I had LASIK performed 7 days ago and am a little concerned about 2 things and would like to hear a second opinion on my situation.

My doctor said that I had a wrinkle in my left eye flap during my LASIK procedure. He said he smoothed it out during the procedure and I should be fine. However, I am still experiencing blurriness and a halo effect in my left eye whereas my right eye is fine. My left eye's halo is like a smudge that stretches to the top right corner of my vision and is very distracting. I went in to my doctor 3 days ago to assure there was nothing wrong, and he didn't seem too concerned. He said my eyes will heal at different rates and that I just need to be patient. My question is, "Does a wrinkle during a procedure cause a much slower healing process? Should I be concerned?"

My second question is, should I go off my birth control pill during my healing process? My doctor knows that I am on the pill, yet did not suggest I go off the pill because of risk of regression. I would rather be safe than sorry.

My eyes were both -7.25 before surgery and now my right eye is 20/20 and my left eye is 20/30 and blurry.

Any information or advise would be appreciated. I just want to make sure I am doing everything I can to make sure my eye health is properly cared for. Thank you, Rachel

rachel- sounds like you are doing fantastic for the level of nearsightedness you had corrected. give it time to heal. i've found that with all the interest in refractive surgery, patients are truly expecting miracles and forget (or aren't told) that this is not a perfect science and still part of the result depends on the patients healing. this takes almost three months- when we no longer see changes on examinations, we can begin to make decisions about the next course of action.

for right now, continue your bcp's- you don't want to change the hormone levels- and use spectacles or contact lenses if you feel you need to in order to function. then let nature takes it's course, and see what happens after giving it a chance to heal.

debra tennen, md

I agree with Dr. Tennen regarding regression and birth control pills.
Regarding the wrinkle....you doc said you "had" it during the surgery. Is it still there? If not, then it's not the problem.
What is you current refraction in the left eye? If it is undercorrected or with astig, then it may account for the blur/halo. If you are not correctable to 20/20, or if even with the best correction the blur/halo persists, then maybe you do still have a wrinkle which is symptomatic. Symptomatic wrinkles are the only ones to fix.
Let us know if there is more to the story or if things clear up.

Dr. Hu,

To answer your question, my doctor told me upon examining me 6 days after surgery that there are no wrinkles in my flap. He said that his effort during surgery were successful.

I am not sure what the term "refraction" means, so I will try to answer your question the best I can (I am assuming you are speaking of my level of sight). My left eye is 20/30 with persistent bluriness. My left eye did not have any astigmatism before LASIK. My doctor took a topographical map of both my eyes 6 days after the surgical procedure and said they looked good - my corneas were both flat, and it appeared as though my eyes should heal in the way he intended. Therefore, since my corneas were flat (I saw the map) it doesn't appear that any astigmatism resulted from the LASIK procedure.

I will be seeing my doctor Thursday this week and I will request he examine my eye for any symptomatic wrinkle. My doctor has been very patient with me through this and I am sure he will not mind examining my eye for this request.

Please let me know if you need further information to give me an opinion on my eyes.

Thank you, Rachel

A refraction is checking your prescription with lenses (1 or 2, 1 or 2, etc) to see if your vision can be improved beyond the current blurry 20/30.
As long as you don't have any wrinkles now, it doesn't sound like there is necessarily a need for intervention.
Good Luck. Dean Hu

Thank you for your information, Dr. Tennen. It is reassuring to know that I may be a little premature in my concern. I am finding my left eye is still blurry, but I think it is getting better. It is so difficult to tell from day to day whether I am improving or remaining constant. It is comforting to hear another doctor telling me that I need to give it some time.

Thank you also for the information on the BCPs. I wouldn't want to do anything to jeapordize my eyesight, so it is good to know I do not need to go off my pills.

I appreciate all the doctors' time that goes into this web page - it is wonderful and honest. Keep up the good work!

I had Lasik last Friday and began a regimen of birth control pills yesterday, Wednesday. It didn't occur to me until reviewing this thread that this might be detrimental.

Can someone please advise as soon as possible? Should I avoid birth control pills until some time after Lasik?
Thanks,.