Lasik Eyes Surgery - Does this mean over / under corrected??

Author

Does this mean over / under corrected??

terry@pcxusa.com

2005-12-19, 1:04 am

Hi again,

I posted my lasek progress on this forum with the last update some
weeks ago. The scoop is this: I had custom lasek (VISX star 4) on Oct
4th. So I am not quite 3 months out. A few weeks after the surgery I
was a little worried because my right eye was VERY clear and my left
was blurry. I was told this was a time issue and waited patiently.
Then.. as promised.. my vision started to get very 'crisp'. Now
something very odd has happened. My eyes have switched! My left eye
is now crisp at distances and my right eye (which used to be the crisp
eye) is now blurry! On my last checkup, approx 4 days ago, I read the
20/15 line and some of the 20/10 letters with my left eye, but my right
eye struggled with the 20/20 line. With both eyes the 20/20 line was
no problem at all. The doc said my eyes were "healed" and I didn't
need the Pred Forte anymore. I have read that I can expect changed up
to 1 yr for Lasek. Here is the weird thing... my right eye (now blurry
eye) can see clearer than my left at short to med distances (up to 10
feet or so), but street signs or objects greater than 15' my left is
very crisp and my right blurs the image.
Could this be my final outcome based on the time from surgery?? Or
could my right eye change like my left did? I heard about regression
and I am hoping my right will change to be similar to that of my left.
Does the epithilum (spelling?) still heal after the 3 month mark??
Thanks for all of your help!!

BTW: I am still very glad I had it done and I would do it again even if
this were the permanent result since I see 20/20 or better with both
eyes. My orig. presc. was -1.75 in both eyes.

Glenn - USAEyes.org

2005-12-19, 1:04 am

It sounds like your now blurry eye has regressed slightly and you are
just a little myopic (nearsighted, shortsighted) in that eye. It also
appears that this is very slight, but with your other eye being so
good you notice the difference.

At three months your epithelium should be nicely healed and smooth.
This may be regression that is permanent, it may be some ongoing
fluctuation, and it may be that your eye is a bit dry.

Report the problem to your doctor, keep up the appointments, and be
sure to report any sudden changes in your vision.

Glenn Hagele
Executive Director
USAEyes.org

"Consider and Choose With Confidence"

Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org

http://www.USAEyes.org
http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org

I am not a doctor.

terry@pcxusa.com

2005-12-19, 1:04 am

I don't know if this is actually a "plus"?? I mean sort of a
"monovision". If I stand roughly 5' from a box of cereal, and cover my
right eye, the small type is kind of blurry. I can read it, it's just
not super sharp, has a little blur to it. With my left covered it
comes in super crisp and clear. With both open it converges to the
"clear" image. Now for long distances it is exactly the opposite. If
I read a highway sign that is say 500' away, with my left eye it is
super sharp and clear and with my right it is a little blurry. Is this
a good thing??

This is what I don't quite understand.... could it be that one eye is
overcorrected and one is under?? I mean at 5' should everything be
crystal clear? Or is there a "range" meaning for example if you can
see sharp letters at 100' down to 5', if you "correct yourself" either
with glasses or surgery, and you extend that 100' by say... 5 more
feet, will your "close vision" at 5' extend to 10'?? Or does your
actual "range" change?

With both eyes open ... they kind of compensate for the others
shortcomings. Maybe this is normal and I am digging way too deep : )
I just don't know if "each" eye should be "perfect" or if that is
almost impossible and I should be judging my vision with both eyes
open, in which case it is very, very good 20/20 - 20/15 and on a good
day read some of the 20/10 line if I stare at it.

Thanks for you help..

2005-12-19, 11:02 am

In article <1134974766.865131.307370@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com>,
terry@pcxusa.com wrote:

>
> With both eyes open ... they kind of compensate for the others
> shortcomings. Maybe this is normal and I am digging way too deep : )
> I just don't know if "each" eye should be "perfect" or if that is
> almost impossible and I should be judging my vision with both eyes
> open, in which case it is very, very good 20/20 - 20/15 and on a good
> day read some of the 20/10 line if I stare at it.

Hi terry
I, and you, and many people spend(t) a lot of time after RS checking one
eye and then the other. That is going to drive you crazy! since normally
you look out of both eyes, your vision using both eyes is what counts.
You are 3 months out and hyper-aware of the differences in a way you
never probably cared about before LASEK.
From my experience, the best advice is to resist the temptation to check
each eye separately. It's hard, but since your vision is so good with
both eyes, try not to stress.

Remember it's how you see out of BOTH eyes that counts. Unless of
course, you wear a single eye patch and move it randomly from side to
side throughout the day

--
~RT

Glenn - USAEyes.org

2005-12-19, 11:02 am

Whether or not your current vision is a "plus" depends on whether or
not you are presbyopic. Presbyopia is when the natural lens of the eye
is not able to change focus for items near and you need reading
glasses or bifocals. If you are at or near age 40, then the monovision
(http://www.usaeyes.org/faq/subjects/monovision.htm) effect you
describe may be helpful.

It appears that you don't have true monovision. One eye is 20/20, or
"normal" vision. The other eye is 20/15, or better than normal vision.
Because there is a difference between the two you have a different
range of crisp focused vision for each eye, but true monovision is the
nondominant eye being myopic (nearsighted, shortsighted) about
1.00-2.00 diopter, which would be more or less 20/40 -20/60 vision in
that eye.

At three months postop your eyes have settled down, but you can expect
some continued minor changes. As RT has said, you are hyper-aware of
your vision and are looking for flaws/advantages that you would not
have noticed without being so aware.

Glenn Hagele
Executive Director
USAEyes.org

"Consider and Choose With Confidence"

Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org

http://www.USAEyes.org
http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org

I am not a doctor.