North Yorkers worry about dry eyes when it comes to laser eye surgery. Many patients are worried they will get dry eye symptoms after their treatment or they already have dry eyes and wonder if surgery is even an option for them. At SeeRite Eye Clinic, we help patients understand how laser eye surgery can cause dry eyes and we treat them for this common side effect.
It’s normal to have dry eyes after laser eye surgery and knowing why this happens may help you feel better. The surgeon makes a flap in the cornea or changes the shape of its surface during LASIK and similar procedures. This can damage the nerves that tell your eyes to make tears for a short time. If these nerves are damaged, your eyes may not make enough tears or the right kind of tears which can cause dryness, irritation and pain. Most people get better over time as their nerves heal but some people have dry eyes for a long time.
We need to discuss this at your consultation if you already have dry eyes before you think about surgery. As part of our pre- and post-op LASIK and cataract management services, we do a thorough evaluation to see if your dry eye will impact the outcome of your surgery. We may need to treat your dry eye disease before you can safely have laser surgery in some cases. In some cases having dry eyes may mean surgery isn’t the best option for you and we’ll be honest about that. We treat those who have surgery with continued dry eye treatment to help with their symptoms while they heal and after. There are different ways to treat dry eyes depending on what’s causing them and how bad your symptoms are. We may recommend lifestyle changes, prescription eye drops, artificial tears or therapies that you can get in our office. The goal is to keep your eyes comfortable as they heal and to prevent dry eye from making your vision worse.
Before any surgical procedure we do a complete eye exam to check your overall eye health. These tests help us find any problems that could make surgery or recovery harder, such as having dry eyes before the procedure. We check how well your tear film works, look for signs of inflammation and check the health of your cornea and other parts of your eye. With this full picture we can give you a good idea of what to expect from surgery.
We also take preventing eye disease very seriously because many things can make you ineligible for laser surgery or slow down your recovery. During your visits we check for issues such as glaucoma, cataracts and corneal diseases that could affect how we treat you.
We take care of eye emergencies and injuries because sometimes eye problems need to be fixed right away. If you have severe dry eye symptoms after surgery, sudden changes in your vision or signs of infection we can help you right away to protect your vision and comfort.
What you eat is one of the things that affects your overall health and your eye health. We talk to patients about nutrition because some foods and supplements can help make tears and reduce inflammation. For example omega-3 fatty acids can help with dry eye symptoms. We can suggest changes to your diet that can help your eyes.
Our specialist myopia control clinic in North York offers expert care for families in North York with children who are having vision problems. This is not the same as treating dry eyes but shows we are committed to providing comprehensive, personalized care for all kinds of eye problems.
Our optical services can help you find comfortable solutions when you need corrective eyewear and have dry eyes or are preparing for surgery. Some people who wear contact lenses say their lenses make their dry eyes worse. We can help you find other options. Make informed decisions about your eye care at SeeRite Eye Clinic. Laser eye surgery can change your life but you need to know dry eyes can happen and how we can help you with this common side effect. We’re here to give you the expert treatment and advice you need for better vision whether you’re looking for surgery options or just dealing with dry eyes now.