Post-LASIK Regret

[Sammy B.]

Shogan,

When your eyes are drier than normal, they tire more easily. You don't blink as frequently when you're using the PC either, so this contributes to the dry eye effects. All of this is part of the healing process and does not mean that you will not be able to spend hours upon hours in front of the computer for the rest of your life. When you get home, redirect your attention to chores, gardening, working out - whatever takes you away from the PC.

I had LASIK in Jan of 2008. I acted like things were fine until June of last year because the dry eye was mild. Then I broke down and went to the doctor with a myriad of complaints. Ends up I have a minor regular astigmatism in each eye, the need for some up-close (aka computer) correction and also some dry eye.

My eye doctor said that the whole "computer vision syndrome" is ALIVE AND WELL. I went out and bought the fanciest freaking glasses I could find (they are Juicy Couture and they are HOT HOT HOT). They correct my astigmatism, correct the need for the up-close fine-tuning, and also have the anti-computer glare on them (that was an extra $100). Does it blow to have to wear glasses at work in front of a computer? Not really. They are not the coke bottles I previously wore and when I take them off, I CAN STILL SEE.

Your eyes will continue to heal, you probably won't need glasses at the computer, but on the off chance you do, it is not a big whoop!

Rose

[Aaron77]

I also have a question for those with more experience and knowledge. I recently noticed I am more affected by computer usage than I previously was. Prior to Lasik I could be on the computer all day and night without any ill effect, but now feel some slight strain/pressure behind my eyes after a couple hours of use. Is this an expected occurrence as the eyes and brain adjust or am I facing a possible overcorrection or imbalance in my eyes? I believe I am left-eye dominant (I am aim weapons etc with my left eye).

I'd spend over 12 hrs a day on the computer before lasik with work and personal stuff, now an hour or so is all I can really handle. Had to take almost a whole yr off work and then had to come back to a completely different job that does'nt require computer use. I find wearing tinted glasses seams to help out a bit but I'm basically like ten percent of what I used to be on the computer. Lasik really sucks for me. I think a big part of it is the dry eyes but probably there's also the fact that lasik has reduced the focusing strength of my eyes and hence more eye strain - the eyes can't work nearly as hard as they used to. I'm taking tons of supplements but not really sure if they will make much of a difference, maybe just more time - not knowing if I'll get significantly better though is driving me a little mad.

[Shogan]

Hi Steve-
What a shame to go through Lasik for a mere -1.75 diopter correction. I am sorry that a doctor would even do that, but we know they do. That, however, will probably be in your favor over the healing part. I had Lasik 10 years ago and was -10 diopters.

Lasik brought dry eyes, bad vision, horrible pain and a bunch of years of problems continuing today. My vision is bad, but the pain has cleared considerably. Oh, to fix myself very well, I was diagnosed with Sjogrens about 4 years ago. I've been through RGP's, sclerals and a bunch of things. I cannot wear contacts because of damage to my cornea.

You should not have any of these things I'm talking about. After being around boards for so long, it takes different amounts of time to heal. Yours should not be bad. Even if yours are a tough case, I'd doubt they would take more than a year total. You need to give yourself a break when ever you can. It helps the pain a lot if you put a cold cloth over your eyes and rest during periods during the day.

Come back here as often as you need. I should doubt you'll need any RGP's or the like. Do some fun things with your girlfriend as often as you can, even if it's a drive, a movie, walking your dog (if you have one.) Anything to take your mind off your eyes is a big help. Good luck to you. Lucy

Yeah I know Lucy...my eyesight was never awful; looking back I would not have done it for a minor adjustment. Prior to Lasik, when I was without glasses/contacts my vision was functional but could not see detail out passed 4 or so feet. I could recognize shapes, colors, peoples, signs etc but it all was a blur.

I don't know where I stand mentally with the procedure yet. I still am gripped daily with coulda, shoulda, woulda...but am also finding it easier to say 'live and learn', 'move on' and what not. I've taken to Lasik research ever since and am angry at myself for only listening to the positive stories I heard from my brother and the surgeon and technicians. My technician and my surgeon both had the procedure done and he has performed over 30,000 Lasik surgerys. My hopes are still high.

