New Here and 1 year Post Lasik

[patientpatrick]

I had Lasik eye surgery in Dec of 2011. Like many, I expected it to be the miracle everyone says it is. I’ve had friends and collegues speaks wonders of the procedure and that it was the best money they ever spent. I can honestly look in the mirror now and say it was the worst money I ever spent. I’m a teacher at a Design school, and I’m extremely dependent on my eyes for my profession. I thought Lasik was going to be the biggest and most promising investment I could ever make, the opportunity to live a life not dependent on glasses. What I found instead is that I traded that dependency for eye drops. I used to stare at my class and see the promise in their eyes, now I can barely stare at them for any longer than a few secs. What bothers me the most is that I didn’t go to a Lasik mill as they say. I went to a highly rated institute and a very experienced surgeon. I kept reassuring myself that it’s a safe procedure and that 95% of patients are satisfied with their results. Tiger Woods had Lasik, Lindsey Vonn had Lasik, a lot of eye doctors get Lasik. In fact my surgeon was one of the few Lasik surgeons who performs Lasik on eye doctors, so I felt I was in the good hands. After my 1 year check-up I noticed I was still in pain and discomfort. I still see halos and starbursts though not as extreme as they were a year ago. Perhaps the most interesting of events is how I feel after throwing out my glasses. I was the artsy professor with the thick black rimmed glasses. My glasses were as much a part of me as my smile and my laugh. I feel as though I lost a big part of who I am. I find myself constantly reading all the terrible stories on sites like lasikcomplications.com and lasikdisaster.com . All this searching around on the internet brought me to the dryeyezone.com. For the first time in a long time I’ve found some compassion in my situation. I would like to be part of this online community, as I think it will help me heal, hopefully physically, but at least emotionally. I was hoping that I would be healed after a year but fear my pain is now permanent. I guess I’m looking for some encouragement.

[Guest]

Hi Patrick,

Yes, the realization that you're not going to be one of the happy post-LASIK patients like everyone else you know is a real bummer to say the least.

For me, this site is like free therapy to me... no time to go to a counselor in real life, so I come here... sometimes to lurk and read, other times to post... it helps me feel less alone in this, and it's comforting to know that there are others out there who understand what I'm going through.

That being said, things will get better... even if worst case your eyes stay the same (and they probably won't stay like this forever) your mental state will get better. There comes a time when you find the strength to just decide to be happy anyways, to make the most of what you DO have, and get on with life... and strangely, that can work. Just keep trying to deal with this as best you can... it gets easier to handle with time... it really and truly does. You do what you can to improve your situation, and then you just figure out how to cope.

[bakunin]

Patrick,

I had Lasik in 2005 and I was one of those people who used to say wonder things about Lasik. But in late 2011 my problems started. I think I and any doctor will never know for sure if Lasik plays a role in my "dry eyes/inflamation/neuropathy" problem and in what extent.

That said, you are better than a year ago. For what I've been reading on this board, probably you will improve more. And I hope you find here ways to get better.

[patientpatrick]

Thank you both for your responses. What saddens me most is that I've been on Doctor forums posting questions and have gotten answers like the following below...

:'( It makes me want to cry knowing that doctors feel healing is hopeless.


I was told that Lasik healing time is 3-6 months. It is now a year later and I still have post lasik dry-eye is it permanent?

-Likely If you are still having dry eye symptoms a year after lasik, this is not going away. There are very good treatments for this. See your ophthalmologist to discuss the options. If you are still having dry eye symptoms a year after lasik, this is not going away.

I had lasik 13months ago. My dry eyes have gradually and consistently improved but Im still not where I was prelasik. Will my eyes eventually recover?

- Probably stable now After 13 months, the eyes should have fully healed following Lasik, and the dry eye problems should have also improved. There may be residual refractive error and an enhancement procedure might be necessary. It is also possible that eyes themselves may have changed some in that time period, which would also be treatable with a procedure. You should have the eyes checked to get a diagnosis and plan After 13 months, the eyes should have fully healed following Lasik, and the dry eye problems should have also improved. There may be residual refractive error and an enhancement procedure might be necessary. It is also possible that eyes themselves may have changed some in that time period, which would also be treatable with a procedure. You should have the eyes checked to get a diagnosis and plan

How long does it take for eyes to COMPLETELY heal after Lasik? I here it takes up to 5 years for the nerves to heal?

- Maybe never The corneal nerves take a long time to heal, and some people who get dry eyes after Lasix never return to normal lacrimation. Remember that Lasix works by scarring the cornea, so The corneal nerves take a long time to heal, and some people who get dry eyes after Lasix never return to normal lacrimation. Remember that Lasix works by scarring the cornea, so "completely heal" is impossible.

[Rebecca Petris]

Please don't form a judgment from THAT kind of response. Eesh! Those responses are not what I would expect from doctors that have a lot of SPECIFIC experience with this - and definitely not from doctors who read the medical literature, because there's plenty out there documenting the very long time (measured in years not months) that nerve regeneration can take. - The first one is not totally unreasonable, I mean putting it in context that what they mean is it's not going away overnight. I don't take it to mean you've got it for life. The second response sounds like - if it's from a LASIK dr. at all - is someone focused entirely on vision and who doesn't have anything thoughtful to say about dry eye. The third one sounds like someone with a chip on their shoulder and is not really addressing the question. Just my two cents.

[patientpatrick]

Thank you Rebecca, I sent you a personal message off the thread.

Patrick

[bakunin]

Patrick,

You will find out that 98% of doctors repeat old fashions stuff and don't read new scientific papers.
We shouldn't have trust them when we choose to do Lasik. The same thing in post-lasik. The reliable doctors are exceptions, in my opinion.