Confocal Microscopy

[Jovver]

I'o sorry Jovver, sound like you are having a very tough time. So glad that you are making progress. I really hope you get the serum drops. I wish I was in London, and could go in. I've been insisting they call me and emailing regularly. I don't understand how they sleep at night.

Thank you so much for your advice. And thank you also LM. I'm so ashamed of what I've done to myself that I don't really let on how much pain I'm in to my family and friends. This forum has been my saviour.

I completely agree with you with regards to surgeons being unhelpful. He doesn't have any sympathy. No idea how much this has impacted my life, or at least he doesn't care. I have to admit, I call and cry on the phone to them regularly. This is how I got them to pay more attention, not as dignified add your approach I'm afraid! However they are still not doing enough. He had the audacity to say, "you signed a consent form" which is crazy as he said to me during my pre-op consult that I shouldn't worry, and gave me stats and numbers which made it seem like what is happening is incredibly rare. I feel like a fool for falling for his sales pitch. I dream about walking out of his office. They are famous surgeons, and have a worldwide reputation, yet after the surgery at times you are left in the hands of the receptionist who give you basic advice on the phone. Crazy!

I can only pray now and hope for better care. I don't remember what it feels like to be happy anymore, or to laugh, I pray one day I will.

There is absolutely nothing for you to feel ashamed about. You didn't ask for this outcome, and I'm sure you asked the right questions before the surgery, as did I. The only people who should feel ashamed are the ones who peddle this surgery and hide behind their own skewed statistics.

I made the decision to go ahead with my surgery after I (thought) researched it thoroughly, and I made it based on what I thought were reliable statistics about its safety. I think that's about all you can ever do in life.

They pulled the "you signed the consent form" crap on me as well, but that does not absolve them from taking care of you if things have not gone to plan. The trouble is we are taught from an early stage to trust doctors, and if they say something is safe then you tend to believe them.

[tealeaf]

They have given sych little advice regarding managing my eyes. For example, I have night time dryness, but they have said, nothing you can do. Wear contacts during the day, no mention of goggles or any lubricants I could use. Also, when I said hurts to walk down a street, again, wear contacts, failed to mention anything about moisture chamber glasses etc.

DryLondoner, same here, I was given no advice by the surgeon too. I get to learn about warm compress, moisture chamber all from this precious forum. Infact, he only gave me night gel and asked me to keep using eye drops. When I went to another opth. for treatment and returned back to see him, he mentioned whatever the other opth. gave me was all that a dry eye opth. could help. Crap! He didn't even mention eye plug, etc. He tried to down play the symptons.

What really upset me, on hearing about results of confocal which was lower nerve re-growth than expected for a LASIK patient at this point, they still won't concede there is an issue and he says everyone's nerves after LASIK at rubbish. Yes, but mine are more rubbish and any didn't you mention this before the surgery!! So frustrating, at one point he actually shrugged his shoulders in response to a question!

How annoying! Maybe you should suggest that he include all lasik patients will have rubbish nerves in his sales pitch!

Are you able to find out if anywhere in SE Asia have serum drops? I am still sourcing, will update you if I know.

[djlasik]

DryLondoner, TeaLeaf,

My pain has decreased over time but my dry eyes are still there. The doctor said that my progress is about average and with some people it has taken 2 years for the pain to go away. I was going primarily to reduce the pain. You have to use the drops 8x per day anything less is a waist of time. You also need to keep the inflammation down as that is a nerve killer. Lasik kills the nerve when they are cut and hopefully they grow back (but not always). To keep the inflammation down I take lotemax. The serum creates an environment for the nerves to regenerate. Once the nerves have been regenerated to a certain point (don't know what percentage) they will take care of themselves and create an environment where they will continue to grow.

You definitely want to start at 20% and increase from there if no new nerve growth. If you start too high you can create more problems.

[steveyez]

Thanks djlasik - that makes complete sense - I'm 15 months into taking prp serum and it was only after 12 months that the terrible corneal nurelgia eased and i would say its getting better and more comfortable each day - still a work in progress but im starting to enjoy life again which i never thought i would.

The shame we have in England with the NHS is that the NHS Blood Transfusion (NHS BT) service have forced a monopoly on hospitals who used to offer PRP serum that they made themselves - but now the individual hospitals cannot offer it themselves and we have to go to NHS BT who charge £6000 per year for Autologous Serum. I go to Spain and it costs £600 per year - a tenth of the price!!! The tragedy is that i know without serum i would still be in agony no matter how many artificial tears i took per day!!!

Please insist on getting either autologous serum or prp serum whichever country you are based in - its very slow progress - its no miracle but its a no hoper without it if you're suffering with lasik induced corneal nurelgia in my experience.

