I am 12 days post Epi-Lasik. My eye sight has imrpoved but deteriorates within minutes of reading, driving or any sort of eye concentration. I can regain my vision with TheraTears, but it quickly blurs within minutes.

Is this to be expected in recovery or is the rapid decine of my vision a source of unsusual concern?

Thanks.

Temporary dry eyes is a common problem with refractive surgery, although it is generally less of a problem with Epi-Lasik. What may be occurring is that the epithelial cells (outermost cells of the cornea) have not created a fully new epithelium, thickened, and smoothed. When you apply the artificial tears, this momentarily smoothes the surface of the cornea.

More than likely what you are experiencing is a combination of dry eye and epithelium regeneration. We have a detailed article about Dry Eye Treatment at http://www.complicatedeyes.org/dry_eye_treatment.htm that may be helpful. Resolving any dry eye issues will promote epithelium healing.

Of course, you need to raise these concerns with your doctor.

Glenn Hagele
http://USAEyes.org
Lasik Patient Advocacy & Surgeon Certification

I am not a doctor.

Hi Burton - I am 5 weeks post lasik (standard) and I suffered from Dry eye really bad the first few weeks. Now that some time has passed it's getting much better and my vision is stablizing. I found it really helpful to use refresh gel at night before bed. It's much thicker than the regular drops and my eyes feel hydrated when I wake up, not dry and sore like they do without it. It also helps keeps my eyes hydrated for the first few hours of the morning. Good luck, I'm sure you'll see improvement over the next couple of weeks.