headaches from bad to worse

[lboogie]

Okay, so my headaches went from dull to very painful and naseous over the weekend. My boyfriend and I drove about 2 hours away, and that's when the major increase in headache started. I was a passenger. I am 7 weeks post-op lasik and the headaches started 2 weeks ago.

So I know the headache is not just close-work related. And I've felt naseaus ever since.

I am so scared. I've never had headache pain before. Advil doesn't help either. I'm going to call my doctor again tomorrow, and let him know what happened.

I'v read and re-read the lasik eye strain article on this site, but am still so very scared.

[LasikExpert]

Did you happen to be traveling through a forested area? The reason I ask is that some people become more sensitive to light (photophobic) during the healing period after Lasik. You may not have noticed it before, but when traveling through a forested area you have sunlight, shadow, sunlight, shadow, very rapidly. This can really cause problems for people who are light sensitive.

Also, when traveling, especially as a passenger, you tend to fixate on an object, focus, change focus as the object comes near, then fixate on another object. This is really working your accommodation and doing it in a new range. The Lasik eye strain may be the major contributor to the problem.

Next time you have this problem starting, try closing and/or covering your eyes for at least 15 minutes and see if this helps.

Let us know what your surgeon says.

[lboogie]

thanks for that -- so yes, you are probably right -- so my question is then, will this go away? What if it doesn't? What are my options? What if my accomodation of focus does not clear up -- and does it make sense for this later onset? (headaches started about 5 weeks post lasik).

I've read some articles about accomodative spams being treated with medical eye drops.

[LasikExpert]

...will this go away?

Go away is perhaps not the actual resolution. The brain is amazing at figuring out what is wrong and fixing it. Between your eyes settling down and the brain learning how to use your new vision to its greatest advantage, resolution is likely. You will need, however, the expert opinion of a competent doctor who has examined you.

I know of only one case who has long-term nausea post-Lasik and his was due to aniseikonia.

I've read some articles about accomodative spams being treated with medical eye drops.

Accommodative spasms have pretty recognizable symptoms. Your vision "flutters".

[lboogie]

I called to update my surgeon and he wants me to come in for a cycloplegic refraction to look at my focusing abilities. I do that in 2 days.

That makes me feel good -- to be doing something at least. But I just keep googling for this stuff and making myself absolutely sick to my stomach with regret, and worry about "what if."

What if my eyes don't adapt to the new vision? Does that happen? Do you know what the options are? I'm sure I'll learn more, but I'm just so nervous about it all right now.

In addition, I have terrible dark circles under my eyes -- could they be eye strain related? I hope so b/c they look terrible, and I don't want them forever!

[LasikExpert]

I called to update my surgeon and he wants me to come in for a cycloplegic refraction to look at my focusing abilities. I do that in 2 days.

Great! Even if this reveals nothing out of the ordinary, you will have eliminated one possible source of the problem. If it is accomodation related, that will likely resolve with healing and your brain learning how to use the new vision.

Remember how when you would get new glasses everything would be "weird" for a while? Or when you put in contact lenses after wearing glasses for several weeks everything looked "bigger"? It took a while, but your brain adapted and what was weird and too big became normal.

You are going through that same kind of transition, but with a much more dramatic change and a change that may be a bit imbalanced.

But I just keep googling for this stuff and making myself absolutely sick to my stomach with regret, and worry about "what if."

There are a couple of websites run by individuals who seem to actually promote and perpetuate constant (and often missplaced) fear. What's worse is that when you look at authoritative websites you can find similarities in your symptoms with a whole host of problems that probably have nothing to do with your situation.

I firmly believe that a person can Google themself into madness.

In addition, I have terrible dark circles under my eyes -- could they be eye strain related?

They can, but I suspect that an elevated level of stress and poor sleep are more likely to blame.

