Post-LASIK Regret

[Perception]

P.S forgot to mention that Dr. Hector said there is a potential cure/treatment for PVD floaters awaiting the approval process for the FDA. An injection that dissolves the little buggers. Going to be interesting to follow that journey.

I read something like this was in FDA trials a couple years ago, but the trials stopped before it was completed. From what I remember, the primary goal of this was to reduce retinal issues in high risk patients (primarily diabetics) by dissolving vitreous, but a side effect was that floaters were decreased as well.

Did Dr. Hector mention if FDA trials are starting back up? Or if this is something completely different? I too am interested to follow this, as the "buggers" is the complication I have the most difficulty dealing with!

[Shogan]

Perception & Margaret,

I am extremely thankful to have a place where people can relate, and hopeful that anything in my experience can be beneficial for you. There are alot of people in the community that want to help and will do everything feasible to make that so. Dr. Hector is the first one I've met in person so far that understands the pain, but there are tons.

Its hard for me to recall what it feels like to have no pain or sensations in my eyes. I find that really troubling sometimes but I am hanging in there. I haven't had a real episode of freaking out in 2 or so months now. Not that I feel any better physically, just more accustomed I guess.

Regarding my visit, I forgot to mention to the doctor that I previously been on Alrex. I put in my first drop of restasis this afternoon (only in my right eye since I have temp upper and lower plugs) after I let it chill in the frig. A slight stinging sensation but that faded in 10 or so minutes. Pretty cool.

Little interesting tidbit. I got some sort of Allergan Restasis catalogue or introductory booklet from the office staff. In there is a small asterisk...quote:
"The action of Restasis is not fully known*

Heres a drug! Take it! We don't really know what it does!

Oh well, still grateful for the trial and the potential free program.

Regarding the plugs: I don't think they are really doing much. No significant difference in pain/sensation/etc to confidently state they are helping.

P.S forgot to mention that Dr. Hector said there is a potential cure/treatment for PVD floaters awaiting the approval process for the FDA. An injection that dissolves the little buggers. Going to be interesting to follow that journey.

Thanks all,
Shogan

[Perception]

Shogan, Magaret,

I am 4+ months post Lasik, and dealing with some of the same issues you both are. It is unfortunate that so many other people are as well, but it does help us to know we are not alone in this - there are people out there who truly understand what it's like. The advice from "veterans" about options I would have never known about that can help with some of these issues has been extremely helpful to my recovery (both physically and mentally).

I truly hope for your improvement, and feel free to bounce any questions/ideas off me.

[Lucy]

Margaret, from an "old-timer" here, this is a very thoughtful and sweet post.
Your volunteering to help others etc is very much needed here as people keep coming on with post Lasik dry eye, as well as other reasons.

You mention your heart and stomach....many of us are aware of the same feelings. It will go away, but may take awhile. You might want to speak with your GP about antidepressants or something else to ease your tension a bit. So many have needed this for at least a period of time, to get them through the worst. Good luck and I hope to see you on DEZ again. Lucy

[Margaret]

Hi Shogan and others,

I'm post Lasik, 5 months. I have dry eye, apparently MGD ("thickened" upper eyelids), my vision is waning (ghosting at night seemingly getting worse, eye strain, blurry vision during the day), and extreme anxiety/depression over this. I just want to let you know that I'm fighting the same fight as you are every day and completely understand what you are going through. I hope you are doing well. My doc has said the floaters are a pain, but the less you can think about them the better your brain will as well. She said it takes a year or so for the floaters to diminish as well. I am scared to ask about the nighttime vision if that will get worse because I live in Wash. state and I have to drive during the winter time a lot in the dark! My newest quest is learning all i can about MGD because they are now diagnosing me with that (I've seen four docs and all of them said I had it mildly).

Since I'm in the same boat as you I don't have much to say as someone from "the other side". I keep trying to think that pretty much every one on the site says it does get better, either in terms of the anxiety/depression, or your eyes, or hopefully both. At this point I would like to just get rid of the constant pain in my stomach and heart. Anxiety actually hurts me, like I'm going to have a heart attack. I'd like to move on from that!

All the experts I've heard from say that improvements can take up to 1 year and beyond (I have even heard that people improve after several years).

