Vancouver Ophthalmologists

When Is It Ok to Rub Eyes After Lasik?

It's only been 2 weeks since LASIK. I have been so careful but last night, I rubbed my right eye while I was half asleep. I woke up straight away and panicked. It was a pretty good rub you would do on a normal unoperated eye. I haven't experienced any changes with my vision tho. I called the clinic and was told it Should be ok if I hadn't experienced blur vision. My next check up is in 2 weeks, and I am very worried that I might wrinkled the flap.

Just yesterday, I performed a flaplift for a one day post operative patient who rubbed his eyes following LASIK. In my experience eye rubbing is likely to cause a problem only on the first post op day. After one month following LASIK, the risk of displacing the flap with eye rubbing is very low. However, there is no benefit to rubbing your eyes ever. I would advise that you resist the urge to rub and use tears to lubricate your eyes instead. One of the reasons I like PRK is that there is no risk of flap displacement.

Joseph W. King, MD

Vancouver Ophthalmologist

Can LASIK correct a 5.0 diopter astigmatism?

What are the limits of LASIK eye surgery concerning the correction of astigmatism? 

I would recommend that you see an experienced ophthalmologist in your area to evaluate if LASIK is appropriate for you. Larger astigmatic corrections are sometimes associated with an uncommon condition called keratoconus. I have treated many high astigmatic patients with great success. Each treatment needs to be evaluated on a case by case basis.

Joseph W. King, MD

Vancouver Ophthalmologist

Post Cataract Surgery, my Eyes Seem to Be Different Sizes. Is This Possible?

I had cataract surgery with lens implanted in both eyes. My right eye was focused for distance and the left for close-up. Should one eye now be smaller than the other?

The eyelid may droop more after cataract surgery. This is not common however. Patients sometimes become more observant of their eyelid position once their vision is clearer and glasses are no longer needed.

Joseph W. King, MD

Vancouver Ophthalmologist