My husband had lasik performed on 11-10-01, when the dr. made the first cut he had a problem with the flap and said the cornea had blistered as it did with the left eye but not as bad. Since then he is having alot of problems with dryness, and especially focusing. He says everything is blurry and seems to be getting worse as the day goes on. He is constantly putting drops in his eyes and they look very bloodshot, his driving and work are greatly affected. He also seems to be losing his balance because he says he cannot focus. He is very depressed and having alot of trouble at work. The dr says to give it time, I have great faith in this dr. because my lasik on 10-06-01 went really great. No problems. Can anyone please tell us if they have experienced this problem and if it has gone away. I'm becoming very scared that he will lose his vision, should something be done asap or should we just wait and see. He says sometimes his vision will get clear and then a minute later it's bad again, he notices it when in a store where it seems dry. He can't see close only far comes in clear and not all the time. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what we should do?? Help!! Thanks Joanne

Corneal abrasions at the time of LASIK occur anywhere from less than 1 to 5% of the time. Corneal abrasions generally heal after a few days, but sometimes the healing process can take many weeks. Sigificant dry eyes can exacerbate the abrasion problem.
It is important that your surgeon carefully examine the eyes and determine the level of dryness. Severe dry eyes may require punctal plugs, lubricating gels, and even low dose steroids. Some patients may also develop a clogging of their oil glands, and therefore respond to oral doxycycline.
If the surface of the cornea continues to develo abrasions, then the doctor may need to place a bandage contact lens on the cornea for it to heal.
Finally, it is important that your doctor make sure that your husband is not developing "DLK" - which occurs with abrasions after LASIK, and as well, that the eye pressure is normal (since some patients can develop high eye pressure which can cause swelling of the corneal flap and a DLK-like picture.
It is difficult to completely answer your question since I am not participating in the care of your husband. I can say that abrasions do occur with LASIK and the recovery period can be prolonged.

Best of luck

Bill Trattler, MD
Miami, FL

Dr. Trattler, Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate it. My husband had contacts put in last week and he had clear vision only that night. They were put in on Wednesday and taken out today, Sunday, the Dr. said he had developed swelling around or in his cornea because the contact was too tight. He told him to use Muro Sodium Chloride 5%, 4 times a day which I'm sure as you know is quite uncomfortable, but if it helps then he'll do it. He said it could take up to 4 months. I do have to tell you that this Dr. in my book has gone above and beyond to help us. He is really a wonderful person and seems to really care, we are just really scared right now. Thank you for your time. Joanne