I don't know about you, but I just need hope. I do believe there still is some out there. there are also a lot of amazing people on this forum and they have helped me through this continuing tough time. Definitely keep reaching out like you are to everyone here. I know that I will be here to support others when i finally reach "the other side"

Good luck, I'm thinking of you!

[Shogan]

Couple days away from 8 months out.

I saw Dr. Hector, dry eye specialist in Bradenton, today. The first opthamologist I have seen since late May/early June. The staff was warm and helpful.

They started out by checking my vision (still seeing 20/15 according to the Snellen, but its a blurry 20/15). The technician did a test to check my periphery; that looked good.

She then did a test similar to the Schrimer test (according to her its better). Two little hook wires (looked almost like a christmas ornament hanger, not paper strips like schrimer) on the edge of my lower eyelid. Apparently I scored a 15 right and 12 left. The next step was dilating my eyes. The tech said my left eye had a "reaction" to the dilation drop. Apparently my eye got really bloodshot. Also staining dye was added.

When Dr. Hector came in he said "Are your eyes always this red?" "Yeah, it sucks" was my reply. He narrated some information to the tech as he observed my eyes. "Mild or moderate conjunctival staining" etc etc. He said the incision looks well healed. He said I have some mild inflammation. He also confirmed posterior vitreous detachment in both eyes, although I only notice it in my left eye.

Following his tests he placed two collagen plugs into my left eye, an upper and lower; was a strange experience. I assume they are inner plugs because I see no apparent change in the way my ducts look; no cap or anything. He then gave me a week sample of the restasis to see how I handle it (the burning I assume).

His staff technician mentioned a program where I can get restasis for free. When I call back in a week to update she told me to ask for her to get into the program. HECK YES I will do that. They also gave me a trial of Theratears and the technician said she loves the stuff. I should have asked her why she loves it. Did she have RS?

I asked his opinion regarding contacts for dry eye and he made that out to be a negative idea. Little disappointed by that. I've read great things from the D'eyealogues forums regarding experiences with sclerals, mini-sclerals, etc. I dunno. I'm scared, I'm hopeful, I'm working with what I've got. We'll see how it goes. As of now I see that as the only thing that will get me feeling better.

On a plus side, while dilated I didn't see the floaters. But they came back

[LasikLady]

Thanks Lucy! You were one of the ones that really helped me come to terms with my situation and learn to deal in the beginning.

I remember a post you wrote about putting on your goggles and going to Vegas and having a blast despite the smokey casinos and dry desert air. And I thought, "Yeah, that's what I want to learn to do." And I have. So thank you for being a source of inspiration to me and I am sure many others who have come here looking for help.

I am happy to keep telling the story to anyone who needs to hear it. I have spoken to several people contemplating Lasik and have warned them about the possible outcome. A few actually have listened to me. And the others at least are now informed, which is something I was not.

God bless,
LL

[Lucy]

Lasik Lady, you did very well telling of your 4 year trial of Lasik dry eye and other problems. It is nice to see others who have gone through this help some of the new folks. Your post is telling them just as things really work out in most of the cases!

I am almost 11 years post-Lasik and frankly, am tired of telling the tale sometimes to others. They do need to hear this though. I remember how it was to think what Lasik had done to me. I still think this way, but not very often. Other things have come into my life and pushes that towards the back somewhat. Best regards, Lucy

[LasikLady]

So much time to heal...

Hello there!

Just wanted to chime in with my 2 cents here You are so very early in your healing process, you will improve greatly over the next few months and years and you have come to the right place to learn ways to cope and deal with your physical and emotional issues in the meantime.

This month marks 4 years since my lasik and reading through your posts I can tell you I initially felt all the same things you are now feeling. And in the beginning my symptoms were quite severe as well. However for me, the emotional fallout was even worse than the physical. I tend to be an obsessive person by nature and the decision I made to have this surgery haunted me night and day and all I could think about was my eyes and how they were feeling. I would not let myself be distracted and I was filled with gloom and doom thoughts about my future.

Through the coping techniques I learned on this website, and with time and the support of my husband and family, I can now say at worst my now mildly dry eyes are a minor inconvenience that I have learned extremely well how to cope with. And for much of my day I am symptom free. On the weekends when I am not working at a computer for 9 hours a day in an airconditioned office - I rarely have any discomfort. That is huge from where I was in the beginning.

