Question 1

why are people with dry eyes not good candidates for lasik surgery?

Accepted Answer

Make it worse: Many pts have dry eyes after lasik, possibly due to cutting of the corneal nerves when making a flap.  If you have dry eyes already, then it could become more severe.  Dry eyes don't sound so bad, but if its severe, it could be debilitating.

Question 2

would i be a poor candidate for lasik surgery if i take medications that cause dry eyes?

Accepted Answer

Possibly: That is one thing that they were very concerned of in me. That is one of the tests they will run when seeing if you qualify for lasik. Evaluations are usually free so you should just go ahead and do it.

Question 3

how long do dry eyes last after lasik surgery?

Accepted Answer

May be months: Research has shown that it may take 6-9 months for nerves to reconnect, with any lasik flap. Prk or epilasik do not cut through these nerves. Dry eye lasts until those nerves reconnect. This is why patients with pre-existing dry eye are not great candidates for lasik.

Question 4

is there an alternative vision correcting surgery for dry eyes? i heard lasik makes normal eyes dry after and i don't want my eyes to get dryer.

Accepted Answer

LASIK no for dry eye: All refractive surgery will worsen dry eye. If you really want to correct your vision surgically then you will have to treat your dry eye first and after the surgery. There is no alternative. There are good medications and lifestyle changes you can make to improve dry eye.

Question 5

had lasik surgery 4 yrs ago, have chronic dry eyes still. tried punctual eye plugs/restatis over counter eyedrops didn't work. anything else i can try?

Accepted Answer

Other tears: Aquify comfort drops seem to work in some resistant cases. Alcon has a new gel, systane overnite. Try these two first.

Question 6

can i get lasik eye surgery if i have dry eyes? i'm only planning on doing one eye since the other had a hzo(shingles) outbreak a year ago.

Accepted Answer

Yes and no: If the parameters can be met by the LASIK device capacity, you can have the surgery.  But if you have dry eyes, there is a high risk of needing treatment sometimes for many years for an increased level of eye dryness.

Question 7

i have mild dry eyes. i have -6 sph and -1 cyl number in both eyes. which vision correction surery would you  recommend ? lasik, icl, or relex smile ?

Accepted Answer

Dry eye: What does the abbreviations icl stand for? What is "relex smile"? Has your ocular wetness been measured?

Question 8

why are people with very dry eyes not suitable candidates for lasik?

Accepted Answer

LASIK causes dryness: Research has shown that it may take 6-9 months for nerves to reconnect, with any lasik flap. Prk or epilasik do not cut through these nerves. Dry eye lasts until those nerves reconnect. This is why patients with pre-existing dry eye are not great candidates for lasik.

Question 9

i had lasik in jan 2012. i had bad dry eyes for awhile but felt pretty good after 5months. it's a year later and my eyes are really dry what happened?

Accepted Answer

You got older: Dry eye increases in frequency as people age.   There are very good treatments for dry eye syndrome.  See your ophthalmologist.

Question 10

if i've had lasik, am i still a candidate for blepharoplasty? i had lasik a few years ago, which left me with chronically dry eyes. am i still able to have blepharoplasty?

Accepted Answer

If : If done properly, a blepharoplasty rarely increases dry eye.  You should discuss this with your oculoplastic surgeon (www.Asoprs.Org) and consider punctal plugs.

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Doctor answers about:

Why are people with dry eyes not good candidates for lasik surgery

A member asked:

Why are people with dry eyes not good candidates for lasik surgery?

A member asked:

Would i be a poor candidate for lasik surgery if i take medications that cause dry eyes?

A member asked:

How long do dry eyes last after lasik surgery?

A member asked:

Is there an alternative vision correcting surgery for dry eyes? i heard lasik makes normal eyes dry after and i don't want my eyes to get dryer.

A member asked:

Had lasik surgery 4 yrs ago, have chronic dry eyes still. tried punctual eye plugs/restatis over counter eyedrops didn't work. anything else i can try?

A member asked:

Can i get lasik eye surgery if i have dry eyes? i'm only planning on doing one eye since the other had a hzo(shingles) outbreak a year ago.

A member asked:

I have mild dry eyes. i have -6 sph and -1 cyl number in both eyes. which vision correction surery would you recommend ? lasik, icl, or relex smile ?

A member asked:

Why are people with very dry eyes not suitable candidates for lasik?

A member asked:

I had lasik in jan 2012. i had bad dry eyes for awhile but felt pretty good after 5months. it's a year later and my eyes are really dry what happened?

A member asked:

If i've had lasik, am i still a candidate for blepharoplasty? i had lasik a few years ago, which left me with chronically dry eyes. am i still able to have blepharoplasty?

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