Dry eyes after lasik surgery

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was written by Specialist Doctor II Nguyen Thai Hung - Ophthalmologist, Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital
Lasik surgery is one of the surgical methods used to correct refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. This method has many advantages such as fast, safe and highly effective. However, many people experience dry eyes after lasik surgery.

1. What is lasik surgery?

Normally, when our eyes see an object, the light from that object passes through the eye and then focuses on a point on the retina, where the signals will be transmitted to the brain, helping us to perceive the object. there. Light is able to focus on the retina thanks to the eye's refractive system consisting of the cornea and lens.
When you have refractive errors, then light passes through the eye but does not focus properly on the retina, so you have blurred vision or you may not even see objects. At this time, you need to use prescription glasses or surgical methods to correct the light from the object through the eye to focus properly on the retina.
LASIK stands for Laser Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis, which is a common type of surgery to correct vision in people with refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.
Lasik surgery is one of many vision correction surgery methods based on the principle of reshaping the cornea, which allows light to pass through and focus on the retina at the back of your eye.
Lasik surgery has the advantage that it is fast, safe and effective. However, there are still undesirable symptoms that appear after lasik surgery, including:
Dizziness when looking at lights Seeing halos around images Difficulty driving at night Fluctuating vision Dry eyes Eye scratches Light sensitivity Small bruises on the eyes These symptoms may appear in the first 1-2 days after lasik surgery and then disappear over time.

2. Does everyone have dry eyes after lasik surgery?

Your lasik surgery went well, your vision is much improved. But your eyes feel dry and itchy. You should not worry too much about this condition, because dry eyes are the most common complication of lasik surgery. Up to 95% of people who have surgery experience this symptom the day after surgery.
But actually lasik method is not usually a direct cause of dry eyes. Nearly half, even three-quarters of patients have dry eye symptoms before surgery.
Dry eye after lasik surgery will usually get better with time. But in some cases LASIK can lead to severe dry eye that becomes chronic. However, this condition is also rare.
Although persistent dry eye is rare, there is no way to predict whether you will experience dry eye after lasik surgery or how long it will last. But there are a number of factors that can cause dry eyes after lasik surgery:
You had dry eyes before lasik surgery. Gender: Women are more likely to have dry eyes than men. Race: Asians have a higher risk of developing dry eyes after lasik surgery. You have diabetes. You were nearsighted before LASIK treatment or had previous high-level vision correction.

3. Why does LASIK cause dry eyes?

To date, researchers have not fully understood why dry eyes occur after lasik surgery. Researchers have several theories about this condition, which are:
Lasik surgery may cause some corneal nerve damage. During surgery, your surgeon will reshape your cornea by removing some of the tissue underneath the cornea. During this procedure, your doctor cuts some nerves in your cornea. This doesn't affect your vision, but it can disrupt communication between your cornea and tear glands for a while. Then everything went back to normal quickly.
Another possible cause is inflammation caused by surgery. In addition, the new shape of the cornea could change the way your eyelids interact with the surface of your eye. This can affect blinking and can lead to dry eyes.

4. How long after lasik surgery will dry eyes and when to see a doctor?

After lasik eye surgery, most people say symptoms such as dry eyes are most noticeable in the first few months immediately following surgery. And most people say the condition will improve within 6-12 months.
Using artificial tears is standard treatment for dry eyes that may work better after lasik surgery. If your symptoms are mild, you can wait until your next follow-up visit to talk to your doctor about your symptoms.
But, if you feel that your eyes are in severe pain or vision loss or other symptoms you are experiencing get worse, you should immediately call the treating doctor, for advice on how to deal with it. timely.
Thus, dry eye is a common complication after lasik surgery to correct refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. This phenomenon usually appears in the first months after surgery, then will improve over time, rarely becoming chronic.
But LASIK surgery can lead to more dangerous complications such as permanent damage to your vision. It is for this reason that you should choose an experienced surgeon with a medical facility with the most modern equipment such as the Vinmec International General Hospital system.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

Article reference source: webmd.com