Dr. Trattler,

Hi, I see that you have answered alot of questions on these boards. I am about 4.5 months post lasik and am still having problems with dry eyes. I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me if you have the time.

1. I didn't start having real issues with the dryness until about 1.5 months after my surgery. Since then things have been very cyclical. I have good weeks and bad weeks, but just can't seem to get rid of it! Does this sound like a normal healing process to you? I was expecting things to slowly improve, but not to jump all over the place like they seem to!

2. I've been told that my problem is tear quality (they have done the tear break-up test) and not tear production. However, they have only looked at my eye through the slit lamp to tell me that. Wouldn't another test be necessary to accurately determine if I am producing enough tears?

3. In your experience with dry eye patients, is it still likely that dry eye will subside even after 4.5 months? I guess it is just hard to find slow healing stories anywhere, so I'm concerned that I am stuck with this forever. I know that it is very rare to end up with permanent dryness, but from the information I've been able to find, it also seems very rare to still be dealing with it after 3 months.

I was recently able to see the actual surgeon that did my lasik, and I asked him all the same questions. However, I always feel I am being rushed out of there, and am not being given the proper post-op care. My surgeon classified my dryness as moderate (4 out of 10 with 10 being the worst). I'm not sure what that means, I just know that I am often uncomfortable because of the dryness. I am in the process of seeking a second opinion. I use Systane drops (preservative free) every 1-2 hours (even on my good days), I'm taking flax seed oil, and am about to start Restasis. Also, I believe I have blepharitis and have been doing eye lid scrubs and warm compresses at night. I think I'm doing everything right in order to aid in my healing process, but like I said...I don't feel like my docs would tell me otherwise if I wasn't. Last time I posted, I got the response telling me that not only would they not improve, but they would get worse at the 2-3 year mark! I know that was just from an unhappy lasik patient and for that person I feel very sorry. However, perhaps a response from an actual doctor would just ease my nerves a bit! I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right. I'm incredibly concerned about this, and am regretting my surgery. If you have the time to respond, I would apprecite it...you seem very knowledgable. Thanks in advance for your response.

Michelle

I'm not Dr. Trattler, but I am a doctor who also treats post-LASIK patients for dry eye. I have definitely seen patients improve beyond 6 months. I have had to remove punctal plugs from some patients who were approximately two years out from surgery because of increased tears. Like Dr. Trattler, I also recommend Restasis, and I recommend that it be used for at least one year.

DrG

Greg Gemoules, O.D.
Coppell, Texas

I am not a doctor, but I had Lasik surgery. Immediatley after surgery I did not have trouble with dry eyes. About 1-2 months afterward I developed dry eyes that I was putting drops in constantly. I mean every 5 minutes. After around 6 months my dry eye problem improved significantly. I still use drops (10 months), and sometimes they are drier then other times, but sometimes I go 8-10 hours without. So I still carry eye drops, but it is at the point where it is not annoying. I'm optimistic it will only get better. Your experience may differ, but I want to let you know that it is possible for them to still get better.

Dr G.,
Thanks for your response. I did get a second opinion this morning, and I feel a little better now that I have had a thorough examination. I do hope that I will notice a difference after a few months on the Restasis.

Matthew,
Thank you also for your response. Like I mentioned in my post, it is SOOO hard to find slow lasik healing stories, so it is very comforting to hear that they are out there! Your situation sounds similar to mine in that you did not have serious dryness issues right after surgery. I hope that I begin to see significant improvements soon as well. I wish you the best of luck with your continued healing. I hope you can reach a point where you don't need the drops at all!

Michelle