Painful Eyes Keep Me in Bed 16+hrs / Day

[Aaron77]

My post lasik eyes are keeping me in bed 16+hrs per day, I'm 2+ months out of surgery and really can't handle doing anything at all. Anybody have the same issue after lasik? I've been trying everybody's advice from this forum along with the docs but nothing really seems to be making any type of improvement.

[bernmee]

Time, time, time... that is what you need to give it right now.

I am 10 months post Lasik and I started to see an improvement after 8 months. The first 3 months were spent on my couch with a box of valium, I was in shock with the pain, the lack of help and the realization, too late, that lasik can cause serious damage.

For those of us who have serious dry eyes after Lasik it is important to realize that we can't expect our eyes to improve quickly. Its not like a cold or a flu that gets better each day, instead it is a long term healing process, and it takes time for the body to reset itself.

You need to keep exploring, keep trying, and most of all give it time.

Hang in there, and please take comfort in the fact that for most people things do improve. You have a head start on many as you are on this site and educating yourself about DES.

Bernadette

[sazy123]

If its dry eye that is that painful for you at the moment, i would suggest getting some moisture chamber goggles like those in the dry eye shop. They will help you get through the worst months after lasik.

[bernmee]

I agree with sazy...they made a big difference for me.

B.

[alywankin]

Hang in there

Hang in there Aaron, I was where you are. I had my Lasik in April 2008 and it has been a really rough road since. I thought I had completely destroyed my beautiful uncomplicated life and would be left to just lying around with my eyes closed, but things are getting better.

I've tried many things over the months and now at 10 months post lasik I feel hopeful for a full recovery. I still have rough days that knock me on my butt sometimes, but since it's no longer 24/7 its easier to handle.

In addition to the OTC eyedrops, I got lower permanent punctal plugs in July 2008 and upper temporary ones in December 2008. I went on a 1 month course of Tobradex (steriod/antibiotic ) drops in December as well.

In January 2009 I began Dr. Latkany's eyelid spa procedures. The warm compresses, lid massage, lid hygiene, etc. I found his book most helpful.

Use humidifiers everywhere you can and try to keep it between 40-50%. Watch out for wind or moving air currents. Remember to blink especially if on the computer.

I am 10 months and 9 days post Lasik and can be fully functional and mostly comfortable for at least 14-15 hours a day now. My eyes aren't what they used to be and I have to be way more aware of how I treat them. Taking breaks from the computer and the demanding visual aspects of my job is a must.

The healing comes so very slowly that you hardly notice its happening.
My thoughts are with you, take care.

[Aaron77]

Thanks so much for your words of advice on this one.

The dry eye seems to be a major issue for me at the moment, but I think the thing I'm having the most difficulty with is the fact that my near vision is completely ruined along with my focusing ability at any distance after lasik. I really don't know when I'll be able to adjust to the new eyes and knowing what I know now I think its going to be hard for me to ever forgive myself for getting the surgery. Hopefully I will be able to find some glasses or contact lenses that can eleviate at least the vision problems.

[bernmee]

Hi,

after having Lasik on one eye I was unable to read with that eye, I wore an eye patch while reading for the first 5 months when reading, and then, all by itself, I seemed to be able to focus fine. Around this time I also noticed that my night time vision also improved. Billberry is suposed to be good for night time vision problems, if that is your problem.

I started to notice an improvement in my DE after 8 months. It wasn't gradual, like a cold or a flu, but it just seemed over night to calm down.

When I joined this site people told me to give it time, but when the pain is so bad it is hard to think that you can put up with the pain for much longer, and its also hard to imagine that things will get better, when you have no idea what to do to make it better, and you believe you are already doing everything you can.

Try to remember that your eyes have just had a terrible "shock" and you must give them the time to readjust to what has happened.

Try to stick with it, and there are plenty of people here who are/were in your situation who help. And there are many others who have improved and are no longer on this site, so there is lots of hope.

Bernadette

[Aaron77]

Thanks again for the words Bernadette! I really do hope that it eventually gets better, until then I will keep asking questions and of course will whine just a little bit. I know that nobody likes a whiner but hey I need a sounding board,also want to get the message out there about lasik being a potential horror story, here's a list of my symptoms after to lasik:

Eye Pain – May be attributed to dry eye but I still have not had it definitively identified by any docs as of yet, although I have been trying. Eyes are in pain 100% of the time when they are closed or open, extreme eye pain if I try and do any detailed work, eyes get sore when driving, and when watching TV
Foreign body sensation in eye – Dry eye maybe? constantly have foreign body sensation in my eyes with the right eye being the most aggravating
Glare – in grocery store have a difficult time seeing what in behind glass fridge doors due to glare
Night Vision – halos around traffic lights (green lights are the worst), low contrast sensitivity, extreme difficulty focusing in dimly lit bars/restaurants, starbursts
Blurred Vision – vision is blurred when I wake up in the middle of the night, when I am up for more than about 4 hrs without resting and closing my eyes, when working on the computer, when trying to focus from one object to another
Floaters – occasional floaters in left eye
Headaches – headaches that get progressively worse the longer I’m up and out of bed
Loss of near vision

Spending 16hrs per day in bed, seriously maybe a bit more, can't work like this

No longer able to enjoy any of the things I did prior to the lasik surgery

For the eye pain which is probably due in large part to dry eye I'm taking BioTears supplements, Omega 3's, Vitamin-A, trying to get a lot of vitamin C and a lot of sleep. Eyes feel great if I go and sit in a sauna for a bit but that night will be a little uncomfortable and so will the next day, probably because I'm so dehydrated. Staying away from alcohol completely at the moment as well due to the dehydration factor.

