Lyme Disease and
Lasik, All-Laser Lasik, PRK, LASEK, Epi-Lasik, CK, etc.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control, Lyme disease was named in 1977 when arthritis was observed in a cluster of children in and around Lyme, Connecticut. Further investigation revealed that Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi. These bacteria are transmitted to humans by the bite of infected deer ticks and cause more than 16,000 infections in the United States each year.

Lyme disease most often presents with a characteristic "bull's-eye" rash, erythematic migraines, accompanied by nonspecific symptoms such as fever, malaise, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, and joint aches. Although there is very little information about Lyme Disease and refractive surgery like Lasik, All-Laser Lasik, LASEK, PRK, Epi-Lasik, CK, etc., but we know of at least one patient who contracted Lyme Disease shortly after surgery and had great difficulty with dry eye and keratitis. Due to the possibility of inflammation of the cornea, accurate measurements of the cornea and refractive error would be impossible. It seems reasonable to avoid refractive surgery until the Lyme Disease has been successfully treated.