Ghost Vision After Two Lasik Treatments

Question

I've had Double or "Ghost" vision after my first Lasik treatment, and my right eye had the brunt of the effect, making it hard for me to read. I had another one two months ago, but to no avail. Is this part of the healing process and will pass afterwards? Thank you.

Jon Dishler, MD, FACS · Answer

Some patients experience ghost vision or halos or glare after LASIK or PRK.  This was much more common with older laser platforms and is rare in cases done today.  It can be from a variety of causes, some treatable and others not.

	If the ghost vision is from dry eye, residual uncorrected astigmatism, or a decentered treatment there may be hope of improving the situation.  If it is from very large pupils at night, then certain medications can be helpful.

	On the other hand if there is irregular astigmatism, or some other eye problem such as a cataract forming then further LASIK will not be helpful.  A thorough evaluation by a trained LASIK doctor would be helpful.  A hard contact lens trial sometimes can help to make the diagnosis.

Anthony J. Kameen, MD (retired) · Answer

While this is not an uncommon symptom in the first week or two after surgery, your case is a little more worrisome because it has been two months since your second procedure. That does'nt mean anything really bad is going on, however, it does mean you should see your doctor. The most likely two scenarios are that you are still a little swollen(this should be better by 2 months) or that you have a little left over astigmatism.

	Don't rush into a third treatment. I would recommend seeing your doctor, then doing nothing for about 6 months, even if it necessitates wearing glasses for night driving. This way, in 6 months, your doctor will know things are stable and if a third treatment is necessary it will be safe, accurate and your final procedure.

Gary Kawesch, MD (retired) · Answer

The ghosting may go away if you are only two months postop. However, it may not.  A common cause of post-LASIK ghosting is residual refractive error (ie, astigmatism, nearsightedness or farsightedness which still remains). Glasses would correct this--have your surgeon show you a test pair of glasses to see if the ghosting resolves.  If this helps, then you may end up needing to either wear glasses or consider even more treatment once fully healed.
If it doesn't, it may be from dryness, in which case artificial tear lubricants will help. It may also be due to rare complications such as a decentered treatment, or other forms of irregularity of the corneal surface.  In these cases, sometimes a rigid gas permeable lens can be used to determine if this is the problem, and to correct it.
And finally, sometimes coincidental other eye problems, such as a cataract or retinal problems can cause ghosting, unrelated to the LASIK. This is rare, but I've seen it.
At this relatively early stage of healing, be patient, and follow your surgeon's instructions.

Ghost Vision After Two Lasik Treatments

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Ghost Vision After Two Lasik Treatments

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