (??sp) normal vision a little disturbing at times and has to really concentrate using her good eye.

Remember, I said with dry eyes, I can't tolerate getting water in them, they just go hideously bloodshot and really, really sore. So goggles may still be required even after your surgery.

I hope you find the information you are looking for.

If you want to have a look at a consent form, email me, I may be able to find a copy of mine.

Cheers

IanP

[Lucy]

Remember, I said with dry eyes, I can't tolerate getting water

Boy, I'm with Ian on this one. Swim goggles are a part of my gym bag.
I also think it's dangerous to expose your eyes (especially if they are compromised by refractive surgery) to the toxins, germs and who knows what in the pool or lake you swim in! If a person's eyes healed well, this wouldn't necessarily apply, but mine have not and I do not take the risk. I love the water, so goggles it is.

Lucy

[MJ]

Remember, I said with dry eyes, I can't tolerate getting water in them, they just go hideously bloodshot and really, really sore. So goggles may still be required even after your surgery.

I'm with Ian on this one. If I get water, even raindrops, in my eyes they get bloodshot and then hurt.

mj

[Jennifer]

Good news

Hi guys

Hope ya all well. I went to the opticians today (three in all!) and have found one that do goggles for eyes of different strengths, and much more attractive sports glasses (the ones I'd previously been shown were like sucba diving goggles which I really wouldn't use for rock climbing now would I).

I'm very very lucky to have landed with you people, having delved deeper and researched a little more rather then researching laser, there are many alternatives. I won't say it's all great because as soon as I take them off I can't see brill but what's that in the grand scheme of things when I could wreck a lot more. For me life is about being active so I totally understand the agony you all must suffer with DES, mine luckily seems to be in the earlier stages and I've therefore got it as much under control as I can. Can't thank you all enough for all your support and advice. I have been overwhelmed by the time people have taken to post replies to me and it reminds me there are many good people out there who care and show kindness when this world is often full of people who need to take a good luck in the mirror and reassess their 'person'.

I WILL NOT BE GOING AHEAD WITH ANY KIND OF LASER EYE SURGERY AND AM PROUD TO SAY IT

Thank you all again and I'll be on checkin out how y'all doin and if there's anything new on the dry eye curing market

Take care and best wishes

Jennifer

[calli66]

Jennifer-

Good to hear you are checking out some alternatives and not going ahead with the surgery! We really WORRY about surgery decisions around here (you've noticed).

Come back any time and tell us what cool stuff you're doing.

C66

[Guest]

Jennifer,

I appreciate how difficult this decision has been for you but it is music to my ears.

I think you have made the right decision.

Good luck with the goggles.

Cheers

IanP

[shells]

Hi guys


I WILL NOT BE GOING AHEAD WITH ANY KIND OF LASER EYE SURGERY AND AM PROUD TO SAY IT


Jennifer

Jennifer,

I am so happy that you decided not to go ahead with surgery. I also understand you wanting to be able to be active and do the things you love, so I'm glad found a good optician who can work with you to get better fitting goggles. Good luck!

-Shells