Can I Get Lasik If I Have Dry Eyes?

It’s no secret that people getting lasik will have some dry eye after the procedure. For most people, this dryness goes away pretty quickly within the first few months. However, most people also didn’t deal with daily dry eye before lasik (except for some contact lens related irritation). But what about the others who have chronic dry eye? Yes, it is absolutely possible to have lasik! But only with the right management beforehand.

The thing about dry eye is that if left untreated, dry eye can get significantly worse. Inflammation that builds up from dry eye can cause the dry eye to become worse and worse. Lasik on an inflamed, dry eye is a bad idea!

So before lasik can be done, the most important thing is getting the dry eye under control. This involves taking artificial tears, omega-3 supplements and in some cases prescription eye drops. Getting the dry eye under control won’t make it go away, but it will make the eye feel more comfortable and reduce inflammation on the eye. A stable eye is much better equipped to respond to the dry eye after lasik to prevent that dryness from getting out of control.

Most chronic dry eye can be controlled enough for lasik (there are some types such as Sjogren’s syndrome which still prove to be challenging). All that it takes is some patience to adequately treat the dry eye beforehand. More work on the front-end makes for an easier recovery afterwards.

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