I think the one coping techinque that has helped me THE MOST and I highly recommend to everyone with dry eyes is MOISTURE CHAMBER GLASSES/GOGGLES. Even if you only wear them in the car while driving, a few hours at home in the evening, they can make a huge difference. When I started making time during the day to wear these (kind of like making time for an exercise routine) is when my eyes started taking a huge upswing in comfort. Something about protecting the tear film for a few minutes/hours in the day really improved my eye health and comfort, even when I wasn't wearing the goggles. I have the tinted and non tinted Harley Davidson ones and they fit me perfectly.

Anyway, good luck, chin up and try to not look at the future and think you will always be this bad. Because you won't!!

LL

[Perception]

Shogan,

Sorry to hear about the canceled appointment. I would be frustrated too. Were they able to reschedule you for another time in the near future?

Regarding the computer glasses, did you buy over the counter ones, or ones made specifically for your refractive error (as slight as it may be)? For a while after surgery, I tried using over the counter ones, and they were not doing the trick. Now I have prescription ones with high quality anti glare lenses. Most days I seem to be doing better with them, as they are taylored to balance the vision between my two eyes. But don't have a final conclusion, as I haven't been using them that long.

For the dry eyes, are you wearing any protection at night.. like goggles or a mask? Almost two weeks ago I started wearing goggles while I sleep (bought through this site) to keep moisture in. My eyes feel alot better upon waking in the morning than they used to, and I think it might be helping overall with the dry symptoms.

Hope things improve for you.

[Shogan]

Hey Perception,

It is the Hydrogel soft contact lens that I was using; specifically the 1-day Acuvue TruEye. I have not used one in awhile. I am not sure how it would affect my starbursting as of today as I believe it has gotten worse.

Regarding eye drops - I started off using the Systane PF drop but found that would to be too "goopy" and caused a gritty sensation. I immediately enjoyed the more "watery" consistency of the Refresh PF.

I too went out an purchased computer glasses about 3 months ago. They don't seem to help unfortunately.

I received a call from Dr. Boshnick's office and they had to reschedule which really put me in a tough spot. I scheduled time off for this and now its wasted. Dunno what I am gonna do now.

[Perception]

Shogan,

Sorry to hear about your problems. But, as you probably have noticed being online here (and maybe elsewhere), you are not alone. I'm still trying to get over regret, and trying to stop blaming myself for what seemed like a good decision at the time.

I'm just over three months post op. Dry eye is one of the issues I'm trying to deal with (which is why I'm here), but have posted more about the other issues in this forum http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/index.php . I have the floater issue too, but started noticing mine within the first week. Since then they got worse, and have been at a level state for several weeks now.

I saw your post about the contact lens decreasing starbursting. Is this the Hydrogel lense that you saw this improvement with? I have read only about hard lenses being able to do this. This would be good to know before the next follow up I have with the Lasik surgeon in a couple weeks - as he first wanted me to try glasses for the nighttime issues (especially driving) but they make no difference - accept maybe being able to read road signs a little better.

I also read about your use of Refresh PF tears. Over the past 3 months I've tried several brands of PF tears to see what agreed with me the most, and found the Refresh to be the worst. My eyes feel dry again, and even slightly irritated, within an hour after insertion. So just wondering if you've shopped around and done your own compatibility tests? For the daytime I've found the best relief from Oasis Tears (PF), or Tears Naturale (PF).

For the eye strain, have you asked about accommodation or binocular vision issues? If not, this may be something to bring up on Friday. Similar to Sammy B., I got computer glasses made to help with eye strain. Not sure yet how much they help, but worth a shot.

Good luck with your upcoming appointment.

[Shogan]

Its nearing the 7th month after my surgery. A quickening decent. I would describe my mental state as more "accepting". I hate to call it that, but I sort of realize I have to deal with this now. However, that doesn't diminish the physical pain and mental grief I still go through.

I have been off of any drop except for Refresh PF drops for nearly 2 months. My symptoms have changed somewhat. I have less burning nowadays, still comes and goes, but other things have surfaced. I am experiencing persistent aching/strain/tension in my eyes. Its even there if I do everything I can do relax my eyes. Starbursting and ghosting have increased dramatically since post-op Day 1. My vision has degraded noticeably. Sucks ass.

