DR. BILL TRATTLER THINKS SO!
We now know that corneal nerve damage from refractive surgery causes dry eye, and that this nerve damage was found to increase between years 2-3 post LASIK to over 40% loss of corneal nerve density, according to a recent study at the Mayo Clinic:
Dr. Trattler is aware of these findings, but claims that certain palliatives can treat “even the worst dry eye patients after LASIK”:
“We have also shown (in a study I collaborated with Dr. Tseng on) that warm compresses along with other therapies can treat even the worst dry eye patients after LASIK. We took patients from other centers that had failed therapy, and were able to dramatically improve their dry eye state. The study ended 18 months ago, and these patients have done great even since the study end. Part of that is because dry eye is s cycle - so breaking the cycle (with Restasis pre-surgery or other therapies after surgery) can significantly help dry eye after LASIK, and can allow patients to get off Restasis after a number of months.”
Bill Trattler, MD - Miami, FL
Perhaps Dr. Trattler needs to hear from some folks on disability and/or in goggles from their LASIK dry eye.