Category Archives: Post LASIK, PRK, and RK Problems

Dr. Irwin Azman sucessfuly treats Post LASIK, PRK, and RK Problems.

Post LASIK Complications

Lasik (Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis), a type of eye surgery for correction of also errors of refraction is also known as laser eye surgery or laser vision correction.

LASIK provides a permanent solution for errors of refraction in most patients, getting rid of eye glasses or contact lenses. However, there are certain complications associated with the procedure too and should be known by the patients before getting LASIK procedure done.

Post LASIK complications:

Like every surgical procedure, there are certain side effects associated with LASIK too, which don’t develop in most of the patients, but there is a possibility of acquiring them as a complication. Please note that not all the complications are permanent. These complications are:

Correction errors

This can result as the error by surgeon. The procedure can result in undercorrection, overcorrection, residual astigmatism, etc. in some patients. This results in blurring of vision, imperfect vision as compared to expected vision after the LASIK procedure.

  • Undercorrections: this can result if too little tissue was removed from the eye during the procedure. This can be corrected by repeating the procedure easily. Undercorrection is common for people with nearsightedness.
  • Overcorrections: this can happen if too much tissue is removed from the eye. This is difficult to correct in most cases.

Astigmatism

Uneven tissue removal during the LASIK procedure results in uneven refraction of light entering the eye, resulting in astigmatism. It may require further surgical correction or else to be corrected by glasses and contact lenses.

Dry Eyes

Some patients might experience dry eyes after the surgery. This is a temporary side effect mostly, however it can develop into dry eye syndrome in few patients, specially those who suffer from underlying conditions with dry eyes.

Vision returning to previous condition

Due to conditions like abnormal wound healing, hormonal imbalances, pregnancy, etc. the vision can return to the pre surgical condition slowly over time.

Visual impairment or loss

Rarely, the patient might experience more impaired vision than it was before the procedure. Very rarely, vision loss can result as a complication too.

The patient might experience glare, halos or double vision after surgery, specially at night, even if the vision is better in good light conditions.

Oversized pupils

As a result of procedure, if the pupils end up being larger than they should ideally be, it results in halos, glare, etc.

Infection

Infection can result from any surgical procedure, specially if hygienic standards are not met. This can result in redness along with discharge from the eyes. Pain can also be present in patients with post operative infection.

Delayed healing

Certain factors might contribute to delayed surgical wound healing in some patients.

Life After LASIK Eye Surgery

Life After LASIK Eye Surgery

Unfortunately many people have had unacceptable results from LASIK and other refractive surgical procedures (PRK, RK, and others). Countless post LASIK patients complain of dry eye, night time glare/halos, blurry vision, double vision, and wonder why there vision is not sharp and clear. While many LASIK procedures are successful, the statistics are increasing for dissatisfied patients and those now experiencing visual symptoms. According to an FDA spokesperson “Given the large number of patients undergoing LASIK annually, dissatisfaction and disabling symptoms may occur in a significant number of patients.”

Together with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted the LASIK Quality of Life Collaboration Project (LQOLCP).

The study had two groups of Patient-Reported Outcomes With LASIK (PROWL):

PROWL-1 was conducted at the Navy Refractive Surgery Center in San Diego, CA.

  • Active duty military patients
  • No cost to patients
  • Standardized approach

PROWL-2 was conducted at 5 clinical sites across the U.S.

  • 20/20 Institute (Indiana)
  • Durrie Vision (Kansas)
  • Johns Hopkins University, Wilmer Eye Clinic (Maryland)
  • Stanford University (California)
  • Vance Thompson Vision (South Dakota)

Summary of the findings:

  • LASIK Dry Eye: Up to 30 % of the subjects developed new dry eye symptoms.
  • LASIK Symptoms: 45% of the subjects, who were symptom free prior to LASIK, developed symptoms post LASIK. (halos, starbursts, glare, and ghosting)
  • LASIK Dissatisfaction: Up to 4 % of the subjects were dissatisfied with their vision post LASIK.
  • LASIK Dissatisfaction: Up to 1% of the subjects visual symptoms caused extreme difficulty to do usual activities.

Based on these results the FDA stated “Given the large number of patients undergoing LASIK annually, dissatisfaction and disabling symptoms may occur in a significant number of patients.”

If you or a loved one have had LASIK Eye Surgery and are dissatisfied with your vision contact Dr. Irwin Azman today!

Is there any treatment for glare after LASIK surgery?

