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It's been a while since I posted anything to this forum, but I think I have something worth saying for a change ; ) I've seen several posts related to an article about Dr. Perry Rosenthal's exploration of lacosamide eye drops as a means of easing pain experienced by those suffering from corneal neuropathy (read the short article here).
I had lasik surgery done on both eyes a few weeks after I turned 18. That was 3.5 years ago, but it feels like it's been a decade. Lasik truly changed my life, but you all know how that goes. It took some time for me to realize that the pain was permanent, but about six months post-op, I begain seeking help. My parents were a great help to me in seeking adequate treatment. We tried everything: restasis, Rebecca's rice baggy (thank you, Rebecca, for the fine product. I keep it in the freezer), fish/flaxseed oil, herbal treatment, Boston sclerals, blood serum drops, goggles, pain meds (most notably Lyrica), and of course, every OTC eye drop on the market. I traveled to three major cities and visited several specialists. It's been a journey that has tested my strength, nerves, character, and my faith. I suspect the pain will continue to be a test. It's likely that none of this is new to any of you.
Having learned through various treatments and others' testimonials that the pain persists due to a neuropathic condition, rather than mere dryness, was a breakthrough in itself. This article accurately depicts to doctors why a young, healthy-looking guy w/ average tear film is complaining of such horrendous pain. I've taken a copy to several doctors in the hopes that it gives my words some credibility.
The positive effect of taking Lyrica was one of the indicators that the pain was neuropathic, but time and varying dosages revealed that the Lyrica brought many undesirable side effects. I found it difficult to remember things and focus. This affected my work. I became irritable, unsatisfied, and even depressed at times. This affected my personal life. So the Lyrica had to go, but I wanted to replace it with something, because it helped considerably with the eye pain.
When I read the article, my doctor was willing to give the drops a try, so he/she sent the prescription to Leiter's pharmacy in California who mailed the drops in w/ a dry freeze pack. Though Dr. Rosenthal recommends using the drops in the sclerals, I found this difficult for several reasons. 1) If you fail to get a bubble-free insertion on the first try, you will lose lacosamide. 2) Inserting the lenses requires you to overfill the lenses, so when you mix the Unisol w/ the lacosamide drop, you don't know how much lacosamide is lost during insertion when the overfilled liquid spills over the edge of the lense. At any rate, the discomfort of the lenses persuaded me to go without them and use the drops once per day, as Leiter's suggested.
So I currently take 1% concentration Lacosamide in the morning after breakfast, and my pain management specialist has slowly gotten me off Lyrica. I still use my wileyX Airrage glasses at work, because I use a computer for ten straight hours (Lots of people want to know why I wear "sunglasses" inside, so I often give them the short version of the story). I am rather certain that a topical treatment will not bring the negative side effects that the internal treatment of the Lyrica brought. So far, I'd say the drops are just as helpful as the Lyrica, but with no side effects. So it's not a silver bullet, but the drops are a must-try for lasik victims, in my opinion. I am hopeful that I might obtain approval from a doctor to take them twice or even three times per day. I am considering going back to Boston to see if there are any options given this new treatment. When I was there, I believe the doctors were under the impression that dryness was the problem, and the neuropathic roots had not yet been fully considered.
Thanks for reading such a long post; I hope it was a help to you. I don't expect to ever find a cure this side of Heaven, but the things we find to help with the pain are best shared among ourselves for our collective benefit.
I had lasik surgery done on both eyes a few weeks after I turned 18. That was 3.5 years ago, but it feels like it's been a decade. Lasik truly changed my life, but you all know how that goes. It took some time for me to realize that the pain was permanent, but about six months post-op, I begain seeking help. My parents were a great help to me in seeking adequate treatment. We tried everything: restasis, Rebecca's rice baggy (thank you, Rebecca, for the fine product. I keep it in the freezer), fish/flaxseed oil, herbal treatment, Boston sclerals, blood serum drops, goggles, pain meds (most notably Lyrica), and of course, every OTC eye drop on the market. I traveled to three major cities and visited several specialists. It's been a journey that has tested my strength, nerves, character, and my faith. I suspect the pain will continue to be a test. It's likely that none of this is new to any of you.
Having learned through various treatments and others' testimonials that the pain persists due to a neuropathic condition, rather than mere dryness, was a breakthrough in itself. This article accurately depicts to doctors why a young, healthy-looking guy w/ average tear film is complaining of such horrendous pain. I've taken a copy to several doctors in the hopes that it gives my words some credibility.
The positive effect of taking Lyrica was one of the indicators that the pain was neuropathic, but time and varying dosages revealed that the Lyrica brought many undesirable side effects. I found it difficult to remember things and focus. This affected my work. I became irritable, unsatisfied, and even depressed at times. This affected my personal life. So the Lyrica had to go, but I wanted to replace it with something, because it helped considerably with the eye pain.
When I read the article, my doctor was willing to give the drops a try, so he/she sent the prescription to Leiter's pharmacy in California who mailed the drops in w/ a dry freeze pack. Though Dr. Rosenthal recommends using the drops in the sclerals, I found this difficult for several reasons. 1) If you fail to get a bubble-free insertion on the first try, you will lose lacosamide. 2) Inserting the lenses requires you to overfill the lenses, so when you mix the Unisol w/ the lacosamide drop, you don't know how much lacosamide is lost during insertion when the overfilled liquid spills over the edge of the lense. At any rate, the discomfort of the lenses persuaded me to go without them and use the drops once per day, as Leiter's suggested.
So I currently take 1% concentration Lacosamide in the morning after breakfast, and my pain management specialist has slowly gotten me off Lyrica. I still use my wileyX Airrage glasses at work, because I use a computer for ten straight hours (Lots of people want to know why I wear "sunglasses" inside, so I often give them the short version of the story). I am rather certain that a topical treatment will not bring the negative side effects that the internal treatment of the Lyrica brought. So far, I'd say the drops are just as helpful as the Lyrica, but with no side effects. So it's not a silver bullet, but the drops are a must-try for lasik victims, in my opinion. I am hopeful that I might obtain approval from a doctor to take them twice or even three times per day. I am considering going back to Boston to see if there are any options given this new treatment. When I was there, I believe the doctors were under the impression that dryness was the problem, and the neuropathic roots had not yet been fully considered.
Thanks for reading such a long post; I hope it was a help to you. I don't expect to ever find a cure this side of Heaven, but the things we find to help with the pain are best shared among ourselves for our collective benefit.
- reframe it as you are doing what you need to do in order to LIVE. No different than anyone who opens their pill bottle and takes a dose of their blood pressure medication when out to dinner with friends.
)
(although I did do it on Halloween once... err, and on national television once)... so I only wear those at home... but I'm happy to report that for the sunglasses-style ones, I'm mostly in a good place mentally when it comes to being seen in them, even in places where they really don't belong. With time, I think we all can get there!!!
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