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Hi - I had PRK in 2004. I had surgery because I have mild/med near sightedness, but I could not tolerate contacts and wanted to play sports that go better without glasses. I assumed this was all allergy to the preservatives in the contact solutions.
My eyes never healed well after surgery. I found this website and have lurked for years. The only drops that felt good were the preservative free Refresh Plus. But after using them frequently for many years, my eyes did not improve. There was a time that I thought my eyes did get better, but they seemed to get worse again and I did not know why. I had to use about 8 vials per day. Over time, they developed that terrible stickiness so that I had to lubricate them in the morning before opening them, and occasionally, the dryness would be sudden and severe (and painful!). I have used goggles from the dry eye shop, they also help tremendously.
In February 2011, I decided to re-try all the drops available OTC that were preservative free. I bought drops with preservatives in them (even Dr Holly's drops) but I could not bring myself to use them drops with preservatives as I was too afraid because my eyes were too sore. I was not having much luck. Then, I tried the Systane Ultra PF. There was a recall on some Systane product the last time that I experimented, so this was the first Systane product that I tried. I was thrilled to find out that my morning stickiness did not occur with the Systane Ultra. I only had to use these drops 2-3 times per day.
My eyes stayed the same way for about 4 months. Sometimes using 3 drops / day and sometimes four drops per day.
I am not sure if the Systane Ultra was just quietly healing over time, or whether it was this last change was what got me over the last hurtle. I have a persistent friend who helped me by encouraging me to change my diet. I went vegan for 2 weeks (with no soy either). After one week, I did not need any drops. I have been drop free for 3 weeks now and I have added back some meat and dairy, but only about 1/8th of what I used to eat. I know none of you want to hear this last part. I certainly did not. I had resisted trying the diet change for years. I have to spend extra time making dinner and lunch. But since I learned so much from this forum, I feel that I have to say it. From my experimenting, I think that I have a milk/beef (and possibly soy) allergy that irritates my skin (including my eyes). Keep in mind that I also have allergies to grass and dust.
Good luck on your ventures. I will update in a few months to tell you if I finally can go without the onyx goggles since they still get dry at night. My eyes seem to be doing better slowly over time. The best part is that I can read or do sports late at night without worrying about driving with the defrost on first thing in the morning!
My eyes never healed well after surgery. I found this website and have lurked for years. The only drops that felt good were the preservative free Refresh Plus. But after using them frequently for many years, my eyes did not improve. There was a time that I thought my eyes did get better, but they seemed to get worse again and I did not know why. I had to use about 8 vials per day. Over time, they developed that terrible stickiness so that I had to lubricate them in the morning before opening them, and occasionally, the dryness would be sudden and severe (and painful!). I have used goggles from the dry eye shop, they also help tremendously.
In February 2011, I decided to re-try all the drops available OTC that were preservative free. I bought drops with preservatives in them (even Dr Holly's drops) but I could not bring myself to use them drops with preservatives as I was too afraid because my eyes were too sore. I was not having much luck. Then, I tried the Systane Ultra PF. There was a recall on some Systane product the last time that I experimented, so this was the first Systane product that I tried. I was thrilled to find out that my morning stickiness did not occur with the Systane Ultra. I only had to use these drops 2-3 times per day.
My eyes stayed the same way for about 4 months. Sometimes using 3 drops / day and sometimes four drops per day.
I am not sure if the Systane Ultra was just quietly healing over time, or whether it was this last change was what got me over the last hurtle. I have a persistent friend who helped me by encouraging me to change my diet. I went vegan for 2 weeks (with no soy either). After one week, I did not need any drops. I have been drop free for 3 weeks now and I have added back some meat and dairy, but only about 1/8th of what I used to eat. I know none of you want to hear this last part. I certainly did not. I had resisted trying the diet change for years. I have to spend extra time making dinner and lunch. But since I learned so much from this forum, I feel that I have to say it. From my experimenting, I think that I have a milk/beef (and possibly soy) allergy that irritates my skin (including my eyes). Keep in mind that I also have allergies to grass and dust.
Good luck on your ventures. I will update in a few months to tell you if I finally can go without the onyx goggles since they still get dry at night. My eyes seem to be doing better slowly over time. The best part is that I can read or do sports late at night without worrying about driving with the defrost on first thing in the morning!
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