Glare after LASIK surgery:

A recent episode of the Dr. Oz Show, which aired on October 3rd, 2013, featured an investigative report about the potential life-long side effects of LASIK eye surgery. As a popular elective surgery, nearly 800,000 people get LASIK every year. FDA clinical data trial shows that every modern laser left 1 out of 5 patients seeing worse after LASIK. Side effects include dry eyes, double vision, halos or starbursts (especially at night), and blurry vision.

lasik problems

Investigative reporter Elisabeth Leamy has been investigating the harmful side effects of LASIK for over two years. During her undercover consultations with doctors, she discovered that the side effects were minimized and the procedure was treated like an easy, no-risk procedure. Morris Waxler, the former FDA official responsible for getting LASIK surgery approved, is now working to get it banned. He says that the side effects of LASIK are actually injuries and that LASIK harms 20% of patients.

While the investigation revealed the potential dangers and risk of LASIK eye surgery, it did not discuss what people can do if they are suffering from LASIK side effects.

Dr. Irwin Azman is one of the leading LASIK consultants with over 25 years of experience in the diagnosis and management of the Post LASIK patient with complications and side effects. Dr. Azman affirms that although patients may experience side effects due to pre-existing eye conditions, there are non-surgical treatments to help those with LASIK side effects. Together with his team of technicians, new technologies in instrumentation and new treatment modalities, Dr. Azman is able to prescribe each patient with the perfect solution in resolving their Post LASIK side effects without further surgery.

According to Dr. Azman: “While LASIK surgery can be successful under optimum eye conditions, unfortunately many patients do experience side effects due to pre-existing conditions. However, there is hope. Utilizing our vast experience and expertise, as well as an array of new technologies, we are able to treat these side effects with non-surgical techniques.”

Visit http://www.lasikfailures.com for more information about Treatment for LASIK complications and the services of Dr. Irwin Azman or call (240) 782-2020.

Dr. Oz Undercover LASIK Surgery Investigation

As reported on the Dr. Oz Show, “LASIK surgery promises to fix imperfect eyesight, but is it safe? Investigative reporter and consumer expert Elisabeth Leamy goes undercover to find out more about the potential life-changing side effects of this popular surgery.”

The Dr. Oz Undercover LASIK Surgery Investigation: 

Click her for full video segment: 

“LASIK surgery is an unnecessary procedure on a very necessary part of your body. Almost no one needs LASIK, though many want it. That’s why it’s important to know the possible risks as well as the potential benefits. You’ve heard about the benefits in countless LASIK commercials. The Dr. Oz Show wanted to balance out the picture, by presenting the risks.”

“More than 20 million people worldwide have had LASIK surgery and many report they are thrilled with the results. But our investigation found this eye operation isn’t the foolproof fix it’s often made out to be. LASIK can have bad results, from unclear vision to visual distortions, from excruciating eye pain to a weakened eye structure.”

“Every year, an estimated 600,000 people get LASIK, according to the FDA. Those people may be responding to advertising like this:

  • “Throw away your glasses!”
  • “You’re only minutes away from 20/20 vision!”
  • “No more need for expensive contact lenses!”
  • “Have your vision permanently corrected!”
  • “Your eyes will have high-definition vision clarity!”

According to FDA rules, eye centers are not supposed to overstate the benefits of LASIK or understate the risks and yet we easily found hyped up LASIK commercial claims with a simple YouTube search.

The LASIK advertising promises above are not necessarily true. So here’s what all patients need to know about some of the complications of the procedure to make an informed decision about LASIK.”

 

 

Prevention and Treatment of LASIK Problems

If you are experiencing contact lens intolerance and are thinking about LASIK, STOP!

Stop Sign

Before making this decision you need to know the truth:  LASIK surgery has side effects and can lead to permanent disabling complications affecting your lifestyle permanently. Proceed with caution. According to recent studies between 10-40% of LASIK patients experience symptoms of complications. Symptoms include dry eyes, glare, halos and star bursting.   Our own in-house experience, together with 10 other contact lens practices demonstrates the #1 reason patients seek LASIK is due to contact lens intolerance relating to dryness and blurry vision.

If you’ve had LASIK and are now experiencing problems, there is HOPE to get you back all day comfort with clear vision.

Prevention and Treatment of LASIK Problems

Dr. Irwin Azman maintains a contact lens specialty practice since 1977 with a special interest in the prevention and treatment of LASIK problems and restoration of vision and comfort lost as a result of refractive surgery: LASIK, PRK, RK, intacs, corneal transplant or keratoconus. Many of his patients travel from all parts of the United States and are referred by other eye care practitioners.

