What happens if your eyes get too dry after LASIK?

LASIK causes some nerves in the cornea to be cut, which reduces corneal sensitivity to some degree. In response, you eye may not sense the need for lubrication, causing your body to produce fewer tears, leading to dry eye syndrome. Dry eyes after LASIK can cause both discomfort and less than optimal visual outcomes.

How long can dry eyes last after LASIK?

Post-LASIK dry eye usually lasts for at least 1 month. Tear function and dry eye symptoms improve to preoperative levels thereafter. However, a small number of patients still experience chronic dry eye symptoms more than 1 year after LASIK.

How do you get rid of dry eyes after LASIK?

The best eye drops for dry eyes after LASIK are preservative-free lubricating eye drops or artificial tears. These options can be used frequently and are safe to use.

Is LASIK bad for dry eyes?

Dry Eye and LASIK Dry eye is a common problem that can make you a bad candidate for LASIK. During LASIK, nerves in the cornea are severed. This typically leads to a slower tear response time. For many patients, the most common side effect after LASIK is having dry eyes.

How often should you use artificial tears after LASIK?

Use of Artificial Tears every ~2 hours or so during the day, for the first 10 – 12 weeks after LASIK; and thereafter as desired to maintain comfort; Use of lubricant gels at night, or liquid-gel drops during the day, as appropriate. Use of a small area humidifier when appropriate.

How long does dry eye last?

These symptoms generally last three to six months, but may last longer in some cases. Dry eye can result from chemical and thermal burns that scar the membrane lining the eyelids and covering the eye. Allergies can be associated with dry eye.

Can you have laser surgery if you have dry eye?

Some patients with dry eye should not have LASIK or LASEK laser surgery due to the risk of making their dry eye condition worse. If this is the case for you, a very good option is the Visian ICL implantable contact lens. This is a special type of lens implant that is placed behind the pupil inside the eye.

What are the symptoms of dry eye after LASIK?

Post-LASIK dry eye is the most common postoperative dry eye after ophthalmic surgeries. The clinical signs of post-LASIK dry eye include positive vital staining of the ocular surface, decreased tear breakup time and Schirmer test values, reduced corneal sensitivity, and decreased functional visual acuity.

Do you get dry eye after laser vision correction?

Recent research reports that up to 30 percent of laser vision correction patients report dry eye symptoms prior to surgery. This isn’t surprising because many contact lens wearers complain about uncomfortable dry eyes as a result of using contacts.

What happens if your vision changes after LASIK?

LASIK is a static procedure. In other words, if your eye prescription changes, the LASIK procedure does not adapt to this change. Luckily for most patients, prescription changes tend to be small past the age of 25. This article discusses a poorly addressed issue: What are the possible reasons for a patient’s vision changing after LASIK?

Why do I need reading glasses after LASIK?

This is the reason people over 40 need reading glasses, bifocals or trifocals to see up close. A workaround for this is a type of LASIK called Monovision LASIK, where one eye is corrected for distance and the other eye for near. Cataracts: This is the second guaranteed reason.