prk questions

[hollyhet]

I am considering getting PRK in one eye but my eyes cannot tolerate contact lenses for more than 8 hours. I told the optometrist this..how would I keep a bandage lens in for seven days straight? is it very similar to a regular contact lens?
The only dry eye test they administered was the Schirmer test. Is this standard?

Thanks!

[DryLondoner]

Hi hollyhet,

I was in a very similar position to you last year. If I were you I would:

1. Go and see a few different people and ask them to assess your suitability for the surgery. My brother was turned down for surgery as they said his eyes were too dry, so some people will be honest with you.
2. Consider that if your eyes are even a little bit dry, or perhaps not dry at all, you may still get dry eyes. I am sitting here right now in my sunglasses, my eyes sting, and my once lovely bright white eyes are now bloodshot and dull. They can often feel tired and ache by 10 in the morning. However, at the screening I was told my eyes were perfect for surgery. And they were probably were, but there are so many variables you can just never know. This of course may not be you, you may be one of the lucky ones but it's a risk.

Did they do any other tests? The tear break up test is where they ask you to hold your eye open and count the amount of time it takes for your tear film to break up. Schirmer tests aren't always that reliable. I probably had about 10 different types tests before they confirmed I was a suitable candidate.

It sounds like you have sensitive eyes, a lot people who have sensitive eyes opt for laser eye surgery, and I suppose most are fine. My eyes were like yours, for about 8 to 10 hours they were fine in contacts. Any longer and they would freak out. And a good nights sleep would sort them out. My eyes are now even more sensitive and to normal things, like a strong gust of wind freaks them out! And sleep doesn't really do them much good anymore, they are bloodshot even when I wake up due to dryness.

I don't want to scare you. I can relate to your situation, and I wish someone would have sat me down 11 months ago and said this to me! I wish you well, whatever you choose! Good luck.

[littlemermaid]

[duplicate post]

[steveyez]

Hi Hollyhet

Ive got dry eye from lasik done 10 years ago and i honestly would not recommend anyone to take any unnecessary risks with your eyes

Its took quite a while to get physically and mentally stronger and i can honestly say now that I'm not bitter or got an axe to grind with any industry but once you get dry eyes the answer is simple to appreciate yourself and that is I would now stick to glasses and not even risk using contact lenses - glasses can be stylish and can even protect your eyes

All the best
Steve

[DryLondoner]

Hi Hollyhet

I just wanted to add (for you and anyone reading in the future), the clinic I went to is considered one of the best laser eye surgery clinics in London if not the UK. They are very well known and respected. They have top-notch equipment and are up to date in terms of treatment and techniques. However, even they have patients who do not respond well to the surgery (when I asked about this during the assessment they downplayed it, but now he mentions "oh yeah, we have this patient and we tried this....".

I have heard many times that it depends where you go, how much they know, and that if you have a good doctor you will be fine.

I strongly believe it also depends on your body and eyes. I now know, even my "world class" lasik surgeon does not really understand the complexities of the eye, tear film and body. However, they will always claim differently when the sell you the procedure.

I do not have severe dry eye. I would say it is moderate and on good days very mild. I still dream about having me old eyes back.

[Rebecca Petris]

Bandage lens is no different from a regular contact lens, that is, the same brands they use as bandages are brands people are using for vision. Legitimate concern. I have another concern personally. In my very much biased opinion, contact lens intolerance is a good reason not to get laser surgery at all unless there are some unusual circumstances or needs driving you, because (1) contact lens intolerance is so often a sign of some level of dry eye, maybe subclinical, and can be made worse by the surgery, but also (2) *if* you were unlucky enough to experience a poor or complicated visual outcome like some others of us, contact lenses, even hard contacts, might then become the only possible safe treatment for the vision issues. It's a difficult predicament and I can't tell you how many people have said to me over the years that they wished they had known they might require contacts after surgery, before they got the surgery, so I thought I should mention it.

Maybe you could share a little more about your situation and eye history and why you're pursuing this for one eye only?

p.s. Congrats on considering PRK and not LASIK. Still bad, but better

[hollyhet]

thanks everyone, this pretty much confirms my paranoia. it's good to know i *could* do okay short term with a bandage lens despite contact lens intolerance but the surgery itself is still very dangerous.

i wrote about my consultation experience here. it was pretty bad, im wondering if i have specific allergies or if this is just from DES

http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showt...2434#post92434

i guess i should've posted it in this thread? i am new here, apologies!

they only administered the paper test for dry eye and would not give me my results of the test unless i paid for my surgery (the consult was free), which i didn't like. maybe if i had asked during the consult, they would've given them to me..but emailing them the next day they refused.

[hollyhet]

the reason I only wanted to do one eye is for some reason..i feel like my left eye is more sensitive/dryer than my right eye. theres no rational explanation for this, but i find that my intuition about my bodily quirks are usually correct.

also slow healing and i have a desk job.

[jennifermd2015]

Hollyhet,

Did you have the PRK and how did it turn out? I also have what I consider to be mild dry eye (only dry in the morning after waking or wearing contacts for long days). I'm tired of not being able to tolerate my contacts as well and was considering PRK due to it being considered "safer" than lasik due to no flap. I've never had bad results from the Schirmer test but I def think there are issues with my tear film. Perhaps I need to go in and have the tear film breakup test or something to be more informed. I am very wary of surgery, especially after reading posts on sites like this but honestly I'm active and travel a lot and am tired of having to resort to glasses. Thanks for any info. Seems like there is not a lot of activity on this site lately.

[woodart]

I had prk done on one eye a number of years ago. I have had severe dry eyes all my life. At that time it was not known or we were not told or aware it could be a problem. Myself I have not had a problem with it. Maybe just luck. The reason I had it done was I had a lot of scarring on my cornea which gave me very poor vision out of that eye and I actually had it done twice in the same day. I am not sure I would have done it now knowing the chances I was taking. Taking risks with eyes you just have so much to lose.

[jennifermd2015]

Thanks woodart. It sounds like the surgery worked for you? Are you 20/20 in that eye and no probs with night vision either? What types of treatments have you tried for your level of dry eye. I guess I just don't know on a scale of 1 to 10 how bad my dry eye is. At this point, my opth thinks I have dry eye related to MGD but really wont do the tear breakup test or anything and my Schirmer came out 10 in one eye and 16 in the other. I really don't get dry irritated eyes unless I am wearing my soft contacts or have just been on a long airplane flight so it doesnt seem terrible yet. However, he made me think it was pretty bad since I get the soapy foam in the corners of my eyes and he says my oil is "sticky" whatever that means. Any advice on how to determine just how advanced the gland dysfunction is before considering something like PRK?

[woodart]

I have mgd, bleph. The sight in the eye that had prk is not as good now as when I had it done. I actually have appointments coming up about my sight and maybe have more answers then. I got maybe 15 good years of sight from prk but I won't know if it is another problem or something from that. Dryness was about the same for me before and after. I did get some halo when driving but that went away. For me it happened to work. I did have a really good doc and trusted her. If they want to do it again I probably would do it only because of my age. If I was young I am not sure about taking the chance with my eyes. It is a tough one. Reading some of the stories on here scares me.