Unfortunately, most LASIK patients have some level of complication which has affected their lifestyle permanently. Some are out on total disability, while others suffer from depression.  Symptoms range from dry eyes, burning eyes, glare, light sensitivity, ghost images, star bursts, double vision, loss of contrast sensitivity, fluctuation of vision, eye pain, and loss of sight.

Many of Dr. Azman’s patients have seen several other eye doctors before seeking his expertise and were told “nothing can be done” or that they needed a corneal transplant. Dr. Azman says “there is HOPE for the majority of these patients and to hold off on corneal surgery.”

Each case is different. Each patient will go thru 2-3 evaluations including:  phone and in-person consultations, review of all previous eye records. Incorporating and using the latest technology to determine the exact problem and solution. Special tests range from: wavefront aberrometry, anterior and posterior OCT, tear scan, specular microscopy, meibography, tear osmolality, corneal evaluation, advanced refraction, refractive wavefront topography, and vital stainings.

Simple solutions can vary from a combination of dry eye treatment, prescribing of specialty soft lenses, to specialty post op LASIK rigid lenses.  More complex solutions vary from the prescribing of customized reverse geometry lenses, customized piggy back lenses, hybrid lenses, to the most complex lens called post refractive surgery scleral lenses. If a patient has a highly irregular and distorted cornea, and experiences halos, star bursts, double vision, and decreased vision scleral lenses are usually the best option that can minimize/eliminate all the symptoms.

Unfortunately, most practitioners have very little experience, if any, while Dr. Azman has treated 100’s of patients.

With over 25 years of LASIK experience, Dr. Azman is one of the pioneers in preventing LASIK complications and treating those with Post LASIK / PRK / RK patient. Together with his knowledge and experience, Dr. Azman and his team employ the newest technologies in instrumentation and treatment modalities. Dr. Azman is able to prescribe each patient with a solution in resolving their Post LASIK / PRK / RK difficulties.

If you are suffering from contact lens intolerance, or are thinking about LASIK surgery, or have any symptoms caused by refractive surgery please call
Dr. Azman personally for a free consultation. Call Today (240) 782-2020!

Post LASIK Dry Eye Treatment

According to the Eagle Vision-Yankelovich poll, one out of every five U.S. residents suffer from Dry Eye Syndrome; that’s 59 million Americans!
Dry eye is the most common complication of LASIK.  In fact, about half of all LASIK patients will have dry eye after LASIK. While the condition is usually temporary and mild, significant numbers of people continue to suffer from dry eye for months or even years after the procedure.
Many people who have had LASIK  had a previously undiagnosed dry eye issue, and the procedure actually exacerbated the problem. For example, contact lens wearers who find their contact lenses uncomfortable due to dry eye, may investigate LASIK as an alternative (since they do not want to wear eyeglasses).  They then, regrettably, proceed to LASIK without proper dry eye treatment. Fortunately, pre-LASIK procedure screenings have advanced, and dry eye detection is now a condition that is hopefully detected in advance. However, there are still many, many post LASIK patients who experience dry eye.

Post LASIK Dry Eye Treatment

Dr. Irwin Azman O.D.

Dr. Irwin Azman O.D.

Dr. Irwin Azman, who has been in practice for over 30 years, specializes in post LASIK complications and side effects. Dr. Azman, a PRK patient himself, has been involved in refractive surgery for over 20 year and is always committed to staying updated on the latest, most advanced research, education and technologies. Dr. Azman utilizes his knowledge, experience, and expertise to provide his patients with treatments for post LASIK complications and side effects, without further surgical procedures. Each dry eye patient is different, and Dr. Azman utilizes his vast knowledge to customize a treatment program that is tailored for each individual patient.

Treatment for glare after LASIK

Many patients have undergone radial keratotomy (RK), LASIK, PRK and other refractive surgeries with significant success. However, unfortunately, there are many people out there who have even had the newest LASIK procedures, but are still experiencing post Lasik side effects such as glare, starbursts, loss of night vision, and dry eye.

Glare after Lasik

Glare after Lasik

What can be done for post LASIK, PRK, and radial keratotomy (RK) complications and side effects?

