Odd Lights and Floaters

[phantasy]

I am almost 3 months post-ops and things have been odd.

I'm 24 and I had a prescription of -2 and -2.25. Not bad really.

At first, it seemed every week or so something new happened to my eyesight. When I first got Lasik, I used to get headaches, had trouble focusing my vision and random blurriness. That is all gone now lucky but it took a couple months.

I still have halos and starbursts on lights at night. I was wonder if there was a way to tell how much is what I'm supposed to see and how much is not. Some lights appear to be getting better while others are not. I don't know how much is in my mind of it getting better.

Now I am noticing new stuff and its troubling me.

Two weeks ago the floaters and flashers came along. At first floaters did not bother me much but I feel I am noticing more of them now. Like ten in each eye with 3 rather dark ones. The flashers come or appear visible mostly at night and really bother me. Lots of pinpoint white and bluish lights occurring randomly and alone. I never noticed these before ever.

Another strange light problem is last week, one night before I went to sleep, I turned off the light in my room while keeping some of the door open. The bright hall light was on the outside. While looking at the lit doorway, I see this purplish circle occurring around the door. They are larger and one for each eye. The circle light stays for a couple seconds then fizzles out. If I move my eye and come back it, the purple light circle returns. It scared me a lot.

I told the optometrist that works with the lasik surgeon about this stuff. My vision is good, no blurrying and I can see 20/10 in both eyes. So he says my floaters and flashers are things I am just noticing now that my vision is good. That lasik surgery only touches outside of the eyes, not the inside. But I find it hard to believe because I have so many floaters now. He says for the purple circle that would be something wrong with my retina and to go see a retina specialist if I am really worried. He was not too concerned because I can see so well. I have an appointment with an ophthalmologist for Saturday.

This morning, when it was still dark out, I turn off my light in the hallway while staring at my cat. When I turn off the light, I see still my cat in a white outline. Very strange!

Please help and let me know if I should be concerned and continue to go to the ophthalmologist. Some times I feel like crying, I'm rather afraid to a detached retina or something horrible. It actually really helps to type this all out too. Thanks.

[peliot]

flashes and new floaters require examination by a retina specialist to make sure that you are ok.

I have personal experience with retinal complications post-LASIK. Your symptoms require examination.

[phantasy]

So I went to the specialist.

She said I was fine and there was nothing to worry about, but disagreed with my other doctor that the floaters probably happened due to intense pressure on my eyes during lasik. I have a few in each eye and they swim about all day. Some days they show a lot and some days they are lighter. Depends.

They might go, I might get used to them, she made no promises. Made me real depressed for about a week and then decided I was going to beat this thing. Trying to be positive, exercise and take a lot of vitamins and supplements to help. I'm looking for vitamin A and C foods as much as possible. I also try to avoid the computer unless needed for work info. Might help someday, I hope!

She said what I am seeing isn't flashers, it is high order aberrations that are something I have. Random blue or white dots and odd purple halos. Very odd.

She also checked my vision even closer and said I have -.5 in my right eye. She used to do the procedure herself and said -.5 is within the range of error. With both eyes though I see 20/15, right is just blurry alone although that also still fluctuates from day to day. My hope is I'm just having focus issues. It really bothers me of the lack of after care my surgeon has given me but I guess that is what happens when you do it cheap and quick, without checking out all other places out first. I don't what I was thinking, doing it all rushed.

I worry now that one day my eyes will slowly regress and need glasses again. Wish I had double checked with my normal eye doctor before doing this. The doc that allowed me to do it, saw I went up a -.25 but said it was fine if was over a few years period. You never know.

Honestly though, I'll never do Lasik again. The toll it has taken on my mental health isn't worth it. I just became overly self-conscious, some days I focus slower than others. Glasses and contacts don't require thought at all. If you are a worrier, just don't bother. I was only a -2.25 in each eye before. I still have halos and bursts at night but those seem to be getting better reaaaaal slow so I'm not sure if its in my head or not. It's all about my eyes now and I just want to forget I ever did it. I know I'm luckier than others on this board.

I hope in my 6 months mark I'll be over it.

[joeyl]

same here i regret doing lasik..
i did lasik because i wanted to join the army as a infantry
without lasik i could only be a combat medic

but now seeing these halos and starbursts and dry eyes
i wish i never had done it and just stuck being a combat medic...

my eyes are more important then a job position in my opinion
i cant even play games without glare and needing sunglasses after a while
btw im 6 days post op and it doesnt seem like its getting better...

either that or i am expecting dramatic changes...like every morning i wake up to hopefully see that everything is better...but in the end its not.

[phantasy]

whoa whoa!

you are too early to be panicking. it'll take at least 1-6 months for your eyes to calm down. feel bad about yourself in a few months, its too early for it. i had headaches, blurriness and very slow focus at first. but those went away. now i'm just dealing with some residual healing myself.

but whatever you do, try to ignore it. don't play with your eyes or test them. it'll drive you crazy for nothing.

[Rock]

Joeyl.....You need to lay off the gaming there future grunt! That has to be one of the worst things you can be doing right now. Being a gamer myself, I know how much eye strain that can cause!