LASIK is probably not your best choice with corneas that are that thin. Having said that, getting a Pentacam scan to evaluate the progression of corneal thickness from the center to the periphery might put you in the running for a PRK procedure. I would not proceed with any refractive procedure without that scan.
While most patients have excellent results early after lasik, not all fall into that category. At 1 week post-op, it is still early and the result can be affected by a number of factors including your personal healing rate and your tear film. In general, the way I would treat this would be to increase your tear volume with punctal plugs and to discontinue all anti-inflammatory drops. Additional options would be to start Vitamin C orally and even to place soft contact lenses on the eyes to increase the irritation and cause the corneas to heal in a more robust way. If these approaches do not work, check the cycloplegic refraction and re-treat each cornea based on the results of that measurement.
It depends. In the early going after lasik, the refraction can change - sometimes dramatically. So, you want to wait for 2 to 3 months to let things settle. If you don't and are re-treated too soon, you may end up with an over-correction. To answer whether or not you can be re-treated depends on both the thickness and curvature of your cornea. If you have enough tissue and enough curvature to flatten, then you can be treated. However, if you are too thin, don't push it. Sometimes the enemy of good is perfect.
PRK would be about the only refractive procedure I would consider on a patient with thin corneas like yours. Having said that, your surgeon needs to be careful your cornea is not abnormal. Before I considered PRK, I would have a Pentacam scan and have the predictive software programs run to see if you fall into a "normal" category for refractive surgery. And, the decision will also depend upon the amount of your refractive error. In the past, before we had the software we have today, I would not consider you a candidate. Now, patients like you can be PRK candidates. LASIK is probably out of the question.
We always have concern whenconsidering lasik on a patient with dry eyes. Having said that it is a matter of degree and the what refractive error with which we are dealing. Small amounts of treatment are not as concerning as larger amounts. Farsightedness has worse dryness complications than nearsightedness. Pre-treatment of the dry eye problem is very helpful.