Some doctors will continue to recommend additional surgical procedures, which inevitably exacerbate the problem

With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Irwin Azman, a PRK patient himself, utilizes his expertise with the newest technology to resolve and treat side effects from post LASIK, radial keratotomy (RK), PRK and other refractive surgeries.

Contact Dr. Irwin Azman for a free consultation at (240) 782-2020 | www.lasikfailures.com

Correcting Radial Keratotomy (RK) Complications

Radial keratotomy (RK) is a refractive surgical procedure to correct myopia (nearsightedness) that was developed in 1974. It has been superseded by newer operations, such as photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), LASIK, Intra-Lasik, Wavefront Lasik, and others. Although rarely done now, millions of people underwent RK in the 80’s and 90’s around the world with over a million procedures done in the United States. In addition, many of these RK patients had LASIK in an attempt to undo damage caused by their initial RK surgery.

With the RK procedure, incisions are made on the cornea with a scalpel (knife). These tiny cuts flatten the surface of the cornea and reduce nearsightedness. The surgeon may make additional cuts to flatten the misshapen part of the cornea for those people who have both astigmatism and nearsightedness. The long term results of radial keratotomy (RK) complications have truly been horrific for many people. Numerous problems occurred years later. These include:

• Loss of Best Corrected Visual Acuity
• Severe Dry Eye
• Unstable or Fluctuating Vision
• Double or Triple Vision
• Irregular Astigmatism
• Halos, Glare, and Reduced Night Vision

Many RK patients also underwent additional RK procedures followed by one or more LASIK procedures. In every instance, the additional procedures only exacerbated the problem. In recent years, advances in specialty lenses including Scleral lenses and other unique advanced lens technologies have become available which will allow patients to see clearly and comfortably once again, without the risk of further surgery.

The images below show how one of our patients, Sharon B., sees at night after having RK surgery vs. how she now sees with a Scleral lens.

 Post RK Surgery with glasses                   Post RK Surgery Corrected with Scleral lens                                                                       Post RK Surgery Uncorrected and corrected

Treating LASIK Failures and LASIK Complications without further surgery!

LASIK

LASIK (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When people hear the term “laser eye surgery”, the first thing they think of is LASIK. However, most people are not aware that LASIK is not the only “laser eye surgery”. The other laser eye surgery options include PRK, LASEK, and IntraLase. Each of these optionshas an excellent safety record, and high success rates. These surgeries are intended to treat myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism, and, unbelievably, can allow you to lead a life without glasses or contact lenses.  Although severe LASIK complications and LASIK failures such as complete or partial loss of vision are extremely rare, many side effects can occur.

Like all other surgical procedures, there are potential risks and side effects. LASIK complications commonly include, glare, halo’s and other issues, which are delineated below. LASIK failures and LASIK complications can occasionally be resolved with additional surgery; however more surgery can exacerbate the symptoms.

LASIK Eye Surgery Risk Factors and Limitations

Not every patient is a candidate for LASIK. Specific health and eye conditions and anatomical factors can put you at an increased risk for LASIK complications and LASIK failures. These conditions include, thin or irregular corneas, large pupil size, your specific degree of refractive error, whether or not you suffer from dry eyes; your age, whether your vision is stable, whether you are pregnant, and if you have specific degenerative or autoimmune disorders.

Post LASIK Side Effects and Complications

Although LASIK eye surgery has been performed on millions of people in the United States, experienced LASIK surgeons report that serious complication rates can be held below one percent.  However, like any surgical procedures, there are potential risks and side effects. LASIK failures and LASIK complications commonly include, glare, halos, dryness, ghost images, star bursting, smeared images, loss of contrast, vision fluctuation, blurry vision, and double vision. LASIK failures and LASIK complications can occasionally be resolved with additional surgery, but often exacerbate the problem.

Vision disturbances: Halos, glare and starbursts in low vision, especially at night; dry eye symptoms; hazy vision; and reduced sharpness of vision.

Flap complications: One of the crucial steps in LASIK surgery is the creation of a thin hinged flap on the front surface of the cornea. In the course of the surgery the flap is lifted for the laser to reshape the cornea. The flap is then replaced and heals naturally. If the flap is not made correctly, it may fail to keep to the eye’s surface causing corneal striae. These LASIK flap complications can lead to an irregularly shaped cornea and cause distorted vision.