Forgot to mention in my updated post that I switched to using Refresh Plus (PF) for daily lubrication instead of Systane Ultra (PF) and have noticed that it seems to provide more comfort. Its more viscous...more watery and less 'gooey'.

I also have a question for those with more experience and knowledge. I recently noticed I am more affected by computer usage than I previously was. Prior to Lasik I could be on the computer all day and night without any ill effect, but now feel some slight strain/pressure behind my eyes after a couple hours of use. Is this an expected occurrence as the eyes and brain adjust or am I facing a possible overcorrection or imbalance in my eyes? I believe I am left-eye dominant (I am aim weapons etc with my left eye).

[mpca66]

Takes a year to heal

I had lasik last year May 2009 and my vision is 20/10 (great), but I didn't have a clue how bad dry eyes are until after this surgery.

It has taken 1 year and countless different eye drops, hot compress, humidifiers, sleep masks to make my life 'normal' (if normal is being dependent on eye drops for the rest of my life!).

I can go longer be without eye drops now even though the lasik dr said "I'm fine" (what else is he going to say?).

I am better, but I never recommend the procedure and will never do it again -glasses for me will be just fine.

Give it time .. you will heal. Also, I do believe that your vision can degrade a bit after lasik.

Monica
San Diego.

[Lucy]

Hi Steve-
What a shame to go through Lasik for a mere -1.75 diopter correction. I am sorry that a doctor would even do that, but we know they do. That, however, will probably be in your favor over the healing part. I had Lasik 10 years ago and was -10 diopters.

Lasik brought dry eyes, bad vision, horrible pain and a bunch of years of problems continuing today. My vision is bad, but the pain has cleared considerably. Oh, to fix myself very well, I was diagnosed with Sjogrens about 4 years ago. I've been through RGP's, sclerals and a bunch of things. I cannot wear contacts because of damage to my cornea.

You should not have any of these things I'm talking about. After being around boards for so long, it takes different amounts of time to heal. Yours should not be bad. Even if yours are a tough case, I'd doubt they would take more than a year total. You need to give yourself a break when ever you can. It helps the pain a lot if you put a cold cloth over your eyes and rest during periods during the day.

Come back here as often as you need. I should doubt you'll need any RGP's or the like. Do some fun things with your girlfriend as often as you can, even if it's a drive, a movie, walking your dog (if you have one.) Anything to take your mind off your eyes is a big help. Good luck to you. Lucy

[Shogan]

Update 7/13/10

Well it’s been a little over a month since I first posted and about a month and a half since I developed the DE sensations following a great 3 months of no complications.

I still am experiencing the foreign body sensation in my eye, however I was started on Alrex, a steroid, in my left and it seems to have eliminated the sporadic burning sensation. However, the menthol and foreign body sensation have not improved in the last 1 & 1/2 months. As a result I'm still on the up and down emotional/mental roller-coaster ride. I'm sure there are quite of bit of people who aren't going through this alone so I want to give a shout out to my girlfriend; there is no way I'd get through this without her.

It’s been approximately 4 months & 1 week since the procedure; still hoping for continued healing. I saw my long time optometrist yesterday concerning the dry eye and was able to get a more thorough examination then the Lasik doctor and the other ophthalmologist I saw. According to her, my flap margins look good; no sign of debris or what not. She observed no staining in my right eye and a small staining spot on my left eye below the Lasik margin. Otherwise she said my eyes look healthy and the staining looks normal. She made sure to reassure me, as she could see panic in my face, that she has see this before and has seen patients get better after 6-8 to 12 months of healing. While it does calm my nerves a bit, I still fight the constant fight against my rather new pessimistic nature.

I did ask about some general questions about sclerals, RGPs, and Synergeyes. I wanted to go in showing I've done my homework and I am interested in a solution. I told her I understand I still have a considerable amount of time to heal, but also informed I want to be prepared for the future especially if it involves RGPS. She told me not to worry and it’s a river we'll cross in the future if we needed.

