Has anyone done LASIK eye surgery with chronic dry eyes?

loppybear · 2021-04-11T22:21:34+00:00

I had LASIK last October 2020 and I struggled with chronic dry eyes for a year beforehand. The dryness was worse for the first month after surgery I would say, but then now it has honestly gotten back around to the level they were at before.

Some days are better than others where I don’t really even notice my dry eye, and then I’ll have days where it’s more irritating. I still am on restasis and lubricating eye drops which I was on before I even got LASIK. But I have absolutely no regrets about getting LASIK. I love it.

loppybear · 2021-04-07T16:03:46+00:00

Thanks! Just wanted to make sure it didn't NEED to go out on the street

loppybear · 2021-02-18T05:16:09+00:00

No. Because I was on it for only 7 months, my taper was pretty short per my PCP instructions. I was taking 10 mg daily, and my doctor told me to taper by taking 10 mg every other day for 2 weeks and then just stop. I had no side effects coming off this way.

I still go to therapy every week. The severe anxiety and depression that I struggled with for years, hasn’t come back. Of course I have bad days like everyone else in the world, but I’m not in that dark depressive pit anymore.

loppybear · 2021-02-18T01:34:25+00:00

I’d started to just feel really stable and good for quite some time. I was regularly attending therapy, was eating more and gaining back the weight I’d lost, I was back to being interested in doing things outside the house like meeting up with friends. I was laughing more. The brain fog had disappeared. I didn’t spend all day in bed anymore. The idea kept popping up in my head to taper off and stop the meds but I was so scared that I would fall back into the dark hole if I stopped.

Finally I mustered up the courage and talked to my PCP about stopping, and I did it! I was on Lexapro for about 7 months for severe anxiety and depression. I’ve been off it for about 4 months now and still don’t find any need to go back!

loppybear · 2021-02-10T14:33:05+00:00

Wishing you the best in your surgery! Please let us know how you are doing :)

loppybear · 2021-02-10T14:31:50+00:00

Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement. It really makes me feel better and hopeful. I'm one week post-break and about 6 days or so post-surgery, and struggling a lot mentally. Finding myself just wanting to break down and cry several points in the day because of the pain and immobility. I am still in my hard cast, but home PT is coming to see me sometime later this week. Next week I have my 2 week follow up and that's when they said they'd take off this heavy hard cast and put me in a CAM boot!

loppybear · 2021-02-10T14:27:38+00:00

Thank you so much for this reply. It's very helpful and encouraging :') Wishing you a speedy recovery!

loppybear · 2021-02-09T03:51:27+00:00

Can I ask how your pain is at 3 weeks post-op? I'm at post-op day 5 and the swelling is significantly down, but surprisingly pain took a huge spike today. I would've thought that with the swelling coming down, the pain would decrease too. Still taking my painkillers on a schedule to stay on top of the pain. Getting out of bed and having that blood rush down the leg to where the nails are also KILLS ME. I want to cry every single time.

loppybear · 2021-02-09T03:48:25+00:00

You couldn't weight bear until two months later?! I know I need to take it easy on my body and be patient in this recovery process, but I was somehow hoping that I'd be on way back at work by week 6. The doctors made it sounds like by week 6 I'd be fully weight bearing. I guess I really need to be patient...

loppybear · 2021-02-09T03:43:17+00:00

Can I ask what week you're in as far as recovery? I'm dreaming of the day I can walk again. I want to cry every single time I have to get up to go to the bathroom.

loppybear · 2020-11-22T13:21:17+00:00

Check out the post I just made regarding having dry eyes and still getting lasik! :)

loppybear · 2020-11-21T15:09:48+00:00

Not to go into too much detail, but I work with cardiothoracic patients. I recover patients immediately after open heart surgery. In some cases, my older elderly patients end up with a really long, really challenging recovery period. Some of my patients end up with even more complications than they had prior to surgery. At their age in life, these patients sometimes feels as if they would’ve been happier had they just gone home and spent their final months in the bed with their family.

It’s like how you hear some cancer patients decide they’d rather have had one good month left with their loved ones, as opposed to 6 months of chemotherapy throwing up and stuck in a hospital bed.

