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People with dry
eyes who undergo laser surgery to correct their vision may
have a more severe case of dryness after the surgery.
Researchers followed
290 patients who had "definite" or "probable"
dry eye before LASIK surgery. In the year after surgery, the
patients with dry eyes saw the same vision improvement as
other patients. But their dry-eye symptoms were worse throughout
the year, according to the study.
Those who did not
have dry eyes before the surgery only experienced temporary
dryness for about a month afterward.
In the LASIK surgery,
a thin layer of tissue is removed from the cornea to reshape
it and correct near- or far-sighted vision.
Those with dry
eyes often desire the surgery because wearing contact lenses
is uncomfortable, but the study cautions that, with LASIK,
their dry eyes may persist or even worsen.
Archives
of Ophthalmology 2002;120:1024-1028
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