My 10 year journey

[Lucy]

Lucy and I had totally different experiences with it, yet closely similar results in terms of vision though I'm sure her dry eye is worse than mine. We were both high myopes. Her surgery & healing were more 'eventful' than mine (I have a video of my surgery which really was perfectly smooth, and I had no healing mishaps of any kind). Yet we both got our vision trashed. She's had to deal with a lot worse things than me though in the ensuing years.
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Rebecca Petris
The Dry Eye Zone

To clarify something to those of you reading this thread. While Rebecca says her Lasik was uneventful as far as the surgery, and her video shows it going well. I have a video and the first eye done went well and when he got to my left eye, it's a mess and it shows him dobbing and trying to straighten up the flap. He worked on that eye a long time and ended up putting a bandage lens on it. That eye has been my personal devil for the past 10 years. The right eye, although dry, remains not nearly as sore. I do have a cataract on the "good" eye though and am scared to have it fixed.

Lucy

[kstaff4]

mine was much the same...

For me, lasik was the turning point for my dry eye. I remember the doc saying to go out to see a movie to stay awake after the lasik...a MOVIE? i was in immediate pain, and it never went away! Now...the doc i'm seeing to try to reverse this SAYS that there were probably several factors including the lasik that caused such severe dry eye.......but i had been seemingly good for many years after accutane, contacts, etc.....and didn't feel any dry eye, UNLESS i tried the contacts again. So i go in to the doc asking about lasik, telling them everything, and all of my concerns, and they yes, i am a candidate! I wish too that i hadn't gone.......for the past year, my life has been miserable, and i worry constantly about my vision, since they didn't get it right, blaming it on the dry eye. I drive almost 36,000 miles per year, and am always worrying if i'm seeing good enough to be on the road. Personally, I don't think so......so think long and hard before lasik, it can cause damage.

[John Cote]

Thanks

Thanks for the reply you guys... very interesting stuff.

[Rebecca Petris]

I did not have a lot of infection with Lasik. I did have DLK though which is a really bad deal. (Maybe Rebecca will say something on that.)

DLK is a really bad deal

But John, if what you're getting at is, was there a horrific complication that explains her dry eye, I don't think it necessarily does. Sometimes DLK can get really horrible, other times it clears well. Lucy and I had totally different experiences with it, yet closely similar results in terms of vision though I'm sure her dry eye is worse than mine. We were both high myopes. Her surgery & healing were more 'eventful' than mine (I have a video of my surgery which really was perfectly smooth, and I had no healing mishaps of any kind). Yet we both got our vision trashed. She's had to deal with a lot worse things than me though in the ensuing years.

[Lucy]

John, I'll try and remember although the answers may not be said in a correct way that you'll understand.

I did not have a lot of infection with Lasik. I did have DLK though which is a really bad deal. (Maybe Rebecca will say something on that.) That's when bad cells get under the flap. I'm sure I was given proper antibiotics for that. But, I did not have a lingering infection and take lots and lots of steroids if that is your question. I didn't take "loots and lots" of seroids either.

One year after Lasik, I got a corneal ulcer in my left eye and that caused more permanent damage. I did have to take lots and lots of drops, both steroid and antibiotics. I had to take some drops every hour for the first two days. 24/7. I had to wake up every hour! Than after a couple of days, it was every 2 hours 24/7. And so on That eye has been the most damaged and it was the one with flap problems.

I think I may have answered your question. (But, I don't blame my problems on steroids or antibiotics.)

[John Cote]

Just wondering...

Hi Lucy, I just had a question: After the time of your Lasix, did you develop an infection of any sort in your eyes, and if so, were you given lots of antibiotics?

[msny]

Lucy-

I'm very glad I found this forum because people here can relate
to vision problems and treatments.

Its all good to meet everyone, being the new guy on the block.

Mike

[Lucy]

msny, thanks for writing about your experience. You have, indeed been to hell and back. I hope things settle down for you. I know it's not easy living with bad vision and the pain that often goes with it. Lucy

[msny]

Thanks for sharing that. i can relate on some of those
issues.

My story is in my signature below. I've also been to
hell and back with vison problems.

It amazes me most people have no idea of the
suffering we go though.

[izzy3usa2002]

Lucy, I also thank you for sharing and for the record you were the first one that reached out to me also.

I also have grand mal epilepsy. its controlled now but for years I wondered why me? but now after so many years have gone by and i have helped so many people with their seizure problems and meds and dealing with it I wonder, was i meant to have it in order to help these other people? so something good came from something very bad,

so funny as it may sound your eye problems and experiences and encouragement have actually helped many people on here. So thank you!

[liz56]

Hi, Lucy.

Thanks for sharing your story. You were the first one to reach out to me on this board, and I am still very grateful.

I'm sure your post will help the people who browse through the boards, wondering if their contact lens intolerance is something that should make them commit to lasik.

--Liz

[Lucy]

Hi everyone,

First, I'm writing this post mainly for those who might read it do not realize that Lasik (or other refractive surgery) can cause lasting and irreversible damages. I don't want sympathy or "atta girls" as I'm way past that. :-)... Ten years is a long time to have dry eye, bad vision and painful eyes. This does not mean that anyone reading this will go for 10 years. A slim chance to none. I had Lasik which started the dry eye, and kept it going, about 7 years later it was evident to me that something else was wrong. Finally, I was diagnosed with Sjogrens.

Today is the tenth anniversary of the dreaded Lasik day. I wish I had turned and walked out the door of the clinic that morning. I noticed they had a lot of "no shows." People who couldn't get the $4400 together, get a sitter, etc. Lucky fellows! I was a high myope, just under minus 10 diopters.

Two months after Lasik, my eyes became very sore and dry and stayed that way. My vision was not good. My left eye was full of ghosts, double vision, corneal ulcers etc. I went all over looking for help. I worked as a secretary and had to put drops into my eyes every 20-30 minutes or so for years. Finally I started getting notices at work that I had too many mistakes.

I had cataracts one year after Lasik. This is another question..why so quick after Lasik? Did it cause them or cause them to come out faster? My doc and I talked and I had one cataract fixed at 5 years post-op Lasik. Because of the Lasik, they could not calculate the right IOL strength and i ended up -4.5. Talk about carnival vision. I was seeing different images with each eye and my brain wouldn't compensate for this quick change, which is called anisometria.

I worked one week and stopped. I collected short term disability, then went on to try to collect Social Security disability. I filed and got it on first try. I'd had enough information and drs services that they must have thought it was evident. Disability is usually not entirely a specific thing, but a compilation of smaller problems. Mine was dry eye for sure. That was provable. I got something in the mail the other day from social security saying "since you are legally blind or visually impaired" blah, blah, blah. I'm not legally blind, so I guess I'm visually impaired. No kidding. I am barely legal to drive. One eye is at the last eligible line, like 20/50 with correction.
My vision is no better 10 years out. In fact, I have another cataract to have taken care of, but I'm afraid of how it will turn out.

Did Lasik ruin my life? As I knew it, yes. I had to stop working and "retire", but not on my schedule or my terms. I can't say how this affects you. Something you paid big bucks for turns out to ruin your employment. I have a wonderful and understanding family unit, so my life wasn't really ruined. If I had not had the understanding and help I've had, it would have been much worse. It could happen to you. Even if I'd got Sjogrens and did not have Lasik, I'd have dry eyes, but they would not be all butchered and ghosted.
Lucy