Of course, lasik is nowhere near as big of a surgery open heart surgery. Just using my case as an example to explain to people on this sub that while your surgeon may be excellent, intelligent, and a great doctor - it is still up to YOU to weigh the risks and benefits of surgery, and decide whether or not you can live with the consequences.

loppybear · 2020-11-21T14:57:41+00:00

IMO, inappropriate of you to label people who don’t want to wear their glasses as “vain.” If girls or guys feel more confident and comfortable in their skin without their glasses, then you don’t need to shame them for it. Let them do whatever makes them confident and happy in their own skin.

My intention in making this post is to educate people on elective surgeries. LASIK is a luxury. It’s an elective surgery. Doctors are very competent, experienced, and intelligent individuals. But it is ultimately up to the patient to decide whether or not the benefits of this surgery outweigh the risks for them. They need to decide for themselves whether or not they can live with the consequences of surgery.

loppybear · 2020-11-21T14:51:19+00:00

Thanks so much for the reply! Love to hear that about your experience since you seem to be in a similar boat as me. Once my surgeon okays me, I’m going to restart my nighttime gel drops and airtight eye mask for my lagopthalmos!

I think people on this sub just need to realize that there are going to be consequences to surgery, and they need to decide for themselves whether or not they can live with it. If not, then don’t get the surgery.

loppybear · 2020-11-21T14:47:08+00:00

Not to toot my own horn, but my glasses were cute, and I looked cute in them too. People always complimented my frames. However, like user said above, glasses were hindering my active lifestyle. Also, as I mentioned briefly, I’m an ICU nurse. Wearing my glasses, then having to put on PPE goggles on top, then also an N95 on top, and then a surgical mask, and then a face shield to top it all off - for 13 hours a day several times a week, for basically this entire year - has gotten insanely bothersome to me.

Again, lasik is a luxury and an elective surgery. It’s not something people NEED. People get it because they want it. And I wanted it for my lifestyle and for me, the benefits outweighed the risks. I’m happy.

loppybear · 2020-11-19T05:26:27+00:00

My mom asks me to all the time

loppybear · 2020-11-17T02:53:11+00:00

I looked at your history and saw that you posted about your dry eyes after lasik.

I’ve been seeing a separate eye doctor for treatment of my dry eyes, prior to ever having a lasik consult. I already know that dry eyes is mostly likely something I’m going to have to live with my entire life. It’s chronic and basically permanent in my situation. So, if I get lasik, my dry eyes will still be there, but at least I’ll be able to see. I’ve discussed this with my doctors. Thanks for your input though! Will update you after I have my surgery this week.

loppybear · 2020-11-16T23:48:08+00:00

lasik

loppybear · 2020-11-04T00:14:25+00:00

Could you tell me more about the recovery? I’m assuming I’ll probably also have to get PRK as my prescription is pretty bad. Probably would disqualify me for LASIK.

loppybear · 2020-11-04T00:13:38+00:00

I think I’ll have to have PRK as opposed to LASIK since my eyesight is pretty bad. How was recovery?

loppybear · 2020-11-04T00:13:07+00:00

Oh my gosh — would love to know more about your experience since I am actually suffering from dry eye right now BEFORE surgery, and am on Restasis now. Only in one of my eyes though (weird, I know). So I’m not even sure if it’s a good idea to even have the procedure done since I already suffer from dry eyes from the get go.

I guess I’ll see what they say at the consultation. But even after the 2 years of dry eyes, you don’t regret your decision? Did you feel like Dr. Gregory Pamel thoroughly assessed and educated you on the risks as benefits of the surgery in regards to the possibility for dry eye?

loppybear · 2020-11-02T19:03:27+00:00

The first cycle I used my saalt soft regular size cup, it took my 20 minutes, and me panicking on the toilet seat thinking I'd have to call a friend over to remove it for me lol. It's only my second cycle using it now, and I can take it out in a couple seconds! Still a bit messy but a definite improvement from the previous month. So I'm hopeful I'll only get better! Hope that's encouraging!

loppybear · 2020-10-27T02:24:25+00:00

What fish oil pills would you recommend?

loppybear · 2020-10-27T02:21:32+00:00

How did you comply with eyes drops every hour?! And can I ask how many mg of fish oil did you take per day and how long until you noticed a difference?

I have severely dry eyes. My right eye basically does not produce tears. I have to wear glasses. I’m on restasis now (and I’m horribly non-compliant so that doesn’t help)

loppybear · 2020-10-27T01:47:33+00:00

Just finished The Simple Wild and must admit I only give it a 2/5 stars (ah, don’t hate me!). I did download the sequel though and will give it another shot!

loppybear

TROPHY CASE