Other problems associated with LASIK flap complications include:

  • Irregular astigmatism: Caused by an unequally curved corneal surface. Resulting symptoms may include double vision or “ghost images.”
  • Keratectasia or Keratoconus: Bulging of the cornea can occur when too much tissue is removed during the LASIK procedure. Or when the cornea, prior to LASIK is weak as evidenced from corneal topography mapping. Rarely does keratoconus develop after LASIK with no known risk factors.  Enhancement laser surgery is usually not suitable, and scleral contact lenses, gas permeable contact lenses or, corneal implants may be prescribed.

starburst
Left: Post LASIK uncorrected HOAs with starbursts at night.
Right: Corrected Post LASIK HOAs at night

Dry eyes after LASIK: LASIK surgery can cause a decrease in tear production and cause your eyes to feel scratchy and blurry. Almost half of all patients experience some degree of temporary dry eye syndrome. People who already have severe dry eye should have been eliminated as LASIK candidates.

Significant under-correction, overcorrection or regression. Not all patients will patients will receive 20/20 vision after LASIK eye surgery, and contact lenses or glasses for some or all activities may still be required. If the laser removes too much or too little corneal tissue, or you do not have typical healing, your best vision outcome can be less than optimal. Furthermore, if the laser removes tissue in an uneven manner or your eye heals unevenly, astigmatism can result.

LASIK Failures and LASIK Complications:

Complications

Symptoms

Incomplete corrections (under-correction, over-correction, residual astigmatism) or regression of effect

Blurry, less-than-perfect vision

Decentered ablations

Visual distortions & aberrations (HOA)

Oversize pupils

Visual distortions & aberrations (HOA)

Haze

Visual distortions & aberrations (HOA)

Irregular flap

Visual distortions & aberrations (HOA)

Dry eye

Dry, itchy or scratchy eyes.

Diffuse lamellar keratitis (eye inflammation)

Visual distortions & aberrations (HOA)

Dr. Irwin Azman has over 25 years of experience in the diagnosis and management of the Post LASIK patient with LASIK failures and LASIK complications. Dr. Azman utilizes non-surgical restoration techniques to restore quality vision to those who have lost it due to  LASIK failures and LASIK complications, R-K surgery, corneal transplant surgery, ocular trauma, dry eye and corneal disease. Together with his knowledge and experience, his team of technicians, new technologies in instrumentation and new treatment modalities, Dr. Azman is able to prescribe each LASIK failure patient with the perfect solution in resolving their LASIK complications, without any further surgical procedures.

Scleral Lenses: Post-Surgical Complications and Vision Loss

LASIK

LASIK (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 Post-Surgical Complications and Vision Loss:

Dr. Irwin Azman is one of the leading Pre and Post Lasik consultants with over 25 years of experience in the diagnosis and management of the Post Lasik patient with Lasik failure complications. Together with his knowledge and experience, his team of technicians, new technologies in instrumentation and new treatment modalities, Dr. Azman is able to prescribe each Lasik failure patient with the perfect solution in resolving his/her Post Lasik failure complications.

Post Lasik Treatments:

There are a number of specialized lenses now available that will allow post-surgical patients to function on a much higher level and with a much greater level of comfort. To address the vision and comfort issues that most post-refractive surgical patients are facing, Dr. Azman prescribes Post-Surgical Scleral Lenses.

Scleral contacts are large-diameter gas permeable contact lenses specially designed to vault over the entire corneal surface and rest on the “white” of the eye (sclera). In doing so, scleral lenses functionally replace the irregular cornea with a perfectly smooth optical surface to correct vision problems caused by Lasik failures, post-surgical complications, and other corneal irregularities.

Because scleral lenses are designed to vault the corneal surface and rest on the less sensitive surface of the sclera, these lenses often are more comfortable for a person with corneal irregularities. A special liquid fills the space between the back surface of the lens and the front surface of the cornea. This liquid acts as a buffer and protects the compromised corneal tissue. Scleral lenses are designed to fit with little or no lens movement during blinks, making them more stable on the eye, compared with traditional corneal gas permeable lenses. These lenses are almost always very comfortable and the vision provided by them is extremely good. The great majority of patients are able to wear their scleral lenses almost all of their waking hours without problems.

Dr. Irwin Azman prescribes scleral contact lenses for a variety of hard-to-fit eyes, including patients with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, Radial Keratotomy and Lasik Complications, Keratoconus, Corneal Ectasia, Post-Surgical Vision Loss, and Pellucid Marginal Degeneration.

Dr. Irwin Azman neither avoids nor declines the challenge of prescribing the most difficult cases. Dr. Azman tends to have a perfectionist demeanor.