How long after LASIK did you develop chronic DES

[Jessica Adams]

I had LASIK back in 1997. I guess I always had some dryness although it was manageble. It wasn't until 2003 that it bacame chronic dry eye!

could you let me know:

1. How long after lasik did you develop dry eye

2. Did you have contact lense intolerance or dry eyes prior to LASIK?

3. Did you have any contributing factor such as: medication, autoinmune desease, etc.

4. Did you later develop and autoinmune desease. In other words, you had LASIK prior to being diagnosed with sjogrens, lupus or any other similar condition?

In my case:

1. I developed chronic DES in 2003 (amost 6 years after lasik) although I guess my eyes were dry after LASIK but not as chronic as now.
2. I didn't have lense intolerance prior to LASIk in fact I even wore contact lenses right after my surgery for 3 months because I had to have a retouch.
3. I took medication that contributes to dry eyes (Diane 35) for two consecutive years and I have breast implants which in some women can develop autoinmune reactions such as dry eyes.
4. In 2005 I develop iritis (an autoinmune reaction). It was just once but my eye doctor thought I should visit a rheumatologist. I developed also dry vagina in 2004 to the point that I had urinary infections!! I have a low white blood cell count which can also be a sign of an autoinmune desease and a high rheumatoid factor although it is not positive (thank God). I haven tested positive for Sjogrens though.

Your comments will be greatly appreciated

Jessica

[Lucy]

could you let me know:

1. How long after lasik did you develop dry eye---within two months

2. Did you have contact lense intolerance or dry eyes prior to LASIK?
--Never wore contact lens

3. Did you have any contributing factor such as: medication, autoinmune desease, etc.
--Not that I knew of.

4. Did you later develop and autoinmune desease. In other words, you had LASIK prior to being diagnosed with sjogrens, lupus or any other similar condition?

YES, have been diagnosed with Sjogrens 6 1/2 years after lasik.

I have Sjogrens systemically (neuropathy, joints, muscles) besides the dry eyes and dry mouth. I can pinpoint several things going back about 3 years from today. The dry eyes have been since lasik.......the other symptoms came along about 3-4 years later, but I was unaware of their connections. It takes awhile to put the puzzle together.

[Ryan]

1. How long after lasik did you develop dry eye - I had LASIK in December 2000 and developed chronic dry eyes in late 2004/2005.

2. Did you have contact lense intolerance or dry eyes prior to LASIK? - I did have contact lens intolerance, which led me to LASIK. Now, I envy people who wear glasses!!

3. Did you have any contributing factor such as: medication, autoinmune desease, etc. - No, I don't take any medications and wasn't taking any at the time of LASIK.

4. Did you later develop and autoinmune desease. In other words, you had LASIK prior to being diagnosed with sjogrens, lupus or any other similar condition? - As far as I know, I don't have any autoimmune disorder.

[dianat]

1. I had horribly dry eyes immediately after surgery. It took time for me to understand how serious and permanent this was.

2. I was 100% contact lens intolerant. I'd go years without wearing them and then give a sample pair a try when I'd have an eye exam. I used to think with new materials and such that I might some day wear them again. Unfortunately, I never found a comfortable pair. I was intolerant to them from the FIRST MINUTE they went in...not hours later. Immediately. Every pair, no matter the material.

3. No meds triggered my problem.

4. I've not been diagnosed with any autoimmune disorders.

[Scout]

1. How long after LASIK did you develop dry eye?
I have had chronic mild dry eye for most of my adult life. After LASIK (in 1999) I had severe dry eye and recurring infections and inflammation that lasted for approximately 6 months. Then I had moderate dry eye for almost 2 years. Then I had severe dry eye while taking Prempro [hormone replacement therapy] for 8 months. Then I had moderate dry eye for the next couple of years. Now I would say I have mild to moderate dry eye. Mild, moderate, severe . . . always chronic.

2. Did you have contact lense intolerance or dry eyes prior to LASIK? Yes, both. And GPC and allergic conjunctivitis.

3. Did you have any contributing factor such as: medication, autoimmune desease, etc.
Yes, autoimmune thyroiditis and dermatitis. Yes, hormone replacement therapy, thyroid medication and osteoporosis medication and prescription allergy eye drops with benzalkonium chloride.

4. Did you later develop an autoimmune desease. In other words, you had LASIK prior to being diagnosed with sjogrens, lupus or any other similar condition?
I have not developed another autoimmune disease.

Scout

[cristinalatina]

1. How long after lasik did you develop dry eye

Immediately, although I don't understand the definition of "chronic" dry eye-does that mean long-standing, persistant? If yes, then...I am developing it

2. Did you have contact lense intolerance or dry eyes prior to LASIK?

Absolutely not. I used to yawn and tears would stream down my face-now I have a hard time crying if I need to. I wore soft contact lenses for 10 years without problems, except when I fell asleep on occasion with the lenses in.

3. Did you have any contributing factor such as: medication, autoinmune desease, etc.

No. Only superior-hinge flaps! No family history of DES, no oral contraceptives. I am a smoker, but that had never caused me any trouble.

