How long will eyes be dry and cloudy after Lasik?

Question

Had Lasik 12/21/13 left eye still cloudy its like looking out of a dirty contact lense and eyes very dry even after applying lubercating eye drops. Will my left heal to be as clear as my right and how long will my eyes be dry?

Michael K. Tracy, MD · Answer

The first thing to do is to have your surgeon examine your eyes make sure both eyes healing correctly and both of your flaps are in place!  A week after LASIK, blurring can certainly occur with normal healing.  One eye may be better than the other early on in the process, but most often they end up being very close to the same (constantly comparing the two eyes will only make you crazy).  Dryness can persist for six month or more even with normal healing so artificial tears are essential

Brian Davis, MD · Answer

There are a lot of variables here. First of all dry eye is very prevalent and Lasik certainly exacerbates the dryness for up to a year and then you usually return to your baseline level of dryness. Lasik also can decrease your sensation of dryness so you may be more dry than you feel. Dryness certainly can blur your vision. Dry eye treatment is also often misunderstood. When the dryness is severe enough the cells on the surface of your eye can die. To repair this situation you have to make the surface healthy enough for the cells to regenerate. This takes frequent consistent lubrication over longer periods of time often taking multiple months to improve. Taking drops for a few weeks or inconsistently is usually not enough. If your dryness resolves it is very possible that the left eye could see as well as the right.

How long will eyes be dry and cloudy after Lasik?

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How long will eyes be dry and cloudy after Lasik?

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Everything you need to know about LASIK

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.