This bothers me!!

[MyDryEyes]

My co-workers son-in-law had LASIK two weeks ago (turns out that he went to the same place I did). When she told me, I felt upset because she has seen first hand what I have been through in the last year. I asked her if she told him my story, and she said "well, I didn't want to scare him." I thought, "ummm, yeah, scare the #$% out of him." But, alas, what is done is done. And I really bit my tongue as to not create a problem in the work environment.

Well, they just got back from a lovely week on the Oregon coast. Turns out, he spend the entire time inside because the wind was bothering his eyes. YIKES.

I know he is early and that most will have some dryness. I wish him the best, but geez, why don't people get it????

At least she will know where to refer him if necessary, but I hope it doesn't come to that. Guess I will keep one of Rebecca's brochures handy.

It just seems like so many people have laser surgery problems, especially dry eyes. Why isn't this all over the news?

I guess the postive aspect (if you can call it that) is that there will eventually be a demand for good treatment options as more and more people get the surgery. Unless the economy really tanks. But that is a whole different story.

MDE

[dianat]

MDE,

I share in your frustration, as do most of us refractive surgery-induced dry-eyed patients. Many of us have had similar experiences.

I posted a story late winter about this very thing. I got into my friend's face and told her what the dangers were when she told me she was scheduled for LASIK. Her husband looked at me and told me that her surgery was already paid for, but if she were to end up with problems, I could be the first to say, "I told you so."

I once spent $100 an hour describing to my shrink another friend who had LASIK after I warned her of the danger. It was at the height of my depression. I could not reconcile my friend's disregard for my experience and it was making me feel horrible. At the end of my session, the most satisfactory conclusion was that people just don't want to hear it. They just don't.

Our condition is nearly impossible to communicate. Know that you will succeed with some people, but certainly not all.

I'm sorry for your further pain, MDE. Believe me, I am.

Diana

[mary kenny badami]

Modern-Day Cassandras !

I don't want to take the analogy too far, since Greek mythology is full of bloodshed and cruelty and convoluted family relationships, but this post started me thinking that MDE and dianat and Lucy and others of us, we who know that family and friends and co-workers are at least somewhat aware of our post-refractive surgery struggles, simply cannot fathom how our warnings are not believed . . .

. . . and although I truly wish every new patient a positive outcome, when some return to ask for reassurance or advice about remediation, it does take every fiber of my being not to say "I told you so."

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Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia's entry on "Cassandra":

In Greek mythology, Cassandra (also known as Alexandra) was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her beauty caused Apollo to grant her the gift of prophecy. However, when she did not return his love, Apollo placed a curse on her so that no one would ever believe her predictions . . . Apollo loved Cassandra and when she did not return his love, he cursed her so that her gift would become a source of endless pain and frustration.

While Cassandra foresaw the destruction of Troy (she warned the Trojans about the Trojan Horse, the death of Agamemnon, and her own demise), she was unable to do anything to forestall these tragedies. Her family believed she was mad, and according to some versions, kept her locked up. In versions where she was incarcerated, this was typically portrayed as driving her truly insane, although in versions where she was not, she is usually viewed as remaining simply misunderstood.