Do I need to worry about hazy vision from lasik?

I did a bit of research to "see" what I could find for you. According to a US FDA website page, when discussing PRK they did mention haze as a potential side effect that was not listed in the information for LASIK. Here is the quote:

In addition, many patients experienced mild corneal haze following surgery, which is part of the normal healing process. The haze appeared to have little or no effect on final vision, and could only be seen by a doctor with a microscope. Some patients experienced glare and halos around lights. These conditions, however, diminished or disappeared in most patients in six months.

Here is the US FDA website about PPK

Good luck Seema.

Haze or a slight clouding of the cornea, or the outer surface of the eye, is a complication more commonly associated following PRK. With newer lasers and medicines to prevent haze, this is not commonly seen in 2008. The risk of haze to the cornea is less often noted with LASIK. However, it is important to discuss the risks as well as the benefits of these procedures with your laser vision specialist to determine which procedure is best for you!

I'm sure you have done your surgery since and i hope it went well. My husband just had PRK in the beginning of December '07 and he's VERY happy with the results. The first two months were kinda "hard" on him coz he had blurry vision from time to time and he was very inpatient. He's now over 3 months post-op and haven't had any vision problems in a while and his eyes are 20/15 now, while before it was almost off the chart both eyes were so bad.
He went with PRK instead of the Lasik because he's doing martial arts and the dr suggested him to go that route but we've talked to several people since and they said with these days technology it wouldn't have mattered.
PRK's recovery time is considerably longer than Lasik, he couldn't really do anything for several days, he was bored to tears... but now it's all in the past and he's one happy guy!

Dear BluEyes
The experience of your husband is quite typical. What patients tend to forget is that this a medical procedure and healing can take time. Everyone heals a little differently, some faster, some slower. In our hectic pace of life, sometimes, we as patients and doctors, should remember our mother's tales, "eat right, sleep well, have a positive attitude and be patient". Your husband has had a very typical experience of PRK which is why performing these procedures is very gratifying! To be able to give patients vision and see more than the big "E" is truly a miracle! Congratulations on guiding him!

Dear BluEyes
It is fantastic that your husband has healed beautifully and can now see perfectly and you assisted in guiding him during the healing process. His experience is normal and can be attributed to the normal healing of one's eyes.

Enjoy his clear vision and cherish his Clear View of the world!

Dr. Feldman

My husband had lasik 2 weeks ago yesterday. His left eye has healed with no problems at all. He says that a "film" has been present in his right eye ever since the surgery. His vision, however in that eye is 20/25 as of his check up yesterday. He is frustrated, but I try to tell him to be patient. I'm not sure if this film is the same haze to with is referred to in these posts, and if so, is it something that could be addressed in a further enhancement surgery?
Thanks.

Dear Julie
LASIK is a surgical procedure and thus, as you suggested to your husband needs to heal. Many patients report that the vision may be hazy or fuzzy and feel like wearing a dirty contact lens. There are many reasons for this vision such as a swelling of the front surface, a small prescription still left, dryness, to name a few. An enhancement may be possible should healing not address the issue and his prescription is large enough....Also, it takes time for the brain to adjust to the dramatic difference before the LASIK.

Please encourage your husband to be patient, or to see or call his doctor if he is discouraged. Let him know "patience" is important.
Dr. Feldman

Julie,

I had PRK - Lasik surgery in the fall of 2006. I thought I had ruined my vision as I had a film like sensation in the right eye for the longest time. What I found is that my vision would "pop" one step further along in healing as time went on. My vision and how my eyes felt improved in increments. My girlfriend who is 10 years younger had an almost immediate recovery. It took me over a year and a half before my vision seemed to be really stable. The blurred or filmy type experience seemed to correlate directly to how hard I was working my vision and how dry my eyes were. It was my ability to read small print that took the longest to return and its not quite where it was before I did the laser eye surgery.

Your husband's vision will get progressively better. His eyes just need time to heal.

Allison

Dear Julie
Allison's comments elucidate the nature of our individual healing responses. A tincture of time is often the best medicine prescribed along with patience and reassurance. Thank you Allison for your comments.

Hello! It's been eight days since I had my LASIK operation on both eyes. My right eye is almost perfect but my left eye is very hazy (of course the haziness increases at night). Sometimes the haziness decreases but it's always there. My doctor says there's nothing wrong with both eyes. Do I have to worry? How much time does my eye need to be normal? will the haziness ever go?