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Dry Eye Syndrome is one of the most common eye problems that eye physicians encounter. Nearly 20% of all Americans suffer from dry eye. Symptoms can include: tearing, redness, eye fatigue, itching, dryness, irritation and blurriness.
Dry eye is a common complaint amongst post LASIK patients. For most patients, dry eye is only temporary and will eventually dissipate about 3-6 months after the initial procedure. Dry eye is induced after LASIK due to tiny corneal nerves that have been compromised during the procedure. Over the next few months while the nerves are regenerating, dry eye may occur. These nerves signal the lacrimal gland to produce more tears. When this signal is weakened, dry eye due to a lack of tear film is experienced.
Lubrication is very important after LASIK. Even after the patient has stopped use of anti-inflammatory drops and antibiotics drops, it is important to keep the eye moist to aid in proper healing. Over the next few months it is recommended to use lubricating drops as often as needed.
For most, eye drops are enough, however if dry eye has been a problem in the past and your symptoms are exacerbated from the LASIK procedure, Dr. Benjamin may recommend punctal occlusion. This simple 5 minute office procedure is very helpful in relieving dry eye symptoms.
There are three different types of laser vision correction and each has a different post-operative relationship to dry eye.
| 1. | LASIK is a two step process. The first step involves creating the corneal flap. The second step is to reshape the cornea using a laser after which the flap is folded back into place. Before the advent of all-laser LASIK (Intralase), the corneal flap was created using a hand held blade called a microkeratome. Some doctors still use this technique however conventional bladed LASIK not only has the highest occurrence of flap complications, it also causes the highest incidence of post-operative dry eye.
| | 2. | With advancements in LASIK, the corneal flap can now be created using a laser. All-laser LASIK such as IntraLase, creates the corneal flap by using a femtosecond laser. This laser creates tiny gas bubbles which coalesce to create the corneal flap. This method, while more precise and less complicated also has the potential side effect of dry eye but less so than with conventional bladed LASIK.
| | 3. | PRK and epi-lasik, were the very first types of laser vision correction performed before bladed LASIK became commonplace and are quickly regaining popularity. With PRK a flap is not created, instead the epithelial cells of the eye are removed using an alcohol based solution. While PRK may seem a bit archaic next to the new all laser LASIK technique available, post-operatively PRK and epi-lasik induce the least amount of dry eye compared to the other two above mentioned options. |
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