Floaters are part of a normal aging process of the gel-like substance that fills the eye called vitreous. Vitreous is originally composed of a very uniform matrix of three materials - water, collagen and hyaluronic acid. As we age, the vitreous becomes more liquified and the collagen component condenses and forms small opacities. These opacities cast shadows on the retina and we perceive them as floaters. The bad news about these floaters is that they do not typically disappear completely. Unfortunately, glasses and contacts will not fix this issue. The good news is that our brains typically "photoshop" them out and they become less pronounced. Over time, they typically become less and less bothersome, and you may not even notice they are present. However, I do warn my patients that these floaters can, on occasion, be caused by a tear in the retina. When a patient develops new floaters, I advise they undergo a dilated eye exam to confirm that no tears or detachments are at the root of this new symptom.
Removing makeup can result in injury to the eye in two ways. The first is chemical injury, often times the chemicals used to remove makeup can be caustic to the ocular surface. Most of theses chemicals are not exceedingly dangerous and would result in mild to moderate surface irritation and injury. However, unlike more harsh chemicals such as bleach or acid, the effects are often short lived and ultimately resolve with lubrication and treatment. The second form of injury from makeup removal is mechanical. Often times makeup scrubs are made with fabrics or paper products that can scratch the eye if they come in contact. Furthermore, this type of mechanical stress can also potentially disrupt a LASIK flap if it is not fully healed. This can even happen over a closed lid (although less likely), so being gentle with your scrubbing motion is important.Typically, I recommend to my patients that they wait at least one week before resuming eye makeup. I also recommend that when wearing eye makeup over the first several weeks, they exercise care to be gentle in both application and removal of eye makeup. If you do have concerns, or think you may have injured the flap, seek care immediately so that if the flap is damaged, it can be evaluated and treated appropriately and quickly.
Unfortunately, there is no way to increase the thickness of your cornea. Corneal thickness is important for laser vision correction because in order to correct your vision, we need to sculpt/reshape the cornea with the laser - doing this results in the removal of corneal tissue. Larger glasses prescriptions require larger amounts of sculpting, and consequently more tissue removal. If your cornea is naturally thin, removing more tissue with LASIK or PRK puts the cornea at risk for warpage and irregular astigmatism. These changes can ultimately lead to poor vision and may require corneal transplantation.There are other options to reduce your dependence on glasses and contact lenses, such as clear lens exchange or implantable contact lenses. It is important to discuss the risks and benefits of these procedures with your eye doctor. That way, you can decide on the best option for you that fits your lifestyle and visual demands.
There are several reasons to have issues with glare and night vision problems following LASIK. These include issues with the flap, regression of refractive error, significant dry eye and development of unrelated ocular issues (such as cataracts or inflammation in the eye). Night glare and light sensitivity can occur in many different eye conditions, and so it is important to visit with your eye doctor to determine exactly what the problem might be. Often times these can be treated/reduced with appropriate diagnosis and therapy.
There is a higher rate of regression (a shift back in the direction of your original prescription) in farsighted (eg +1.50) patients compared to nearsighted (eg -1.50) patients. As such, surgeons will over-treat hyperopia (farsightedness) with a goal of slight myopia (nearsightedness) in the early stages, anticipating the eye will regress to your final target (no glasses prescription). As such, you are less than one month out, and I would anticipate things will shift back towards your goal of having no refractive error, and thus no need for glasses in the distance. However, if this shift does not occur, a discussion with your surgeon is warranted to confirm no further treatment is needed.
