I had Lasik on June 6. I posted a question here a few weeks ago "One Blurry Eye, Why?". I have had blurry vision in my right eye since Day 1 that cleared up briefly when I applied drops. All along I have been told by my doctor that the blurry vision is due to a temporary dry eye condition. I have spent hundreds of dollars on drops, gels, flax oil, homeopathic remedies, etc. as well as having temporary plugs installed... all in an effort to relieve the dryness and clear up my vision. This week I was told by the same doctor that dryness is not causing the blurry vision - astigmatism is causing it! I was given new eye glasses for -100 astigmatism for the right eye only. These new glasses give me clear vision with no blurriness. I did not have astigmatism prior to Lasik. I have two questions: 1- How did I end up with -100 regular astigmatism after having Lasik? 2- Is there a possibility the astigmatism will lessen or worsen over time? I also want to share the following information with others out there... If you have blurry vision that clears up sharply when an artificial tear is applied, please make your doctor check your vision for astigmatism!

To the friends I have made on this website, Darren, Martha, Joy, and Peter, thank you for your emails and your support. And special thanks to Ed, who knew all along.

Paula

I am happy that dryness is no longer/not a problem for you. As for the astigmatism, it is impossible for me to comment without knowing your preop refraction.
Certainly there can be a slight alteration of astigmatism during the procedure, although for most people it is negligible.
If the astigmatism continues to be a problem, you can always consider an enhancement. Since your surgery is only two months ago, mos t surgeons would wait a few more months to see if the astigmatism will resolve on its own

best of luck

Bill Trattler, Md
Miami, FL

Dr. Trattler,

Thank you very much for your reply. Prior to having Lasik, I was myopic -4.25 in both eyes with no astigmatism... Even my eye glasses did not have any astigmatism correction in them. With contacts, I was corrected to a sharp 20/20 in both eyes with my B&L 04's with the above prescription.

My new/current prescription is as follows:
OD (SPH) pl, (CYL) -1.00, (AXIS) 165
OS plano spn

Does this information help? I really want to
know how and why I ended up with this distorted vision (astigmatism) caused by Lasik.

I would rather have been left a little nearsighted than to have this astigmatism
that affects my vision at all distances.

I hope you can shed some light on this for me. Thanks for your time.

Paula

I provided the above information in hopes that Dr. Trattler or any surgeon on this board could speculate on what could have gone wrong with my procedure. Thank you for your time.

Paula

Astigmatism can on occasion be induced with LASIK, although often it will resolve on its own. When astigmatism occurs and it remains, an enhancement can be performed to remove the astigmatism.
I wish one could know exactly how astigmatism developed. An Obvious cause would be flap wrinkles. However, subtle differences in laser power by the excimer laser during the procedure can leave one with post-op mild astigmatism.

I hope things work out well, and apologize for the delay in answering.

Bill Trattler, MD
Miami, FL