Hi,

I am 6 days post-LASIK. First day was 20/20 right and 20/15 left. Now am 20/25 right and 20/20 left and the doc noted striae in the right eye. He told me it would clear up on its own within a few weeks. What I've read in this forum and elsewhere is that striae should be corrected soon after they are diagnosed. Should I be concerned that I'm not going to see him again for another 4 weeks or so?

Thanks.

There are two kinds of striae. One needs to be manipulated as soon as reasonably possible. The other will resolve mostly through healing. We have a detailed article on striae at

http://www.complicatedeyes.org/striae.htm

Glenn Hagele
Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance
http://www.USAEyes.org
http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org
Email: glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org

I am not a doctor.

Thanks for the response, Glenn. I had read that article and unfortunately don't know which kind I have. I do trust my doctor, so I assume if he told me it's the kind that clears up, then it is.

How do I know if it is the striae causing my vision to be less than "perfect"? Although I was 20/25 in the eye with the striae, there was a significant amount of fuzziness around the eye chart.

What is vision like if striae are affecting it?

Thanks

The description I have heard for microstriae is fuzzy or blurred vision where you can usually figure out the shapes on the Big E chart, but they are not very clear or crisp.

If you call your doctor's office, anyone who can read your chart can tell you what kind of striae has been diagnosed.

Yup, that's exactly what it looks like to me. So even though my right eye is 20/25 it is a poor 20/25.

I called the doc and he said it's very minor micro-striae and said he has never had a problem with them self-resolving. So, we'll see what happens when I go in a month from now.

Get a second opinon as soon as possible Sara!

I just wanted to post an update on my question about striae. It turned out that my not-perfect vision was due to moderate regression. At 3 weeks post-LASIK I was -0.75 and -1.0 (from having been 20/20 and 20/15 the day after). So, I am scheduled to have an enhancement in 2 weeks. No other complications at all.

Just one comment- I have seen some patients have some early mild regression and be about 1 diopter undercorrected after a few months. But over the next 3-6 months - these same patients had improvement of their vision - and ended up not needing an enhancement. Since all enhancements have risks, it is just something to consider.

Best of luck

Bill Trattler, MD

Center For Excellence In Eye Care
8940 N. Kendall Drive; #400E
Miami, FL 33176