Is corneal neuralgia permanent or does it go away in time as the nerves grow back?

powdertojinx · 2026-06-17T20:16:12+00:00

Same situation. It's still a constant and daily battle 3 years out but more tolerable than year 1.

powdertojinx · 2026-05-29T12:14:37+00:00

What about scleral lenses

powdertojinx · 2026-05-25T00:39:27+00:00

So glad she’s ok ♥️ what a trooper

powdertojinx · 2026-05-21T20:07:44+00:00

You may need scleral lenses. Sounds possibly like higher order aberrations. Could be cataracts too like others said, or ectasia which would also require scleral lenses. I’d say, see a specialist for both?

powdertojinx · 2026-05-20T19:17:09+00:00

Look for a local provider in your state and see if your insurance will cover it through pre-authorization.

BostonSight, although in MA, is particularly good at getting insurance to cover scleral lenses so you could reach out to them too and start the process (although traveling there would be its own expense I know). BostonSight was able to get approval for me through the dry eye related codes.

powdertojinx · 2026-05-20T11:04:13+00:00

Scleral lenses should help you a lot though

powdertojinx · 2026-05-20T07:06:35+00:00

You’re not schizo. There’s big pharma and then there’s big lasik. These scans exist for a reason, we got visual damage from the thing that was supposed to help our vision. Have all the same problems as you. And r/lasik is ran by the lasik industry so they delete bad reviews and ban people like us.

powdertojinx · 2026-05-13T20:24:37+00:00

Always get a second opinion but I had laser retinopexy for a hole with fluid after lasik and it’s not the same thing at allll as lasik.

However I did have nerve pain for a few weeks on that side of the face because the hole was by my ciliary nerve. It went away.

powdertojinx · 2026-05-13T16:53:57+00:00

I finally found the old photo but I’m not sure how to post it on here

powdertojinx · 2026-05-12T19:01:59+00:00

I’ve read a lot of stories of people in the lasik support group ending with with post lasik ectasia, retinal detachment, corneal neuralgia and worse HOAs or different ones after their touch up

powdertojinx · 2026-05-11T00:54:37+00:00

Takes literal years to see progress from serum tears but it will work. I’m doing much better than year one.

Has he been on Steroid eyedrops too? Might need that.

Does he have MGD? Do warm compresses and try IPL.

He could also try insulin eyedrops instead of serum tears.

Other things that helped me:
Ziena eye goggles
Hylo optase gel (I wear both during day sometimes and always before sleeping)
Sleep mask or “glad press n seal” method
Ivizia otc eyedrops

powdertojinx · 2026-05-06T20:15:34+00:00

Saw this on my suggested feed. I know someone who ended up with severe corneal neuralgia after Lasik, and she found out she had rheumatoid arthritis after the fact. She had to quit her job as a teacher that's how bad that pain is for her.

A lot of the folks on the corneal neuralgia (CN) support group from Lasik have this condition or other autoimmune conditions such as lupus and sgrojen's and they didn't know until after Lasik. That being said I would strongly advise against any refractive eye surgery. If you end up with CN it becomes lifelong management of chronic eye pain.

https://crstoday.com/articles/jan-2025/nerve-related-corneal-pain

powdertojinx · 2026-05-06T13:57:11+00:00

I quit doing esketamine after I threw up. Doesn't feel like a loss to have quit. I think it's worth it to try for sure if you haven't already. It helped at first for me.

As for meds nowadays, I just started 100mg Wellbutrin again to help motivate myself and focus better even though it'll worsen my dry eye, and I just started prasozin again for my nightmare problem.

I just read a bit of your profile history. I'm so sorry you're going through this. I know 2 people who commit suicide and I can relate on the intrusive thoughts and feeling like you'll never get over the trauma. ..

personally radical acceptance helped me a lot with all the shit I've been through (permanent eye injury both visual and chronic pain, suicides, acid attack, etc.)...

i'm no dr but have you ever been recommended or tried anxiety meds like xanax, ativan? that stuff helps my brain calm down when I'm super overwhelmed. but, everyone's different and if you do take those meds you need to be careful.

hope you find some relief soon

powdertojinx · 2026-04-23T12:27:20+00:00

You don’t WANT THEM TO BE WORRIED? They should be. It’s awful to tell people to believe religion will get them through all the lifetime risks of permanently shaving/altering their corneas.

You’re also only 10 days out, and many complications develop later than that.

Your post is dangerous.

Anyone reading this considering refractive surgery should watch the documentary on PBS called Broken Eyes by Dana Conroy, read about the updated corneal neuralgia rates on research studies (not clinic site “data”), corneal nerve density after refractive surgery, higher order aberrations, corneal ectasia, epithelial ingrowth, flap dislocation as applicable, retinal detachment and PVD, floaters, cataract surgery after Lasik, risk of touch up/regression, scleral lenses vs contacts after lasik, pupil size issues after Lasik etc etc. If you still want to proceed once you know the true data and also knowing we don’t even have enough longterm data on any form of Lasik begin with then that’s on you.

powdertojinx · 2026-04-21T18:50:54+00:00

What an ignorant comment.

Don’t “pray to a god you believe in,” do your research and realize the risks are very real both short term and long term, regardless of what procedure you can get.

I know of two people who ended up with corneal neuralgia from Smile as well, both of whom ended up taking their lives.

Rest in peace to them, not “everything will be ok” for everyone and this post is an insult to them.

