Lasik induced dry eye in Idaho

[deerhuntingal]

Hi! Been lurking for over a year on here so finally decided to stop in and tell my story!

I had Lasik done in Feb of 2014 and yes, I weighed all the options and negatives as well as positives,
plus, I got the best Dr. in the area. I had never had dry eye, never wore contacts, had no health
issues to speak of so I thought I was a good candidate. What I failed to factor in was my age.
I'm Peri-menopausal but at that time it was unclear as I was 47 and no symptoms were present
so I went ahead and did the Lasik.

I had 20/400 vision and now it is 20/20 and 20/30 but I'm experiencing mild to moderate dry eye
that came on within a month after Lasik and has maybe gotten a little better since I took a lot of
advice from here and put it to use.

I do not have pain unless my lid sticks to my eye at night and I forget to lube it before opening
my eye. (only my right one does this).

The things I learned in the past year are the over the counter tears are all different and I did a lot of
trial and error (sore eyes in all that trying!) until I found only Systane Ultra single vials works for me.
None of the others do and I just realized saving a buck or two only causes me pain! LOl!
Walgreen's just came out with their version but rest assured, it is not the same! I'm still recovering
from that and good thing I got my money back!
I'm now in the process of figuring out the best nighttime regimen as the sticking eyeball thing is
making me lose sleep! I have just started the coconut oil with good results so far. I also
can use GenTeal Severe Dry Eye Relief Lubricant Eye Gel but the heavier stuff not so much.
I bought Bausch + Lomb Muro 128 but I'm hesitant as it may cause me more irritation than
I can stand but the GenTeal does not last all night.
Anyone have any experience with it and is it ok for long term use?

I tried permanent lower plugs but my right eye could not tolerate it at all. It was horribly scratching
the cornea and I think that Dr needed to fit me better as one type does not fit all. The left eye lasted
3 weeks but the irritation came on so out it came! I have since read up that getting them
may make things worse in some conditions so I'm seeing a new Dr. Monday for a detailed
diagnosis on just what is drying me out. That other Dr. said I had plugged glands but I'm
a little doubtful as I have no swelling, bumps or redness nor have I ever had any issues like that but
maybe he only wanted to spend
more $$ with him so I'm going to get a proper diagnosis with the right tests done.

I work at a computer all day Mon-Friday which is a big problem so I try to take breaks but find it not easy to
do in my line of work. I also live in a dry climate so that is another factor. I wear WileyX sunglasses with the
foam wind barrier religiously and am grateful for them!

I also take several supplements (Flaxseed, omega 3 and 6, vitamin B complex) and I think they help but I'm
to chicken to stop them and see what happens. Besides, they are good for me so what the heck!

Anyway, that is my story and I want to say thanks for the great advice I have found on here! You guys and gals
are troopers and it is wonderful knowing I'm not alone in this!

[Angela810]

Hi there,

Given that you are Peri-menopausal, have you tried hormone therapy. Your doctor would need to take a blood test to see which you need. However post menopause, women tend to require testosterone/androgen therapy whereas prior to this dry eye may be more related to estrogen deficiency. Also Hylo-forte and Hylo-tear are excellent drops.

Worth a short mentioning it to you doctor. Your dryness may also resolve with time. 1 year is early days.

x

[deerhuntingal]

Thanks for the info! No, I have not tried hormone therapy due to the fact that every time they check my levels, I'm normal so their
conclusion was I'm fluctuating but not yet to the point of needing anything yet.

I know it can take up to 5 years for the nerves to heal to at least 85% of the norm prior to lasik
so I'm hopeful but it is just that it seems things have gotten slightly worse at the 16 month mark.
I did not start having the stuck eyeball at night until a month ago so that is a definite worsening
although I was trying a different artificial tear so I may have caused inflammation and worsened
my condition. I'll find out on Monday at the new Dr.

[deerhuntingal]

Deerhuntingal, maybe it is Providence punishing you for being mean to innocent animals. (But I do think there may be a rational explanation.)

What the????

Dicky A, How is that comment supposed to help a person in this forum? I'm just telling my story and yes, I already knew about the possibility of dry eye syndrome
before I had Lasik so it was no surprise. I know also that nerves are severed in the process which can mess with tear production so I was not blindsided. I think that the dr. are not doing this on purpose but the technology has not progressed for enough to eliminate nerve severing during Lasik and since some don't get dry eye, probably just means they are younger or had less of a prescription than I did and did not need as much laser work to correct their vision.
I'm just going day to day now doing my best to cope as mine is not that bad and mild compared to others here but your comment is uncalled for.

[LaDiva]

Dear Deer,
I took estrogen and progesterone replacement (pills) and ended up with estrogen and progesterone positive breast cancer. The doctor pulled me off all of it, and said that estrogen is like food for cancer. Now I am on estrogen blockers, and my eyes aren't any worse than before. Just a heads-up. I also tried progesterone eye drops several years ago, and that did nothing to help either. Regarding punctal plugs, I had four sets of plugs before finally getting some that were comfortable. They need to be a good fit, or they will rub against your eyes and/or fall out. Plugs helped quite a bit, and make a big difference in conserving tears. I had PRK, and now have tear deficiency, MGD and Ocular Rosacea. Doing OK for the time being, but it has taken at least five years of focused persistence. Welcome, and good wishes to you.

[Rebecca Petris]

deerhuntingal,

Welcome Thanks for sharing your story. Sorry you were subjected to that. We have no place for that here and DickyA no longer has forum privileges. It's reminding me I really need to put out a feeler to see if we have anyone interested in being a volunteer moderator. Afraid I've been awfully neglectful this year (again) because I just haven't had time to be on the forum at all so I've only been dealing with things if someone's kind enough to flag it up in an email for me or uses the report post button.