Lasik Gone Wrong

Today a story in the New York Times addresses the few for whom Lasik eye surgery doesn't work. Here's one woman's story:

That's the only way I can explain why I willingly let a doctor cut my corneas with a laser: vanity.

Little did I know when I chose Lasik surgery that I would not end up satisfied like the friends and acquaintances who raved about their post-glasses existence. Instead, my days are complicated, since I am dealing with side effects that are far more bothersome than being unfashionably four-eyed.

....On April 13, 2007, I had the surgery. Dr. Belmont's colleague examined me the next day. My vision was a little blurry, but apparently that was normal. Dr. Belmont said that everything looked good on subsequent visits, too. But the blurriness never went away.

At night, I saw halos around streetlights; neon signs bled; the moon had two rings around it like Saturn. My eyes felt sore, a result of dry eye, which also causes sporadic blurriness.

Dr. Belmont told me that sometimes women of a certain age who are undergoing hormonal changes or who take certain medications get dry eye. It would have been nice if I'd known my advanced age (39) might be problematic before I sat in the chair.

But, honestly, why go through the trouble or spend the dough? As we declared just this very week, Glasses Are The New Gorgeous!

Comments

[stevesrant]

Why is this post still here? It doesn't even have the decency to summarize the article from which this introduction was taken: it's just an excuse to link to a fluff piece that's long gone.

[Phaedrusnyc]

ANY form of elective surgery- whether it is for cosmetic purposes or simply to relieve non-life-threatening conditions like joint problems, back pain, etc- is about a balance between risk and reward. Anybody who opts of rnay for of surgery in this day and age without realizing that there are always risks when a part of one's body is cut open should not be give a driver's license, let alone insurance. People opt for LASIK for a variety of reasons as stated above- vanity, severe nearsightedness, freedom of mobility, a reduction in the costs associated with new eyeglasses and/or contacts every year, etc. It is up to them to decide whether the possible rewards are greater than then possible risks. If you get "bad" surgery (in other words, the doctor performed incompetently) than by all means sue for malpractice. But if the issue is simply that you had false expectations, you're just going to have to deal with the consequences.

[dawlishgal]

I wore glasses for 30-plus years for myopia, but as I have aged, that has self-corrected. Problem is now I can't read without reading glasses, and I don't like taking those off and putting them back on....especially when shopping...I would almost rather carry a magnifying glass! It also makes it impossible to multitask by reading and watching tv at the same time. . I HATE bifocals, but mostly because they have a line that causes visual "jumping" problems when stepping over a curb or going down stairs. I have tried the noline bifocals, but those seem even worse.

Nevertheless, these are problems I am willing to live with rather than even take a 1% chance of risking my vision

[BlueBoomer]

I am a professional optician.
This is what happens to virtually everyone, regardless of whether or not they ever needed glasses before:

First, keep in mind that regular near-sightedness and non-age-related far-sightedness are, to put it in over-simplified terms, based in PHYSICS.

At around the age of 40, the tendons/ligaments that control near focus begin to lose their flexibility... It's called presbyopia, and is based in BIOLOGY. Some of us don't even notice, but just automatically start to hold smaller print a little further away... By the age of 44, however for most of us our arms are no longer long enough, and we need corrective lenses of some kind.... The amount of near correction we need continues to increase for approximately 10 years (co-incidently paralleling the menopause years for women.)

For those who never wore glasses, pre-made readers/cheaters are probably sufficient at least until the requirement for magnification is almost constant...at that time (normally when the near correction is about +1.50 or +1.75), a multifocal lens(preferably a progressive, which eliminates the image-jump referenced above) is suggested..

For those who started out near-sighted (myopic), it means that to see near, they need their prescription backed off a little, but more and more each year... Depending on what their original near-sighted prescription was, it could back off just a portion of it (requiring the use of a multi-focal lens, again preferably a progressive lens, which eliminates that image jump referred to above)... Or it could back off the entire near-sighted Rx (meaning that they could just take their glasses off to read, the hazard of this being that if there is an astigmatism -- the fine--tuning factor -- it will go uncorrected AND you run the risk of leaving behind/losing their distance when they take them off).. Or it could eventually more than off-set what might have been a moderate near-sighted prescription (again requiring a multi-focal lens.)

Also, it should be noted that anyone having Lasix before the age of 40 will experience the same near-vision biological issues as someone who never wore glasses,

For this reason, except for those who are a danger to themselves or others without their glasses, we generally do not recommend Lasix between the ages of 40 and 55, since their eyes are in a continuum of biological change, During these years, unless they have just the near-sighted correction done and plan to use either readers or multifocals, they would have to have mono-vision ( one eye for distance and one eye for near, which can result in depth-perception issues) and would require multiple procedures over time to tweek the "near" eye.

And for women, because these are also the menopause years, (which often include "moisture issues"), contact lenses are generally NOT the primary vision correction recommendation, except for sports and special events use.

And a final word: As counter-intuitive as it may seem, in general the best selection of quality LENSES and the best customer service (important when dealing with progressive multi-focal lenses and critical for first-timers) can generally be found at smaller, independent optical shops vs.the larger franchises and chains which are dictated to by corporate administrators.

If you live in the greater Washington DC area, including the quad-state area (MD,PA,VA,WV), you can visit our (unfortunately out-of-date due to a vanished web-master) website at www.visionaryeyes.com Or you can e-mail us at comcast.netomcast.net

[doneflyin]

I have always wished I could have this surgery but because of my glaucoma, it couldn't be done.
Now I don't feel like I missed anything.

[dadw5boys]

Friend of my had it done and got 5 months of perfect vision the went totally blind.

Doctor says he does not know what happened.

