I had my lasik performed in March of 2000 in Toronto, Canada. All the advertisements I heard were proclaiming how simple and easy a procedure it was. A simple out patient treatment - no more than 15 minutes per eye, and you could go to work most likely the next day or two. So I decided to have the operation. I was examined and told I was an "excellent candidate" for lasik with very little chance of getting star bursting or halo's. I was not tested for tear production or asked if I had any dry eye problems. I asked if being over 50, my age would present any kind of problems with healing or anything, and was told, "No, it shouldn't be a problem."

From the start, however, the procedure did not produce good results. Even though I was only mildly nearsighted before the operation (-2 OD, -3 OS), I was significantly overcorrected and left farsighted with astigmatism in both eyes. I wasn't happy, but was told I could get an enhancement later on to fix the farsightedness and astigmatism. Over the first three months I struggled with fuzzy and blurry day vision and bad nighttime effects, but I thought I was just in an adjustment period, and that when my eyes settled out things would look better. After the third month however I developed a severe case of dry eye, particularly bad at night. I saw my ophthalmologist who said I had lost ALL tear film when she examined me. I was told to use drops frequently during the day, and put a gel on my eyes at night and tape them shut. The gel didn't work, so I had to switch to a heavy ointment. I had punctual plugs inserted in my eyelids to retain whatever little tears I produced. In the meantime I was hardly sleeping at all, worried that my eyes would dry out and my corneas become damaged while I slept. I had never had a dry eye problem before in my life, and now I was trying to cope with a severe one. At the same time, I noticed the star bursting and halos weren't getting any better at night - - in fact they were getting worse. Wearing the glasses I had made for my new prescription didn't help, they just intensified the effects at night. Worry over my situation, and where it was headed, took it's toll. With no real sleep, and high levels of anxiety, I became depressed. All the while I was losing weight and strength, despite my efforts to kept up my exercise routine and running.
Hoping to figure out for myself what went wrong, I traveled to Atlanta to the Emory Vision Center and underwent testing, and saw local ophthalmologists. Through the course of all this I was told that I had large (8mm) pupils, that were most likely the cause of the night time effects, and that I had irregular astigmatism in one eye, probably from a decentered ablation, and had lost nighttime contrast sensitivity.

Functioning on a daily basis was a very hard struggle. My right eye would become painful after a few hours of use, whether from eyestrain or a convergence problem I do not know. Headaches were frequent. During the day I noticed that light from behind objects would wrap around them, turning them into silhouettes with few discernable details. If I looked at someone standing in front of a window on a sunny day, I could not tell who it was because they would be enshrouded in a white fog from the light behind them. At night the starbursts from car headlights and street lights were so brilliant, and everything else so dark, that I couldn't drive safely. There was little sleep at night. Finally the depression became so severe I had to seek help. I was admitted to the Fairfax County mental health program and prescribed an anti-depressant and given counseling.

Trying to get some of my lost vision back, I had custom RGP contacts made for me. I was hoping I could at least wear them at night to reduce the starbursting effect. However, like many other people who choose to have lasik, I am contact lens intolerant (mostly due to low tear production). My eyes burn after having contacts in for just a couple of hours, even soft contacts. When the RGP's were finally made and I tried them, I learned that just like before, I can't wear them for more than a couple of hours. But sadly they really did very little for my night time vision.

Most recently I have seen Dr. Weinberg at the Wilmer Eye Center at John Hopkins, Dr. Michael Lemp at the University Ophthalmic Consultants and Dr. Roy Rubenfeld. Dr. Rubenfeld said I'll have to wait however many years it takes until there are new surgical techniques (like wavefront) that may possibly correct my deformed corneas. Other doctors have voiced different opinions about what may be wrong with my eyes. It seems that no one is really sure about post lasik eyes, and what can be done to fix them. My starbursting effects have worsened to the point where I see them during the daytime too, from car headlights and sun reflections off of car windshields and the like. I have not driven or gone out at night for the past 12 months. It seems likely this will never change.

On top of everything else that has gone wrong, I also have developed vitreous syneresis floaters (from degeneration of the vitreous) in both my eyes, particularly bad in my left eye. This began a month after my surgery. I am currently looking into the possibility of a vitrectomy surgery, to go inside the eye and surgically remove the vitreous. It is serious surgery, and comes with risks and possible complications (like early cataract formation). However my left eye has become so filled with floaters it is difficult to see clearly out of it at times, and I don't see any other alternative at this point.

Before the surgery I could be corrected with glasses to see 20/15 in each eye. Now with glasses the very best I can do is a blurry and ghosted 20/30. And what I see at night can only be compared to being on a forced LSD trip, the light effects are so bizarre and shifting. Life is very, very hard for me now, and I have little hope for my future. I still can't get but a few hours of sleep every night, and when I wake up I am filled with anxiety and fear over what will happen to me.

Lasik was marketed to me as a safe and simple procedure which could improve the quality of my life, by giving me "freedom from glasses". It has not done that, and has in fact in large measure ruined my life. And I find that despite all my efforts I am powerless to turn things around.


Millard Stahle

[This message has been edited by Millard S (edited 06-28-2001).]

Ron Link
Executive Director
The Surgical Eyes Foundation