LASIK LASER EYE SURGERY

DRY EYE SYNDROME

DRY EYE - THE MOST COMMON COMPLICATION AFTER LASIK

Dry eye syndrome is not exclusive to people who have had refractive surgery, however, it has developed into the most common complication after laser vision correction, affecting what now appears to be the majority of all LASIK patients.

Dry eye symptoms after LASIK occur as a result of the corneal nerves being cut during LASIK. As a consequence, there is an expected decrease in sensory stimulation which results in decreased tear production. In most cases, dry eye symptoms progressively disappear within a few weeks to months as the severed corneal nerves heal. In a smaller amount of patients dry eye symptoms can be a persistant problem. Dry eye may have a significant affect on patient satisfaction, and sometimes clinical outcomes.

MOST COMMON COMPLAINTS OF DRY EYE SYMPTOMS

  • Redness, excess watering, burning, excess mucous

  • Sandy gritty feeling, and/or feeling of something foreign in the eye.

  • Blurry or fluctuating vision which improves by blinking and/or the instillation of artifical tears.

  • Intolerance to noxious fumes.

Some patients are more likely to experience severe dry eye symptoms than others. Pre-operative screening generally provides the information required by the physician and the patient to identify a high risk situation and make an informed decision. The pre and post operative treatments that are available usually enable the surgeon to minimize the affects of post-operative dry eye syndrome.

In order to better understand the symptoms and treatment for dry eye syndrome, we need to review how the body produces tears, and the actual composition and function of the tear film. We also need to examine the factors that contribute to dry eye syndrome.


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Dr. Murray McFadden
(BSc, MD, FRCS(C), Diplomate of the
American Board of Ophthalmology)
© Copyright 1996-2005 Murray McFadden MD, Inc.

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This page last updated on September 24, 2001.
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