Sorry if thats emotive but i can only speak from my heart and try and speak plainly to try and help other people who are in the desperate plight i most certainly was.

Cheers
Steve

[DryLondoner]

Thank you all for the advice. It's very much so appreciated. I really hope I can get it.

Steve, great to hear you are improving!

I find my eyes get tired very quickly now. They feel heavy and sore, I don't really think I have severe pain like a few of you have. It's more of an intense burning and stinging, which comes and goes. Quite often I can feel me my eyelids on the eye when I blink, as if they are sharp, this is more on the outer corners than on the cornea, I think. Dies anyone else have similar symptoms? Has anyone going serum helping with these?

DL

[tealeaf]

My pain has decreased over time but my dry eyes are still there. The doctor said that my progress is about average and with some people it has taken 2 years for the pain to go away. I was going primarily to reduce the pain. You have to use the drops 8x per day anything less is a waist of time. You also need to keep the inflammation down as that is a nerve killer. Lasik kills the nerve when they are cut and hopefully they grow back (but not always). To keep the inflammation down I take lotemax. The serum creates an environment for the nerves to regenerate. Once the nerves have been regenerated to a certain point (don't know what percentage) they will take care of themselves and create an environment where they will continue to grow.

Good to hear that your pain has reduced. Is good news to know that the serum cn help regenerate the nerves. Now, I have to search for the serum, seems like no such help in Singapore.

[tealeaf]

Thanks djlasik - that makes complete sense - I'm 15 months into taking prp serum and it was only after 12 months that the terrible corneal nurelgia eased and i would say its getting better and more comfortable each day - still a work in progress but im starting to enjoy life again which i never thought i would.

That's great news that you are starting to enjoy life

Sorry if thats emotive but i can only speak from my heart and try and speak plainly to try and help other people who are in the desperate plight i most certainly was.

I hope I can get hold of the serum in SE Asia. I am desperately hoping to come out from this post lasik DES misery.

[steveyez]

Thanks Tealeaf

I had unbearable migraine type pain in my corneas and my schirmer scores were 0 and 0.5 so i know that PRP serum has transformed my life.

Try searching for PRP serum or Autologous Serum and Im pretty sure they will have it in Asia - if not travel to Alicante in Spain - its nice ;-)

If nerve regrowth does not ever happen then Oculeve seems to me a very positive development for the future but i dont presume that it will be cheap when it becomes available!!

Take care and thanks for everyone on this forum for all their help
Steve - Warwickshire, England

[tealeaf]

steve,
how often do you get your supply of serum? Do you check on the cornea nerves in Spain as well?

[RFREITAS]

Dear all,

About the Confocal where did you went to have it? It's a private hospital? It's easy to make an appointment?

I live in Portugal but it's easy to go to London I am also a post lasik patient.

[cathy8889]

Sorry for my ignorance and if this is silly question, would you only have a confocal microscopy done if your had LASIK? Many thanks

[Jovver]

Dear all,

About the Confocal where did you went to have it? It's a private hospital? It's easy to make an appointment?

I live in Portugal but it's easy to go to London I am also a post lasik patient.

Hi.

I had mine carried out by a Doctor Shafik at the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham. I'm not sure how easy it would be to be referred there though as my laser clinic sorted it out as a private appointment.

I think that Drylondoner had her's carried out at Moorfields in London so perhaps he (she?) will be able to give you the details for how she arranged that.

[Jovver]

Sorry for my ignorance and if this is silly question, would you only have a confocal microscopy done if your had LASIK? Many thanks

It's an interesting question that I'm sure a few of the more knowledgeable people would be able to help you with.

Personally I don't think it could hurt to have it done as you would be able to more or less dismiss nerves as a cause of your problems.

However, although the confocal microscopy can show if you have enough nerves in the right areas and they look okay, to my knowledge it can't tell you if they work okay and are actually conveying nerve impulses.

[cathy8889]

Thanks for your reply

It's an interesting question that I'm sure a few of the more knowledgeable people would be able to help you with.

Personally I don't think it could hurt to have it done as you would be able to more or less dismiss nerves as a cause of your problems.

However, although the confocal microscopy can show if you have enough nerves in the right areas and they look okay, to my knowledge it can't tell you if they work okay and are actually conveying nerve impulses.

[steveyez]

Tealeaf - i go over to Spain every 3 months for the PRP serum - i have an excellent NHS opth in Birmingham England and she has prescribed me Autologous Serum and is pushing in a massive way for it to be paid for by the NHS ( she also is pushing for several other of her patients who are dry eye whether it be lasik, sjorgen etc and need autologous serum but are refused funding in the West Midlands )

Cheers
Steve