Teresa
I had LASIK in Vancouver in March 1998.I was farsighted at +4.50 bilaterally. I had LASIK because it was advertised in my professional magazine and offered for $999 for both eyes on a limited time offer. My husband also wanted it for -8.50 vision. I got an appointment immediately and did not go to my optometrist first to be get his opinion, he would have charged me and the initial evaluation with LASIK was free, so I took the cheap route and the quick route so I did absolutely no research. It was fast and cheap and I fell for it. Those should have been red flags.


The actually surgery was extremely painful. I describe it as being under a sewing machine needle for over 100 seconds. I was completely traumatized by having to endure this twice and later nobody believed me. I was told no one ever feels a thing, in fact my husband didn't. One technician whispered to me that she heard others say that but no one believed them either.


Post-op I had a contact lens inserted because one flap was not stable since I was "MOVING" during the surgery, my fault of course they said. In 24 hours I had it removed and it felt like something was ripped out of my eye. I had to leave quickly to catch the bus for my 5-hour drive home. I began to get stabbing pain in my right eye that was at first like spasms then as time went on it became excruciating and I couldn't stand it, but I was trapped on a bus heading away from my Dr. They had given us an emergency packet of pain killers and something to freeze the eye which was what gave me some relief. I spoke with my surgeon the next day and was told to sit in the dark for 3 days and keep my eye shut except for using the tears and the anti-inflammatory. I did everything I was told without question. He told me the rough ride on the bus must have exposed a nerve.


Slowly over several days it abated but by a week I was again distraught because both eyes were raw red and irritated. I went to a local optometrist and was told I was probably allergic to the drops and to use preservative free drops which I did with some relief. I could not stand light, natural or artificial and mostly sat at home in the dark or wore sunglasses in doors and out. I had very blurry vision in my right eye and could not drive especially at night, the halos were incredible.


I headed back to Vancouver every month and was told to lubricate and that would clear my vision and cure the halos. By May I was talked into an enhancement of my right eye since it had been over corrected to +2.0 and that's why it was so blurry. Still they were very irritated./I made a major fuss about it being properly frozen this time and sure enough it didn't hurt when done properly.


The blurriness improved but my astigmatism persisted in my left eye. This was told to me by a local Dr. not LASIK, she also said it should have been redone as well. Why wasn't it? I don't know. The dryness really was becoming worse and I experimented with every preservative free drop on the market. Very little made much difference. I tried eliminating every product I used and found a lotion I was using made my eyes feel like they do with seasonal allergies, it did not bother my skin. By June I had plugs put in and that took about an hour, again was painful and I had 2 black eyes to see through on my 5 hour drive home. I had to drive because my husband also got them {pain free} and he was still not legal to drive with his vision. In July a research Dr. from New York and an optometrist at the clinic implied I was very whiney and probably had nothing wrong with me but I created quite a scene demanding answers and pain relief. I was given another anti-inflammatory and sent on my way. My vision was 20/20 & 20/30.


As long as I could read the bloody eye chart I was supposed to be happy, seeing wasn't my problem, great discomfort was. My GP tested me for hypothyroidism and autoimmune disorders, both of which have dry eyes as a symptom, I was fit as a fiddle. Frankly, having a disease was okay with me because it could answer the why about my eyes and even better could be treated .No such luck. During all this I was advised to use a humidifier, hot compresses ,wash my lids with baby shampoo, use ointments at night, stay away from heat and cold sources etc. etc. I did them religiously with no noticeable improvement. I had read about a drug taken orally Salagen [Pilocarpine Hcl] and asked to try it but was told I was not severe enough. I had various topography tests done that said my eyes were getting worse not better, yet still I never once could get an answer as to why I had dry eyes or if they'd ever improve. I have read that it is a life time affliction once you have it.


In Feb. I was fairly jumping up and down and was not even able to speak with my surgeon when I drove 5 hours for an appt. and only got to talk with an optometrist who even though I now experience a spasm like pain in my right eye. He finally agreed to give me a prescription for Salagen but would mail it to me. I called relentlessly for 3 weeks before he finally faxed it to a drug store, he told me it was not listed in the drug books yet and I told him I got 14 pages on the internet about it. I later asked the pharmacist if it was in fact in the drug book and she showed it to me in the 1998 book, more lies. I have now been taking it for 3 weeks 5mg X 3 daily with not too much improvement, maybe slightly, so I've increased it to an extra one at bed time to see if I can sleep better, the dryness at night wakes me up it is so bad sometimes. I only have a 3 month prescription so the clock is ticking but I am optimistic and hope for the better outcome.


I have had difficulty performing at work at times but I never speak about my eyes or complain or use them as an excuse. I get the impression I deserve what I got having a voluntary procedure that went wrong that I could have done fine without. I think I cope well with the limitations placed on me but I am so relieved to find a place to vent you will never know. I refuse to let this ruin my life and I will deal with it the best I can but I am fortunate to have a husband who still suffers occasionally from dry eyes and still has to wear glasses despite 2 surgeries. I will no longer go back to this clinic I have spent a small fortune traveling back and forth and finally I've gotten the point that these people can not help me, will give me no answers, and could care less about what has happened to me. For now they win. I will eagerly await your new web site and reading other people's stories and maybe in so doing I will find some help, and will help others if possible. Thank you Ron for taking on this cause for all of us.


Teresa