[lboogie]

not to keep harping on the subject......but the moving in and out of focus when my eyes are relaxed (at any distance), has been happening since day one -- and I'm at 8 weeks now -- is still possible that my focusing abilities are adapting even now? It seems that it should have settled down by now. I also notice it when I awake from sleeping -- like this sensation of in focus/out of focus, then normal. But I can make anything blur by concentrating on relaxing my eyes.

The headaches and motion sickness symptoms symptoms didn't arise until 6 weeks out. Which also seems strange -- to have the late onset. Eyes are not feeling too dry at all, which is nice.

I'll update tomorrow -- but any feed back would help my worries. I haven't not been able to concentrate on anything....work, housework, etc.

[LasikExpert]

If this is an issue of dry eyes, you should be able to focus on an object, let it go out of focus, blink, and the focus would change.

Let us know what the doc says.

[lboogie]

I am overcorrected in both eyes -- but not by enough that the doctor thinks it would cause headache, and the focusing stuff. During regular (un-dialted refraction) I am plano. But during dilated and wavefront I show over correction of under 1.00 in each eye.

He thinks it might be a manifestation of Transient Light Syndrome (the headaches at least). Sounds odd to me, so I was questioning it -- but he said the focus stuff should still settle down. He is the best in the state at this stuff being at a teaching university and all.

Anyways, he has me on the same steriod stuff I used during the week post-surgery. 1 week at 4x per day, 2nd week at 3x, 3rd week at 2x, 4th week at 1x.

Any thoughts on this? I'm also nervous about being on the steriod b/c I've heard bad things about being on it -- he assures me it's a short enough time period -- but I'm concerned about making dry eyes worse and stuff, b/c they've been feeling pretty good.

Wearing readers right now, still have the headache, maybe worse. Ugg. Any insight from anyone would be great.

[LasikExpert]

I am overcorrected in both eyes -- but not by enough that the doctor thinks it would cause headache, and the focusing stuff. During regular (un-dialted refraction) I am plano. But during dilated and wavefront I show over correction of under 1.00 in each eye.

This is very helpful information. With manifest you are plano, but cycloplegic you are 1.00 diopter hyperopic (farsighted, longsighted) This means that to see distant objects your eyes need to accommodate (change focus) 1.00 diopter. To see near objects, you need to accommodate 1.00 diopter plus whatever is requited to see near and mid-distance objects. Considering you were myopic with corrective lenses before surgery, your eyes need to focus all the time and work a bit harder for objects close. Sometimes this kind of situation can lend itself to headaches, nausea, and other eye strain symptoms.

He thinks it might be a manifestation of Transient Light Syndrome (the headaches at least).

Transient Light Sensitivity Syndrome (TLSS) is a problem that occurs with the Intralase femtosecond laser (does not seem to be a problem with the Zimmer femtosecond laser) and relates to the energy used to create the Lasik flap. It does go away eventually, but can cause headaches associated with photophobia. This may be able to be resolved with controlled lighting. Keep your environment lit lower than normal, lower the intensity of your computer monitor, and wear dark sunglasses.

Sounds odd to me, so I was questioning it -- but he said the focus stuff should still settle down.

It will undoubtedly change during the healing process. At 3-6 months postop you will know if correction or enhancement surgery is recommended.

He is the best in the state at this stuff being at a teaching university and all.

A competent doctor is your best resource.

I'm also nervous about being on the steriod b/c I've heard bad things about being on it -- he assures me it's a short enough time period -- but I'm concerned about making dry eyes worse and stuff, b/c they've been feeling pretty good.

A major concern with extended use of steroid eye drops is an increase of intraocular pressure (IOP). Your IOP can be measured with each visit to see if you are responding to the steroids; not everyone does. If necessary, you can use additional medication to reduce the IOP if necessary, and it takes a relatively long time for damage from high IOP to occur, with signs normally quite obvious to a competent doctor.

Wearing readers right now, still have the headache, maybe worse. Ugg. Any insight from anyone would be great.[/quote]

Reading glasses are, essentially, hyperopia correcting glasses. A pair of inexpensive +1.00 readers for distance vision would be very. This may get you by until vision settles down or enhancement surgery is recommended.