[RealityBaseCamp]

Has everybody noticed that following an article about bad complications from Lasik, somebody's state-of-the-art advertising-placement software put ads for Lasik surgeons?

[Counterglow]

Those who believe vanity is the only reason for this procedure aren't quite right. If you play sports at any reasonable level, the alternatives can suck. Glasses break and cost you peripheral vision, and I can tell you from personal experience that in a good hockey game, it's far from uncommon to hit or be hit hard enough to pop out a contact.

[laminator]

I'm an eye surgeon. I don't do LASIK, but I've seen hundreds of patients who've had it done.
Please believe me when I tell you that this is about more than vanity. Many patients who are extremely nearsighted are forced to adapt to suboptimal vision through glasses. For instance, did you know that glasses for high nearsightedness act as an inverse telescope and shrink everything 10 to 25%? Can you imagine what that's like?
Can you imagine being 21, at a pool party with friends, and you can't get out of the pool because you can't see past two inches in front of you to find your glasses?
There are HUGE functional improvements associated with the optical corrections patients receive from LASIK, improvements most of us can't fathom because of our vastly superior eyesight. High nearsightedness is a measurable handicap, and LASIK has helped millions of people lead more fulfilling lives.
Problems akin to those listed in this article are uncommon. I know from my practice that for every Kathy Griffin, there are 99 ecstatically happy LASIK patients. That is the nature of interventional medicine. Any LASIK surgeon worth her salt will make sure the patient is warned pre-operatively.
During my training, I was more in harmony with the author of this article, but since I've met so many delighted LASIK patients, I see the risk balanced against the benefits.
Keep an open mind and inform yourself fully before deciding about LASIK.

[neem]

I thought a physician is supposed to "do no harm". I guess I'm old-fashioned.

[GingerB]

What a foolish comment. The surgeon described how LASIK has made a world of difference for millions of people with severe vision problems and cautioned to fully inform yourself before deciding if LASIK is right for you.

The "do no harm" part of the Hippocratic Oath is a doctor's pledge to do his best for his patient. Even with the best laid plans of mice and men, shit happens. There are risks associated with every surgical intervention, and it's the patient's duty to fully understand those risks.

The subject of the article had the surgery for vanity. She said, "Nearly a year later, my problems remain. Still, I’m not mad at my doctor. I’m mad at myself. No one forced me to do it. In our quick-fix culture, we forget that there are risks with any surgery, elective or not."

I think you owe laminator an apology.

[heavysole]

I have worn glasses a long time, never contacts. I've always looked at Lasik as a very risky type of surgery which is why I've never opted to have it. I Iike wearing glasses and picking out whatever style suits me. The "four eyes" stigma that used to be placed on kids when I was young no longer really exists because so many wear glasses and let's face it, eyewear has come a long way.

[mother]

Lasik surgery is not the only kind of eye surgery that may have negative post-operative effects. I had cataract surgery in 2006 and since then I have had 5 episodes of inflammations (iritis, uveitis and conjunctivitis), a herpes virus infection in the eye and severe dry eyes requiring the use of punctal plugs. Now my eyes secret mucus which has to cleared out with eye wash and q-tips several times a day. I miss my glasses!!!

[Thatcher]

My mother, at age 58 in 2002 with vision that I think was 20/800, had LASIK done. Only in the past year has she needed reading glasses. Her surgery brought her down to 20/30. She had lived for 50 years with glasses and contacts. She has commented few times of halos around street lights at night, but nothing for her to fret about.

Following her success, I had LASIK done in Jan 2004. My eyesight was around 20/400. Complete success. 20/20. I was a very very bad contact wearer (sleeping in mine, not putting new ones in when I should, not keeping them clean enough, etc). I did have blood vessels that had started to creep into my cornea. All I had to do was stop wearing contacts for a couple of months and the vessels retreated and I was able to have the surgery. I was 35 when I had it done and four years later - I am still very pleased. No complications, no halos, no dry eye ... nothing. My eye sight is still 20/02.

I did the math. My LASIK was much cheaper than what you can get in NY. Since I was 35 when I had it done and the average life expectancy for me was 40 more years ... after figuring in annual eye exams, glasses, contacts, cleaning solutions and the inconvenience of glasses and contacts - it was more affordable for me over those 40 years to have LASIK surgery now. I've known over 2 dozen people who have had it done - and not one has told me of any lasting complaints - in fact we have all commented how happy we are.

I didn't get LASIK because I didn't like how I looked in glasses ... I got LASIK because I knew my not having to deal with contacts (and paying for all the costs with eyewear) was worth more to me and my eyes than not getting LASIK done.

[Eric8869]

What does this article say??? I can't read it - I've had lasik. (just kidding)

Read Kathy Griffin's website for her horror story on her bad lasik procedure. It scared me from getting it done.

[Mutineer]

I know several people who had problems with the surgery. I'll stick to contacts, thank you very much. Once you cut your eye there's no going back.

[AnotherunhappyDemocrat]

Given that my near-sightedness is easily corrected by glasses, and that most glasses these days are reasonably comfortable (again, my eyes are not that bad), there is just no way I am having my eyes zapped by a laser. Of course, I wish today's more comfortable glasses frames were as durable as the industrial strength specs of the 1980s; I guess we can't have everything. I hope the author does recover.

[msfiskvletterman]

3/14/08
10:06pm
Alexandria, VA

I have never needed glasses or contacts until now--I need reading glasses for reading small print.
Somebody suggested I have the surgery but I think that is a ridiculous risk to take--reading glasses are cool.

[BlueBoomer]

Surgery is totally inappropriate for your situation... See my detailed comment for more info....We don't have a big selection of pre-made readers, but we specialize in Rx frames that you won't find anywhere else, AND we only sell one-of-a-kind of any frame/color combination.