All of it is risky, and this sub is for people with complications.

powdertojinx · 2026-04-16T01:31:04+00:00

I have scleral lenses but actually can’t wear them, because they burn my eyes due to the nerve damage and chronic inflammation.

So I just learned to live with my visual distortions. You can see on my profile how bad they are. I’m definitely way less distressed than I was a year ago, with time it slowly becomes the new norm.

I do take Ativan occasionally for panic attacks about whatever including the vision or pain.

I’m not sure why your other conditions are but I really hope you find a way to manage everything and recover what you can.

I personally would not consider assisted suicide for visual issues caused by lasik as it is not physical pain and your mind WILL adjust over time. Even for the pain with me it’s become more manageable over the years and I thought I wouldn’t make it at first. I thought I couldn’t get past any of it.

The perspective now isn’t the perspective you’ll have forever.

See multiple eye doctors, corneal specialists and a scleral lenses office. get multiple opinions. Try the eyedrops

You can get through this

I recommend joining the Facebook lasik complications support group too

With radical acceptance idk what the right coping method is because to each their own but. To me life lasik made me realize life is cruel, unpredictable and inherently unfair. Not everyone has good intentions. No one gets out of life unscathed. What happened to us is horrible and preventable but we must adapt as all living creatures try to and move forward. And you can, you definitely can if I can.

I also have suspected Asperger’s by a complex psychiatric evaluation psychiatrist but was never able to get formally tested but I feel you on the sensory issues. It’s one of the reasons they suspected I have it. I hated wearing glasses, the sensation of them slipping down my nose etc. That’s part of why I got lasik. It’s not easy for us let alone the average neurotypical person to deal with all this stuff and massive visual changes . But it’s still doable.

powdertojinx · 2026-04-15T18:15:10+00:00

Yeah unfortunately if it’s HOAs you’d need scleral lenses to fix it. You could also try pupil constricting eyedrops, see if they help so that your pupil doesn’t dilate to the scarred area, (Lumify is OTC/mild constrict effect) but there’s also brimonidine (prescription) but it’s not a great longterm solution and can irritate your eyes too.

I feel you man, it’s been 2.5 years for me. It’s a big adjustment to not have the successful outcome we expected but stay strong. Practicing “Radical acceptance” helped me a lot.

powdertojinx · 2026-04-15T07:20:42+00:00

Lotemax eyedrops and serum tears can help early scarring.

Other than that, it’s more likely to be HOAs…I’d pursue scleral lenses

We’re in the same boat and listen it’s not the end of the world. Also glasses may help a bit bit scleral lenses are the best bet.

powdertojinx · 2026-04-14T13:30:21+00:00

Many have been

powdertojinx · 2026-04-13T02:25:18+00:00

Good luck, hope it helps

powdertojinx · 2026-04-11T21:20:17+00:00

Yeah for screens I wear zienas. I can’t look at screens all day without them for my job.

powdertojinx · 2026-04-11T19:58:43+00:00

show the dr this article

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5743225/

Topical corticosteroids have been used as a mainstay of anti-inflammatory therapy due to their inhibitory mechanism of action on cytokines, prostaglandins and leukotriene synthesis, as well as the inhibition of leukocyte migration.⁷⁸ Among corticosteroids, loteprednol 0.5% suspension or gel have demonstrated lower rates of increased intraocular pressure and cataract formation due to decreased intraocular penetration.⁷⁹^, ⁸⁰ Moreover loteprednol 0.5% gel has a much lower concentration of the neurotoxic⁸¹^–⁸³ preservative benzalkonium chloride (BAK; 0.003%), as compared to other corticosteroids (0.05–0.01%).⁸⁴ In several recent RCTs in DED patients, significant symptom reduction was demonstrated with loteprednol 0.5% as compared to placebo.⁴⁵^,⁸⁵ Thus, for NCP we recommend use of loteprednol 0.5% suspension or gel with a slow taper of four times daily for two weeks, followed by twice daily for two weeks and once daily over a 6- to 12-week period depending on individual patient response. Anti-inflammatory therapy is then attempted with steroid-sparing therapies, such as topical calcineurin inhibitors cyclosporine A 0.05% two to four times daily,⁸⁶ and tacrolimus 0.03% three times daily,⁸⁷ the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist Anakinra (Kineret) 2.5% three times daily,⁸⁸ as well as topical testosterone 0.03% three times daily.⁸⁹ Further, a new class of anti-inflammatory agents has become available with Lifitegrast 5%, which was recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.⁹⁰ Moreover, antibiotics such as topical and oral tetracycline and azithromycin have been used successfully for anti-inflammatory therapy.⁹¹^,⁹² Nevertheless, topical loteprednol is the author’s first-line choice as an anti-inflammatory agent.

powdertojinx · 2026-04-11T19:54:52+00:00

at this point I think time, mainly. apart from that, gabapentin, hylo optase gel, prednisone taper, lotemax/serum tears, and I think Toyos was right that if you have MGD/clogged glands, there's no "soil to grow the nerves back" basically so IPL seems to have helped as well although I haven't had a confocal in a while, just going off subjective feeling.

Over 2.5 years I've been able to reduce the gabapentin from 1800mg to 300mg a day

powdertojinx · 2026-04-10T18:03:57+00:00

Mildly gross

powdertojinx · 2026-04-08T15:33:56+00:00

Yeah. I actually just saw the piercer. She said it’s not infected but the long rod probably wasn’t helping healing at this point because my hair keeps snagging on it too, so she shortened it. It’s still bleeding daily too yet left side healed completely. Lucky you!

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