[bernmee]

Aaron,

You need to be told what type of dry eye you have. You should have the schirmers test performed and a Tear Break up Time also. Many people here have moved away from there Lasik surgeon to get help.

Here is a link describing the benefits of bilberry. I was taking it for months as I was told it was good for the eyes, I didn't realize at the time it was also good for night vision, I found that out after my night vision improved.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10767671.

And this is the perfect place for whining. Its hard to get anyone to understand the pain, but you are in good company here.

Good for you for giving up alcohol. You really do need to give your body everything you can to help it heal, and when things even out you can go back to all those things you used to be able to do, but right now its all about the healing.

Bernadette

[Guest]

Aaron,

I can certainly empathise with where you are at the moment. I, like many others around here have been there as well.

All I can say, is the first few months are by far the toughest, things do and will improve with time.

I know that isn't what you want to hear right about now, but some moisture chambers, come puntal plugs, a good drop and a good attitude will get you a long way on the road to healing.

I am 3.5 year post op, my life is not what is was prior to surgery, I still have loads of night vision issues and focusing issues, and my eyes get really dry and sore still today but things are a lot better now than they were back in those 6 months post op and I am absolutely determined and committed to living my life to the full.

You will go through a stage where you blame yourself, but this wasn't a choice you made, you made a choice to live a life free of corrective lenses, after all, we were all sold on the advertisements (particularly when they have high profile sports people doing the selling).

It's not a blame game, it's a game of survival, set some goals on what you are going to achieve, small at first then bigger and bigger, then reward yourself for each goal that you reach. This is the only way that I got through, I still do it today.

It may sound like a load of c*** to some but I find it works, I can't remember (or choose to forget) the number of days I spent on the couch with an icepack on my face post op just hoping that tomorrow would be a better day, then one day I realised the only way tomorrow is going to be better than today is if I get of this couch and make it better for myself.

I wish you well, you are part of a very welcoming, inclusive community here and there is a lot of personal experience to tap into.

Warm regards

Ian

[sanna]

Aaron,

How is your eyes now? Your vision?

I did a lasek surgery myself and had very dry eyes after the surgery for mounths. I could not work or drive or even go out because of the wind. I did not know that it would be a hell like that after and still is...

I guess your nearsight is a little bit better now? My doctor told me it could take a year for the vision and the dry eye to get better.

[Aaron77]

Sanna here's my update, same as I posted on Lasermyeye.org

Over 4 months out now and still looking for answers. Recently tried some new prescription antiglare glasses +.25 in both eyes but they don't make much of a difference, in fact they may make things worse.

My main problem right now is a consistent feeling of warmth around my eyes and forehead, almost like the feeling of having blood rushing to your head if you were turned upside down. My eyes constatly feel like they are cross-eyed - like the feeling you would get if you were tryiny to look at something up close to your nose - yet the eyes always appear to be dead on centred.

The other problem I get is slight dizzyness when I'm out trying to get basic little things done, like grocery shopping or trying to make a pick at the movie store.

When I sleep I can't sleep on my right side as the eye feels very painful, like there is a pressure building up, also get these feel when i bend over - the pressure build up in the right eye feeling - almost like the severe eye pain you might experience if you a very bad sinus/head cold.

Still using eye drops. up to but not always maybe 10 times a day.

Anybody have any comments?

I figured the pressure in the right eye when sleeping on the righ side or when bending over might stand out.

Additionally: thought I should ad that I've been grinding my teeth quite a bit as of late, I think its related to whatever is going on with my eye, the whole face neck, jaw and shoulders area as been very tense as of late.

Not to sure if I'm still healing or if I'm simply going to be stuck like this. Has anybody had any success with Cyclosporin A? I've heard that it can speed healing of the corneal nerves and eleviate problems with dry eye.

The eyes wide open thing,

- seems to happen when I'm trying to focus in on something, before with astigmatism I would squint to change the shape of my eyeball and now its like I'm doing the opposite to try a change the shape of the eye.

- maybe I'm just trying to get as much light in on the pupil as possible, so i keep the eyelids nice and wide.

- the othe thing might be that the eyes are sometimes a little dry and keeping the eyelids off as much of the eyeball as possible might be soomething thats happening more as a comfort type thing. Maybe this will improve when my blink rate and oil preduction gets better.

apperently my tear break-up time is between 4-6 seconds, I think this is still way below normal, so I figure dry eye should still be one of my major concerns... ?

my biggest issue right now is the pressure that I feel behind my right eye, gets worse when i bend over or try ands sleep on my right side - almost like the severe eye pain you might experience if you have a very bad sinus/head cold.