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I have had 4 eye surgeries--including LASIK twice (12 years apart--see below), Cataract surgery, and Vitrectomy. My many problems started after the Cataract surgery, not after the ORIGINAL LASIK. The history is very lengthy, but I will do my best to summarize:
I had Bi-lateral LASIK performed in 1996 for severe myopia and astigmatism (-10 diopters of myopia with 3 diopters of astigmatism). I did this because I could not wear contacts due to dry eyes (although I never actually felt any dryness back then) and I did not want to wear "coke bottle" glasses at 26 years old. For 12 years after surgery I was extremely happy with my results (never had any problems with dryness).
However, for some reason, in 2007 my distance vision started to go practically overnight. I was told that my posterior sub-capsular cataracts (thought to be congenital) had grown and needed to be removed. Now in retrospect I question whether this surgery was truly necessary because I later found out that the cataract surgeon I was referred to has a reputation for being extremely "aggressive".
At any rate, I had Bi-lateral cataract surgery in 2007 at age 37 with Crystalens accommodating IOLs placed. This is where all the problems started. Another thing I did not know at the time is that it is difficult to calculate the proper lens power for a post-LASIK patient undergoing cataract surgery. So what happened is that I ended up becoming Farsighted in the right eye after the cataract surgery with all sorts of other visual abberations. YAG capsulotumy was performed in both eyes but did not help at all.
Since my Cataract surgeon is also a LASIK surgeon (but not my original LASIK surgeon), in an effort to try and remedy the refractive error created by the cataract surgery, he suggested re-lifting the LASIK flap in my right eye (that had been created 12 years prior) and performing LASIK. Yet another thing I did not know at the time is that apparently nowadays they do not do LASIK enhancements by lifting the flap; instead I was told that they would now use PRK. So in 2008 I ended up having the flap lifted and LASIK performed again in the right eye.
With this 2nd LASIK (12 years after my original LASIK), the surgeon's goal was to make the right eye a -1 (slight monovision to help with reading), but I ended up a -3 in the right eye. Since the left eye is about a -0.50 (with 1 diopter of astigmatism), I now have a real big disparity between the two eyes (much more "monovision" than anyone would ever actually intend for--very confusing for the brain).
In addition to the refractive problems, I also had an intolerable degree of "floaters" I started experiencing after the 2nd and 3rd surgeries. It was said that I had a large vitreal detachment in the right eye that was causing this (no idea how this happened in the course of events). To make a long story short, although it was considered "risky", the only chance I had to rectify the floater situation was to have a "Floater Only" Vitrectomy in the right eye--which I did end up doing in 2009 and it did help with the floaters.
Since Fall of 2010, I have had intolerable dryness in both eyes and have tried all known dry-eye remedies to no avail. Although I never noticed any dry eye symptoms after the original LASIK in the 12 years before the cataract surgery, who knows if it contributed to a cumulative effect of all the surgeries. All I can say is that ALL of the above problems started only after the Cataract surgery and beyond. In terms of the dry eyes, what I have been told by a doctor who performs both LASIK and Cataract surgeries (yet neither on me) is that the "unspoken risk" of these surgeries is that they desensitize the cornea and destroy the feedback mechanism that sends the message to secrete tears.
I wish I could somehow "undo" all of the surgeries, but unfortunately I cannot.
I had Bi-lateral LASIK performed in 1996 for severe myopia and astigmatism (-10 diopters of myopia with 3 diopters of astigmatism). I did this because I could not wear contacts due to dry eyes (although I never actually felt any dryness back then) and I did not want to wear "coke bottle" glasses at 26 years old. For 12 years after surgery I was extremely happy with my results (never had any problems with dryness).
However, for some reason, in 2007 my distance vision started to go practically overnight. I was told that my posterior sub-capsular cataracts (thought to be congenital) had grown and needed to be removed. Now in retrospect I question whether this surgery was truly necessary because I later found out that the cataract surgeon I was referred to has a reputation for being extremely "aggressive".
At any rate, I had Bi-lateral cataract surgery in 2007 at age 37 with Crystalens accommodating IOLs placed. This is where all the problems started. Another thing I did not know at the time is that it is difficult to calculate the proper lens power for a post-LASIK patient undergoing cataract surgery. So what happened is that I ended up becoming Farsighted in the right eye after the cataract surgery with all sorts of other visual abberations. YAG capsulotumy was performed in both eyes but did not help at all.
Since my Cataract surgeon is also a LASIK surgeon (but not my original LASIK surgeon), in an effort to try and remedy the refractive error created by the cataract surgery, he suggested re-lifting the LASIK flap in my right eye (that had been created 12 years prior) and performing LASIK. Yet another thing I did not know at the time is that apparently nowadays they do not do LASIK enhancements by lifting the flap; instead I was told that they would now use PRK. So in 2008 I ended up having the flap lifted and LASIK performed again in the right eye.
With this 2nd LASIK (12 years after my original LASIK), the surgeon's goal was to make the right eye a -1 (slight monovision to help with reading), but I ended up a -3 in the right eye. Since the left eye is about a -0.50 (with 1 diopter of astigmatism), I now have a real big disparity between the two eyes (much more "monovision" than anyone would ever actually intend for--very confusing for the brain).
In addition to the refractive problems, I also had an intolerable degree of "floaters" I started experiencing after the 2nd and 3rd surgeries. It was said that I had a large vitreal detachment in the right eye that was causing this (no idea how this happened in the course of events). To make a long story short, although it was considered "risky", the only chance I had to rectify the floater situation was to have a "Floater Only" Vitrectomy in the right eye--which I did end up doing in 2009 and it did help with the floaters.
Since Fall of 2010, I have had intolerable dryness in both eyes and have tried all known dry-eye remedies to no avail. Although I never noticed any dry eye symptoms after the original LASIK in the 12 years before the cataract surgery, who knows if it contributed to a cumulative effect of all the surgeries. All I can say is that ALL of the above problems started only after the Cataract surgery and beyond. In terms of the dry eyes, what I have been told by a doctor who performs both LASIK and Cataract surgeries (yet neither on me) is that the "unspoken risk" of these surgeries is that they desensitize the cornea and destroy the feedback mechanism that sends the message to secrete tears.
I wish I could somehow "undo" all of the surgeries, but unfortunately I cannot.
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