Reading Glasses

[maria22]

I had Lasik one week ago, and yesterday my eyes tested for +/-0 with remaining astigmatism between 0.25 and 0.5 for each eye (pre-op I had -8.5 and -4.5).

I still have some fluctuations due to dryness, but I am using lots of drops and supplements and hoping for an improvement within the next few months.

What irritates me slightly is that my doctor recommended pre-op and again after my Lasik that I wear +1 reading glasses for a few weeks after the procedure. He said it would prevent regression, but that does not really make sense to me. I'm only 25 and I could read fine without glasses or contacts before Lasik. Does anybody have any experience with this particular precaution?
Also, is it better to avoid reading a lot after the procedure for a while?

I am also concerned about having to go back to computer work next week; I am suppossed to start with a maximum of 3 hours a day because of the dryness...I wonder when I'll be able to go back to working 6-hour shifts?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :)

[LasikExpert]

Computer work is probably the worst environment for dry eyes. We tend to not blink enough when staring at a monitor all day. You can counter this problem with a good dry eye treatment regimen.

Your doctor may feel that a small amount of hyperopic (farsighted, longsighted) correction in the form of reading glasses will help you gain appropriate accommodation. You should read about Lasik eye strain for details.

[maria22]

Thank you for your quick response!

The problem is that the reading glasses don't really seem to help, they enlarge the print slightly but also make it seem blurry. I have tried to get used to it, but I'd like to know if it would actually be harmful to my eyes to read without them.

Do you think that 3 hours of computer work per day starting the 2nd week after Lasik will worsen the dry eye problems? I would like to contribute to a speedy healing process in every way that I can, but life & work can't be put on hold for too long....

Again thank you for your time!

[LasikExpert]

Computer work is fine so long as you close your eyes now and again, blink often, and keep up your dry eye treatment. It is not the computer work that is the problem, it is keeping your eyes open too long.

Think about something you do on your computer on a somewhat regular basis. Perhaps a keyboard combination, etc. Get into the habit of closing your eyes for a count of two or three every time you do this task. It is amazing what closing your eyes for just a few seconds on a reglar basis can do for dry eye problems.

[David White]

Computer work is fine so long as you close your eyes now and again, blink often, and keep up your dry eye treatment. It is not the computer work that is the problem, it is keeping your eyes open too long.

Think about something you do on your computer on a somewhat regular basis. Perhaps a keyboard combination, etc. Get into the habit of closing your eyes for a count of two or three every time you do this task. It is amazing what closing your eyes for just a few seconds on a reglar basis can do for dry eye problems.

Glenn, when you say "regular basis", what do you mean ? I'm sure you mean as often as possible but what's optimal for this long term blinking ? Once a minute ? Once every 30 seconds ? Once every 5 minutes ?

I'm sure this is part of my dry eye problem.

[LasikExpert]

Glenn, when you say "regular basis", what do you mean ? I'm sure you mean as often as possible but what's optimal for this long term blinking ? Once a minute ? Once every 30 seconds ? Once every 5 minutes ?

The correct answer is: As much as needed.

Start with something that you do every 30 minutes. Do this for a day and see if this improves your dry eye symptoms. If not, go to every 20 minutes on the next day. If improvement is not great, go to 10 and then five minutes. Shorten the duration until you get the needed relief. This will determine if this exercise is feasable and beneficial.

Once you find the routine that works for you, stay on it for a week and then the following week start at once every 30 minutes again and shorten the duration until you find the new week's appropriate time. Eventually you should get to the point that even once very 30 minutes is not needed.