I started to notice floaters in my left eye about a month ago (beginning of Sept. time frame). That has become enveloping. I do not know what to attribute it to. Squinting? the procedure? Alrex (which I used only on my left eye)? Hands down, no one ever do Lasik. Its so stupid. I wish I would have been more knowledgeable prior to this. I would have opted for a newer technology in contacts (Oasys or corneal refractive therapy lenses).

My family wanted me to get in touch with Dr. ******, but I can't afford that place. $550 for a consultation was a no-go. Rebecca suggested that I seek out Dr. Hector and I followed her advice, unfortunately he's not available until Oct. 27th. I've also set up an appointment with Dr. Boshnick in Miami who's website I've scoured through daily. He was actually caring enough to call me on his personal number and talk to me. Felt great. So I see him this Friday, Oct. 1st for consultation. I am extremely excited to get information from him and have a thorough diagnosis on my eyes. If anyone has any suggestions of what to ask and what information I should know prior to the appointment, please I am all ears.

Also Rebecca, I received your email and attempted to contact you via phone but could not reach you. Left you a VM. I really look forward to speaking with you.

Thanks all,
Shogan

[Shogan]

I wore the contact lens from 1:00 PM to 10:45 PM and it did not stick to my eye when I tried to take it out. I think that's a good sign. The lens did not cause me any noticeable discomfort. The discomfort that persisted while wearing it I attribute to the dry eye already. I feel pretty good about the lens and am sort of hopeful that it gives my eyes a chance to heal and reduce the inflammation which I believe is the cause and result of my dry eye. She said it would be ideal if I could wear the lens for about a 2 month period.

Oh yeah the lens pretty much eliminates the ghosting and starbursting of light sources, especially LED lighting. I forgot what night is supposed to look like.

[Shogan]

Update #2

Its been a month since my last update and 5 months and 1 week since Lasik. I just saw my optometrist (I know I need to see an opthamologist but I just feel so comfortable with my optometrist, plus she doesn't charge me for visits which is awesome!) for a monthly checkup.

From the last time I posted I started a two week use of Alrex once a day in my left eye only and then was to go two weeks off of it before seeing her again. Well now its been two weeks since I've used it and I must say that I think the drop was exacerbating the irritation in my eye. Also I stopped using Celluvisc overnight because it just makes me eyes feel goopy and sluggish. Plus I hate all the excess **** in the morning on my eyelashes.

So its been two weeks off of Alrex and I still have some burning occassionally in the eye it does seem to have gotten better. It does not occur every morning like it used; the burning seems to come and go irregularly, no idea why. Usually burns after showers though. I am still using Refresh Plus morning, day and night, usually about 3-4 times during the day. My eyes still scratch and feel tired/heavy and gritty. All the usual.

My optometrist said she saw two small dots/spots of staining on my left eye; one on the flap margin and another just below the flap margin and also saw some blocked ducts on my bottom lid. I have noticed this too recently. I occassionaly have one little clear bumb on the margin of my bottom lid that I break open with a Q-tip and then have started to put pressure on my bottom lid to clear out some oils. I'm beginning to think the blocked ducts are from too much oil; I have been taking 2000mg of Flaxseed and Fish oil both everyday for the last two months.

She decided she wanted to put a contact lense in my left eye to act as a bandage contact. She believes my corneas are hypersensitive caused by the dry eye. So since about 1:00 PM EST today I've been wearing a Accuve Hydrogel Silicone (?) lens. I don't seem to feel the lense but my eyes still feel dry. I am interested to see if cuts down on the menthol/exposed feeling and on the friction of my eyelid. As of now, when I close my eyes and move my eyes around under my eyelid I no longer feel my left eye scratching and rubbing on my eyelid. That part seems organic again.

Starbursting has increased along with nightime glare. I am fatigued from this situation and just tired of it all. I wish I would have found these contact lenses one day prior to lasik. Part of the reason I wanted lasik was that I was wearing one day disposables that contained alot of water and would dry in my eye after 8 hours of wear. Damnit.

I am also still experiencing eye strain/headaches from both up close and distant vision. When I drive I for more than 20 mins or so I get intense pressure and eye strain and all I want to do is close my eyes. I just feel if its not one symtom its another. I just pray for one normal day.