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Hi guys.
I'm a 32 old male who has suffered from dry eye as far back as high school and college. During college, My contacts would sometimes get so bone-dry, they'd fall right out of my eyes if I was at a particularly smoky club. I never actively sought real treatment for dry eye back then because, well, I was an irresponsible person and life seemed consequence-free.
During a particularly vulnerable time a few years out of college, I began seeing ads for LASIK. I attended a few seminars and even saw a live surgery. My doctor examined me and said there was no reason not to try it. After all, he'd said I had become somewhat "contacts intolerant" as I'd gotten older. I wish at that time we'd tried a Schirmer's test as it surely would've raised red flags.
Since the surgery (1999), my eyes have been irritated and light-sensitive in varying degrees. For a year or two I tried to ignore it, because I was ashamed of getting a surgery at a young-ish age and paying a price for it. I knew my side effects weren't entirely normal, as I'd since made a few friends who'd had LASIK and they, infuriatingly, had no problems at all.
In 2002 I buckled, saw a doctor, and got my lower ducts plugged -- this was a lifesaver. On a very fundamental level, I was starting to understand the damage that had been done and what to do about it. Suddently my comfort level raised 30%. Honestly, during those first few years, I had been frightened to visit online forums because I was frightened to know what kind of certain, permanent damage I done to myself with a hasty surgery.
In 2004, I visited the doc again and got on Restasis. The first few months I found it uncomfortable, but now I feel I couldn't live without it, and it's no more a pain in the ass than inserting/removing contacts each night.
This month, I got my upper ducts plugged and a prescription for Lotemax, which I suspect I shouldn't be taking for long intervals.
Long story short, I don't want to define myself by the eye discomfort I feel. I know certain days are harder than others, I know I should've solved the dry eye problem before ever getting LASIK, but it's time to move forward and stay positive about new technologies. With many LASIK patients feeling side effects, I suspect many in the eyecare industry will be finding new (and yes, sometimes expensive) solutions to issues like dry eye.
The fact is, for me personally, my eyes were always dry and somewhat bloodshot, just like my Dad's. No small part of that is a severe dust allergy, plus genetic sinus issues. LASIK certainly exacerbated these things, but they were always there.
More than dryness, I'm still put off by the weird, distracting floating sensations I get when trying to socialize in a brightly sunlit room, for example. Or sometimes I find my facial expressions stiffening or contorting in response to light levels in a room. It's those things I've slowly tried to get accustomed to.
Despite it all, there's not a day I look at the dreary global news of violence and suffering and don't think, "Life could definitely be worse."
Thanks for listening and I'll see you in the threads.
I'm a 32 old male who has suffered from dry eye as far back as high school and college. During college, My contacts would sometimes get so bone-dry, they'd fall right out of my eyes if I was at a particularly smoky club. I never actively sought real treatment for dry eye back then because, well, I was an irresponsible person and life seemed consequence-free.
During a particularly vulnerable time a few years out of college, I began seeing ads for LASIK. I attended a few seminars and even saw a live surgery. My doctor examined me and said there was no reason not to try it. After all, he'd said I had become somewhat "contacts intolerant" as I'd gotten older. I wish at that time we'd tried a Schirmer's test as it surely would've raised red flags.
Since the surgery (1999), my eyes have been irritated and light-sensitive in varying degrees. For a year or two I tried to ignore it, because I was ashamed of getting a surgery at a young-ish age and paying a price for it. I knew my side effects weren't entirely normal, as I'd since made a few friends who'd had LASIK and they, infuriatingly, had no problems at all.
In 2002 I buckled, saw a doctor, and got my lower ducts plugged -- this was a lifesaver. On a very fundamental level, I was starting to understand the damage that had been done and what to do about it. Suddently my comfort level raised 30%. Honestly, during those first few years, I had been frightened to visit online forums because I was frightened to know what kind of certain, permanent damage I done to myself with a hasty surgery.
In 2004, I visited the doc again and got on Restasis. The first few months I found it uncomfortable, but now I feel I couldn't live without it, and it's no more a pain in the ass than inserting/removing contacts each night.
This month, I got my upper ducts plugged and a prescription for Lotemax, which I suspect I shouldn't be taking for long intervals.
Long story short, I don't want to define myself by the eye discomfort I feel. I know certain days are harder than others, I know I should've solved the dry eye problem before ever getting LASIK, but it's time to move forward and stay positive about new technologies. With many LASIK patients feeling side effects, I suspect many in the eyecare industry will be finding new (and yes, sometimes expensive) solutions to issues like dry eye.
The fact is, for me personally, my eyes were always dry and somewhat bloodshot, just like my Dad's. No small part of that is a severe dust allergy, plus genetic sinus issues. LASIK certainly exacerbated these things, but they were always there.
More than dryness, I'm still put off by the weird, distracting floating sensations I get when trying to socialize in a brightly sunlit room, for example. Or sometimes I find my facial expressions stiffening or contorting in response to light levels in a room. It's those things I've slowly tried to get accustomed to.
Despite it all, there's not a day I look at the dreary global news of violence and suffering and don't think, "Life could definitely be worse."
Thanks for listening and I'll see you in the threads.
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