Nearly forgot...I have noticed some possible regression in my left eye. I'm not sure if its natural or due to Alrex, but it has raised even more concerns. With the regression I notice that my left eye, while still 20/20 on the eye chart, sees a bit more blurry and perhaps has a trace of ghosting. Not sure. My left eye sees great in the daytime and at night sees well too but the ghosting/starbursts/glare become more apparent, especially on the neon signs and lights. My right eye, however, hasn't changed since the surgery and still sees perfect 20/15 day & night with very minimal starburst (no worse than contacts prior to Lasik).

I'll be back in continuously and feel free to PM or respond with any insights/stories/suggestions or contacts.

Thanks,
Steve

[liz56]

Hi, Shogan.

Aaron and Rose are right. You have some healing to do. I have seen a lot of people who have had LASIK here try different routines, and things improve for them, once they find out what you need.

One thing that you said stood out to me-- the tearing and pain upon waking. You may want to ask your cornea specialist if you are having recurrent corneal erosions. If so, there are a lot of things that you can do to help them.

You're in the right place, and you will get through this. One thing I learned (and I never had LASIK, but I have severe dry and and a corneal dystrophy) is that the eye heals in a superficial way quite quickly, making it hard for doctors to see what is really happening, but real healing takes some time.

Hang in there!

--Liz

[Sammy B.]

Steve,

You have time to continue healing, so don't freak out yet. It will get better one way or another.

If you can swing it, try to see Dr. Richard Hector in Bradenton/Sarasota at the Eye Associates. He is THE BOMB.

Rose

[Aaron77]

I regret my lasik every second I'm awake. My dry eyes are not as bad as they used to be though, I think that taking omega 3's, doxy, restasis and having punctal plugs have made big difference for me. Really sorry to hear about your difficulties and hope you improve soon!

[Shogan]

Hey DEZ,

I spent the last few weeks browsing the forums and just last night I gathered the courage to register and post my story. I am relatively new to having DES, but already having immense trouble, more than physically, dealing with it.

Early in March 2010 I received LASIK (all-Laser) surgery in preparation for a physically demanding career...jeez, in hindsight I wish I would have just told them all to f*** off. However, I rushed into it far too quickly (at the recommendation of my brother who received PRK in 2006) and wasn't even aware of what dry eyes was prior to my procedure. My LASIK procedure was a success in the fact that I see 20/10 (I was only a -1.75 in both eyes prior) and have no visual disturbances (no halos, ghosting etc).

The first week of healing was, I assume, normal. I had the "foreign object" sensation for about a week to two weeks which gradually improved. And from the second week on my eyes were as they had been prior to the surgery. I was back to my regular lifestyle, and by the fourth week I weaned myself to only dropping after waking and before sleeping.

I went about two or so months before I started developing DES. I recall waking up one morning, about 2 weeks ago, tearing profusely. Since then I have had the "menthol" or "exposed" feeling along with dryness in the inner part of my sclera, the part between my cornea and bridge of my nose. I blink a ridiculous amount without any relief and have started reusing Systane Ultra frequently.

I scheduled an appointment with a Cornea Specialist at the Brandon Cataract and Eye Clinic here in Tampa. I tried to prepare myself for the appointment going through all the questions I needed to ask, and while I felt at the time of the appointment I exhausted myself and him, I wish I had of asked more. He prescribed me with Alrex (a corticosteroid) which I have come to learn is an anti-inflammatory. I have been using 1 drop in the morning for about a week now with zero improvement. I have another appointment with him in a week and am again writing down all the questions that gather in my head. This time I am going to ask him for some tests so I can have some tangible answers.

Aside from the physical pain and discomfort I have been struggling with this emotionally and mentally. I am a 23 year old guy, recent graduate from college with so many hopes and dreams professionally, financially and personally. I am in a serious relationship with my girlfriend, and I fear that I've f***ed it all up. Struggling through the last 2 weeks, I can't imagine my next 60 years like this. I am soon to hear back from the FAA on my Air Traffic Controller application, and I just began my application to Air Force Officer Training School. LASIK was meant to better my life, not ruin my plans.

Anyways, off to work. I am excited to join the community and am thankful for a place to share my concerns and my story.

Thanks,
Steve