Eye irritation from fraxel dual. Any suggestions?

Question

My eyes gets easily irritated whenever I shed tears or yawning I've noticed this didn't happened to me before fraxel two months ago does my eyes affect with the laser and by the way the technician didn't put any eye googles in my eyes what to do is this damage?

Trefor Nodwell, MD · Answer

Good afternoon. You seem to have had a difficult course since your Fraxel treatment and I'm sorry to hear that. Regarding your specific concerns in this post I will address them individually1) Fraxel should not have a direct effect on your eye sensitivity or irritation, apart from normal skin tightness and dryness (temporarily) in the treatment area.2) That being said, eye protection for the patient and treatment team are of paramount importance during any Laser therapy. If safety protocols are not being followed it might be possible that some of this irritation could be due to that.Make an appointment with your physician, review your concerns, review your treatment record and see if that explains anything. They should also have a policies and procedures manual that outlines the safety measures they have in place for their patients and staff.At least that is a place to start.Best of luck

Michele S. Green, MD · Answer

I have not seen eye irritation after the laser.  There are eye shields and goggles that are recommended for the lasers by each individual laser company.  I recommend you consulting with an ophthalmologist to determine what is the problem with your eyes.  Please keep us posted and consider consulting with a board certified dermatologist who has expertise in lasers.

R. Stephen Mulholland, MD (retired) · Answer

Dear notworth,

Thank you for your clinical post and sorry to hear of your
symptoms following your laser treatment. 
In general, the Fraxel duel or any fractional tightening or resurfacing
device or even radio frequency energy system when performed near the eye will
rarely, if ever, cause eye irritation that would be prolonged and
permanent.  However, if the laser light
or energy was to have struck your cornea there could be corneal irritation and
damage.  There certainly could be some
swelling and edema in the tissue that impedes somewhat tear film being passed
across the globe and exiting by the inner aspect of the eye and occasionally
the post-op skin care regime can cause irritation to the eyes.

Now that you’re 2 months following the treatment these
symptoms should be abating and improving. 
You didn’t mention if there is any visual acuity, abnormalities, double
vision or blurriness, but these would be additional symptoms that one should be
concerned about.

As you live in Toronto there are some excellent
ophthalmologists and I would recommend seeing an ophthalmologist to analyze all
aspects of your eye, measure your tear film production and ensure that there’s
been no physiologic or anatomical derangement following your laser
therapy.  I suspect your symptoms will
improve over time and drops that improve the tear film quantity may be helpful
in the short-term.  Seeing an
ophthalmologist would be paramount to ensure there’s no damage that could cause
ongoing visual abnormality.

I have been performing cosmetic plastic surgery for over 20
years and have over 40 or 50 cosmetic lasers in my centre and these kinds of
symptoms do rarely occur, but have always abated, improved and resolved.

I hope this information has been of some assistance and best
of luck.

For more information, please review the link below.

R. Stephen Mulholland, M.D.

Certified Plastic Surgeon

Yorkville, Toronto

Eye irritation from fraxel dual. Any suggestions?

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Eye irritation from fraxel dual. Any suggestions?

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Everything you need to know about Fraxel Laser

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