4. Did you later develop and autoinmune desease. In other words, you had LASIK prior to being diagnosed with sjogrens, lupus or any other similar condition?

No, thank God.

Te deseo que te mejores, aunque sea poquito a poco.

PS. On a side note-I am so sorry to hear about the UTIs...I have a sensitivity to this condition myself, and I know how painful it can be-1000 times more than dry eye. Cranberry and acidophilus supplements and gallons of water help before recurring to antibiotics.

[YGB]

Te deseo que te mejores, aunque sea poquito a poco.

I am lost (and curious) and in need of translation .

My dry eye started mild in the first few weeks and became severe by week six post-LASIK. I didn't have any problems wearing contacts and no other immune/other issues. I asked Dr. Tseng if I had "chronic dry eye" and he said he does not use the term chronic unless the patient has the dry eye condition for a at least a year. I am at 7 months at this point. Good questions. It's too bad that the LASIK industry doesn't do similar surveys. I'm sure the majority would have positive things to say about LASIK, but the unhappy minority would likely be larger % than the industry wants the public to know exists. The term "20 minute miracle" sells. The term "pain and suffering" obviously does not.

[cristinalatina]

YGB,

wow, just mild dry eye after LASIK? Amazing. I shudder at the thought of myself when I exited the laser suite. My surgeon was asking me to open my eyes so that he could take a look at the flaps, to see if everything was OK, and I just couldn't. For the first 3 months, I was struggling to open my lids in the morning, I had to wet them first. Sounds more like PRK, but unfortunately I had LASIK instead!

Since then it's been getting better, not worse. However, I haven't had a single day without eye drops, even though I've limited my doses.My vision suffers, when my eyes are dry I can't see well, both quality and quantity wise. It feels like I'm slightly nearsighted, but I'm not. Also, aberrations are way worse when my eyes are dry, although dryness (of course) is not the primary culprit.

I also have to add here that I'm certain that DES is way worse for me in the States, mainly because of the habit of technologically-driven climate control indoors. Back home, we don't use air vents but oil radiators for heating, and they don't generate such a dry heat. Also, we open the windows for ventilation instead of having fans blowing. I do this at home even when it's snowing outside, and I recommend this practice because it helps keeping the house air fresher and more moist. I've noticed that for some reason windows here in the US are not supposed to open in many locations-in my office, in restaurants, in hotel rooms. That perpetuates stale and dry air indoors, and I don't understand it.

By the way, the incomprehensive phrase was a wish that Jessica gets better, and I wish the very same for all of us

[Jessica Adams]

Thanks for your replies - Please keep them coming

I have chronic dry eye. In my case the definition is: bone dry - I have my four punctae cauterized, I wear goggles, and I hardly produce any tears. I have been dealing with this condition for more than two years. I had lasik back in 1997, I did have minor dryness I supposed, but it became chronic back in 2003.

The difficult thing about my case is that I am also developing other symptoms that tend to indicate that I have some sort of autoinmune disorder: hairloss, peripheral neuropathy, low white blood cells, incipient fibromyalgia, among other things. So there is a big possibility that my dry eye is also related to this.

Cristinalatina thanks for your wishes. it is hard to believe that I am hispanic since my name sounds so American "Jessica Adams" So all I have to say is: gracias y espero que tú también encuentres bienestar para tus ojos. Bendiciones.

Jessica.

[Jeff]

Hi,

I had LASIK (Like A Scene In Kalidescope) done in May of 2002.

1. I was told by my doctor AFTER my procedure that I "came in to his office with dry eye" However I never used any drops. My dryness started immediately and was told this was normal for about a two month period and then it would subside.

2. No I could not wear contacts as I kept blinking them out (literally).
Side note: I think this should be one of the qualifying questions to ask BEFORE doing procedures as I now know this is an indicator.

3. No, not that I was aware of

4. At current I have not been diagnosed with any of the conditions listed, however I have over the last two years been dealing with some nerve problems.

I would like to add a number five if permitted.

5. Have you noticed more floaters since your LASIK?

In my case the answer would be, yes.

Jeff

[sabine]

respens

Hoi,

I developed dry eye(manageable) a few months after surgery but very severe dry eyes two years after lasik. So severe that without my plugs I was becoming blind, I could hardly see because of the many punctate keratitis. They waited much to long before putting my plugs. My doctor had no experience with severe dry eyes. I nearly killed myself. Since then I haven't been able to work anymore and I am excepted as a handicaped.(I don't know the word in english)

I was contactlens intolerant before lasik. I must 've had dry eyes but without any pain and symptoms except not being able to wear contact lenses, they just fell out of my eye.

It is not a side effect of medications.
I have no auto-immune dissorder.


Sabine

[sazy123]

Can i just ask for those of you who developed lasik years or many months after the surgery did you go back to the surgens and say look i have dry eye due to this and ask for help. If so were they willing? If not you will not be included into the statistic of people who develop dry eye after lasik! so it is alot higher than we think?

