LASIK surgery has helped countless patients improve their vision and reduce or eliminate the use of eyeglasses or contact lenses. However, Dry Eye is a common side effect of this popular procedure. Having a home treatment plan ready may minimize the impacts of LASIK-driven Dry Eye.
And, if you already suffer from dry eye disease (DED), let your LASIK provider know. Read on to evaluate the potential gains and risks of LASIK in causing or exacerbating Dry Eye.
What Is LASIK Surgery?
LASIK is a surgical procedure to help correct or improve eye/vision conditions. It can help with conditions like astigmatism, nearsightedness, and farsightedness. Eyes with properly functioning vision have a cornea that helps to refract (bends) light onto the retina. When that light is not refracted as it should be, your vision gets blurry. Glasses and contacts can restore proper vision, as can reshaping the cornea via LASIK surgery.
LASIK Surgery and Dry Eye
The people most likely to develop post-LASIK dry eye are those who have already experienced dry eye symptoms prior to surgery.
Other common contributing factors to post-LASIK dry eye include age and gender. People over 50 are at higher risk for dry eye. And females may have up to four times greater risk of experiencing dry eye after LASIK.
Dry eye after LASIK surgery can manifest for a few reasons. The procedure itself may damage cornea nerves temporarily. This can lead to decreased sensation in the eyes, which may then cause a lack of tear production and result in Dry Eye.
LASIK can also reduce the amount of mucins on the surface of the eyes. Mucins are important for eye lubrication and hydration.
Additionally, the shape of the eye may be altered during the surgery, and this can prevent the even distribution of tears.
Effective Home Treatments for Dry Eye
If you opt for LASIK surgery and then experience dry eye, or if you already have DED and are simply looking for relief, create and stick to a daily home treatment plan to keep symptoms under control. Your eye doctor can help you determine whether LASIK is right for you, as well as the best dry eye treatment options for you. There are effective remedies that can be administered from home, at work, on vacation, and virtually any other place you need to be.
EyeGiene® offers one of the best Dry Eye masks to combat dry eye disease caused by Meibomian Gland dysfunction, the leading cause of Dry Eye. EyeGiene warm eye compresses use warming wafers that achieve the ideal temperature for relieving Dry Eye symptoms. They are self-activating, so no need to have a microwave handy. Indeed, many EyeGiene users keep their mask and a set of warming wafers in their purse or briefcase to use whenever they need a 10-15 minute break!
We also offer nutritional supplements to support life-long eye health.
Call us at 1-888-882-1978 with any questions you have. Or feel free to use our easy online contact form. You are also welcome to email us at: info@eyegiene.com
