LASIK 5 days ago...haze issues

[Button1]

I had Custom LASIK with Intralase last Wednesday and while I feel that my vision is clear in that I can see distance quite well now, I am bothered by a constant haziness and ghosting around objects, especially light colored ones. I feel like I am always looking through mist. I am using my Refresh Plus drops religiously, but they don't help the haze. When does this usually go away? And is there a drop that is considered "better" than the others??

Thanks!

[LasikExpert]

Each artificial tear manufacturer has a slightly different formula. Some artificial tears are thicker than others. What works best for you will probably be a matter of trial and error, but as you try other brands do be sure that they are preservative-free artificial tears. You may want to read Lasik and Dry Eye for additional details.

Ask your doctor for details about your hazy vision. This may be due to actual corneal haze, but that is very highly not likely. It may be due to dry eyes, and that is quite likely. It may also be that the surfaces between the flap and the underlying cornea have not settled down and that small gap is causing light to scatter. Dry eyes and flap gap will almost always improve with healing.

[Button1]

Thanks Glenn, I called my doctor and he said everything sounds "normal" and I have an appointment for Thursday. I am just fearing this might be permanent. And what is this "corneal haze" you mentioned??

[LasikExpert]

Whether planned or not, refractive surgery is considered by the cornea as a wound. A part of that wound response is the development of opaque white cells. The cells create a haze effect within the cornea itself. Corneal haze is rare in patents that need less than about 6.00 diopters of correction and is almost nonexistent in Lasik and IntraLasik patients.

By performing the laser ablation under a flap of corneal tissue, the cornea is "fooled" into not realizing that it has had surgery. This mutes the wound response. Because the cornea does not know it has had surgery and there is little wound response, vision recovery is quick and there is virtually no pain.

Surface ablation techniques like PRK, LASEK, and Epi-Lasik don’t fool the cornea quite as well as Lasik and IntraLasik. For this reason (and others) vision recovery is slower, less comfortable, and the probability of corneal haze is elevated for patients with more than about 6.00 diopters of correction.

Haze can be limited or even removed with the topical application of Mitomycin C. Mitomycin C is a strong medicine that is probably best avoided if possible, but appropriate when needed.

Another technique to reduce the probability of corneal haze is for the patient to take 500mg of vitamin C twice a day for at least a week before surgery and two weeks after surgery. With the use of 100% UVA, UVB sunglasses, the incidence of corneal haze drops dramatically.

Because you had IntraLasik, the incidence of corneal haze due to wound response is quite low. Light scatter at the interface of the IntraLasik flap is much more likely, but your doctor will be the one who can identify the location of haze, if any.

[Button1]

Thanks, Glenn. It's now day 6 and I might be imagining things but the haze and ghosting seems worse today. This is so frustrating!!! :(

[LasikExpert]

No, you are not imagining things. It is very possible that your healing curve will start poor, go downhill, and then start to get better. Remember that you are less than a week postop. Your eyes have had major micro surgery. Lasik (and IntraLasik) is more of a six month process than a 20 Minute Miracle. You will probably be seeing your surgeon tomorrow (no pun intended). Ask for a detailed explanation of what is occurring.

[Button1]

I saw my surgeon today and he said the haze is either due to the tear film not returning yet (dry eyes) or the laser causing an abberation that could be corrected with another procedure or prescription eye drops to shrink the pupil. He said to give it a few months and we'll see what happens. He also gave me Genteal gel to use at bedtime since I wake up with REALLY dry eyes.

The good news is that my vision is corrected down to 20/15 from 20/150 prior to surgery!!!

[LasikExpert]

Dry eyes can cause all sorts of vision quality issues. This is an area where you can do much to improve your situation. Read the Lasik and Dry Eyes article cited above.