[YGB]

Can i just ask for those of you who developed lasik years or many months after the surgery did you go back to the surgens and say look i have dry eye due to this and ask for help. If so were they willing? If not you will not be included into the statistic of people who develop dry eye after lasik! so it is alot higher than we think?

Sazy, you ask a good question and the answer that I received when I informed my MD was shocking to me at least. Let me give you a summary ...

YGB on week 5 (I called in for a visit and on the phone because my eyes felt dry and I was told that when I got to the clinic, they would insert plugs)
MD when I got to the clinic - I don't want to put in plugs today since your eyes don't look too bad. Just put some drops in every now and then and it should be gone by next week. (Note that MD looked at my eyes for about 30 seconds during the visit ... if that).

YGB on week 6 visit (I called in for another visit) - Doc, my eyes feel dry
MD - Just keep putting some drops in every now and then and it should be gone by next week.

By the way, I was using Systane which has always bothered my eyes. Of course, back then, I didn't know much about dry eyes and that there were so many products to choose from. I was using Systane because that's what the clinic gave me and at that time, I was still working on the presumption that they knew best.

YGB on week 7 - I have a bump on my right eyelid (called on 3 different occasions to the clinic during week 7). At this point, the clinic was just triaging me on the phone and told me to do warm compresses and to not squeeze the stye on my eye. I did compresses, but did them wrong since I had never done them before and the clinic gave me little instruction.

YGB on week 8 - my eyes are very dry and excruciatingly painful.
Clinic - The MD can see you in 3 days.
YGB - I need to see him today
When I saw the MD, I expected him to be shocked by the way my eyes looked. Instead, the MD looked at me like I had very little wrong with me and like this really was not a big deal and just said ... I know your feeling down because you had a bad outcome. It was then that I realized that this MD (and, in my opinion, most LASIK MD's have a common human element called a conscience missing from their human makeup).

BTW, at this visit, my LASIK MD did the worst thing he could possibly do for my eyes since I had severe meibomian gland dysfunction (the bump that was triaged on the phone as a stye was really MGD). Rather than putting me on doxy, restasis, and instructing me on warm compresses, he put me on doxy and plugged up my eyes. The plugs helped for about 1-2 days but they then made my MGD worse since my eyes became even further inflammed.

Now that I know what I know about dry eye, I would think that it would be just common knowledge to a Cornea MD doing LASIK that plugging eyes that have serious MGD is a bad idea. However, anything that could go wrong, went wrong and seeing my LASIK MD post-LASIK just made my eyes worse, and not better.

MD's who do LASIK know that bad outcomes happen. They are just content with the fact that most patients are "happy" and there are unfortunately the minority casualties. My MD was not shaken in the least by my bad LASIK outcome that did nothing but completely alter the course of my life for the worse.

To the MD, I am confident that he walked into the next room after seeing me and told the next LASIK candidate the same canned BS that he told me and neglected to inform the patient that there are risks and that the guy he just saw next door has significant life altering damage caused by LASIK.

I can tell you that I am not logged in as a bad outcome statistic and I am not going to the trouble of getting my case logged in. The LASIK industry is steamrolling ahead with or without all of the bad LASIK outcomes. Part of the reason is that some patients are happy, some are not truly happy with the result but want to be, some are not happy and don't want to tell others for various reasons, and some are okay with telling others, but the impact one person can make is relatively minimal in this wacky LASIK world. Sad but true.

[Guest]

YGB,

You mentioned in your post that plugging eyes that have severe MGD is not a good idea.

Just wondering if you could shed a little more light on this. I believe I have MGD (as I quite often get the little bumps on my eyelids both top and bottom) but my Dr's have ruled out Blepharitis.

I thought MGD was a form of Blepharitis but I may be very wrong here, maybe I'm asking the wrong question. I need to ask if I have MGD and not Blepharitis.

Anyway, I ask because I am plugged (lower only) and have often wondered whether I would have more of a chance getting the MGD under control if my plugs were removed - just a thought (will discuss this on next month visit with DR).

Your story saddened me, if your Dr had a little more empathy maybe you would be a lot further down the road to recovery than you are at the moment. I am sorry to hear this, hang in there.

Cheers

Ian

[shells]

1. How long after lasik did you develop dry eye

Immediately following lasik, my eyes were dry. The pain/irritation got worse over the first 6 months, and is pretty much the same now (almost 2 years post-op)

2. Did you have contact lense intolerance or dry eyes prior to LASIK?

Yes - I only wore them for sports and things like that, and usually needed to take them out immediately following due to irritation

3. Did you have any contributing factor such as: medication, autoinmune desease, etc.

No

4. Did you later develop and autoinmune desease. In other words, you had LASIK prior to being diagnosed with sjogrens, lupus or any other similar condition?

No. I have seen a rheumatologist who gave says I am perfectly healthy - except for my eyes ofcourse.

Sazy - You are right. I personally am not a statisitic. I stopped seeing my surgeon at 8 months post-op, so he does not know that I did not get better. It was just too hard on me emotionally at the time to continue going there.