In September of 1998, I had Lasik Surgery to correct my astigmatism (nearsightedness).  I found out later that I should never have had it, because of my connective tissue disease. 

Keep in mind that this story was written (and my surgery was done) when Lasik surgery was still considered experimental.  It was  several years ago; so the procedure may be different and/or much safer now ( Let's HOPE).  I recommend that you talk to a reputable doctor if you're considering this procedure, and be aware of possible complications.

 LASIK stands for Laser in-situ (or something)  Kera-something or other, I can't remember; but for me it spelled T-R-O-U-B-L-E!  I don't want to discourage anyone from having this procedure, but anyone with a pre-existing illness should be aware of all the possible drawbacks, so they can make an informed decision.  And first and foremost, I recommend finding a good doctor!   *See information at bottom of page concerning Dr. Robert Mack in the Chicago area *

LASIK is not the "traditional" RK procedure where they cut slits in your eyeball.  The surgeon uses a micro-keratome (world's smallest buzz saw) to cut a flap in your cornea.   He lifts the flap out of the way, then blasts the exposed surface with an ultraviolet laser.  Then he puts the flap back down and spins his prayer wheel.  If everything works out, the cornea reshapes itself to focus light more precisely on your retina.  (There are better explanations on web sites like The American Eye Institute.)  If this description sends you reeling for the barf bag, stick with glasses.  I was pretty much a nerves-of-steel type on the Squeamish Spectrum BEFORE my LASIK surgery.  My experience changed that.  Now I'm petrified when it comes to anything related to my eyes.  Just sitting in the doctor's chair to take a vision test gives me panic attacks now, because it causes flash backs of excruciating pain and terror.

LASIK normally is very expensive, costing up to $2500 PER EYE -- when performed by a good, reputable doctor (like Robert Mack).   That price tag was about as accessible to me as a personal dirigible, so I thought I was REALLY lucky to find a doctor who did BOTH eyes for a fraction of that cost.  

I went to Chicago - about 350 miles from my home in northern Wisconsin -- to a clinic that had been recommended by several people.  I was shocked to discover that it was in a little strip mall.  This should have sent up a red flag right away; but all I could think of was all that money I was saving.  Yes, I was naive -- or should I say stupid?   When I discovered that no one in the office spoke fluent English except the doctor, I should have hit the road; but  I went ahead with the surgery anyway, because I personally knew someone who had, just a few weeks earlier, had the procedure done with no complications, no hassles, and no glasses afterward. 

I did not realize that my medical condition had any bearing on the outcome of the surgery. I have mixed connective tissue disease, a disorder which causes muscle and joint pain, fatigue, migraines, and various other fun stuff.  I was uninformed at that time and had no idea that an inflammation-causing illness would affect my eyes or the healing process.  Boy did I learn that lesson -- the hard way.

I filled out the usual forms including a medical history.  I don't know whether the doctor even looked at the forms.  He didn't mention any possible problems caused by pre-existing medical conditions, and he asked me no questions at all about my general health.  He didn't take my blood pressure or check anything else.  I didn't know what was customary, so I didn't question the procedures.  After all, I thought, "He's the expert!"

I signed a waver saying the doctor was not responsible if I went blind, but he assured me that the chances of complications were really non-existent and I'd have perfect eyesight when I got out of his chair after the surgery.  He told me I could drive myself home and even stop at the mall to shop after the surgery.  In actuality, I could not even walk unaided for months.  I had to be led out of his office by the hand. 

Before the surgery, the doctor inserts a "speculum" in your eye to hold open your eyelid, preventing you from blinking.  When he did this to me,  the membrane covering my cornea came off.  OOOOOPS.   That was not supposed to happen!   The doctor  said not to worry about it, so I didn't worry about it.  Silly me. I should have yelled STOP right then and refused to let him go any farther.

I was in horrible pain afterward and could see nothing but a dense white fog.  My eyes were so sensitive to sunlight, that I wore regular sunglasses and over those I put a pair of those big ugly "solar shields" that they give cataract patients.  Then I put a sweatshirt over my face on top of the glasses to block the sunlight. 

I called the clinic about the severe pain and was told to use more of the eye drops they had given me.  I used the drops every 15 minutes, as directed.  When I called the doctor in the middle of the night because the pain was excruciating and I could only see blackness, he said to use lots and lots of the drops.  He said "The drops are your friend."  Little did I know that they were making the inflammation worse and worse.

When I went in to the clinic he next day, I wasn't allowed to see or talk to the doctor, even though I was in pain, I had pus in my eyes, and I couldn't see anything -- contrary to the rosy picture he had painted for me the day before when he said I'd be shopping and driving as if I'd never had surgery.  Finally, an assistant who spoke no English pulled the pus out of my eyes with tweezers. Need I say that this was very unpleasant (to put it mildly)?  And they sent me home!

The next day, when I finally insisted on seeing a REAL doctor, he immediately sent me to a cornea specialist who gave me several prescriptions, including steroids, and told me that the drops I'd been using were toxic.

What in the world had gone wrong?   First of all, I found out later that most surgeons  would never have done the procedure on someone with an illness like mine,  because of the risk involved.   Apparently, the surgeon I had was more interested in herding patients through his clinic like cattle and raking in the money than being concerned about what might happen to those unfortunate enough to have conditions that were not conducive to this surgery.  (I learned later that many of his patients sued this surgeon after they went blind. Eventually, his clinic was shut down by the health department.)

Secondly, I learned from other doctors that  if a surgeon were confident (crazy) enough to risk the surgery on a  patient with my medical history, he should have only done ONE eye at a time,  just  in case . . . 

Thirdly, when the membrane over the cornea came off the first eye, that doctor never should have continued with the other eye.  It should have been a signal that something was not right with my eyes to begin with.  Then and there, he should have asked me about my general health and any pre-existing illnesses.  

I had to stay in Chicago for six or eight weeks so that I could see a wonderful cornea specialist every day.  I can't remember how long it was, because I was totally doped up the entire time with pain medication and hardly knew what was going on much of the time.

On top of everything else, there was another complication.  I had an "infiltration" underneath one of the flaps.  It looked like a  hair had been trapped under the cornea when the surgeon closed the incision.  This infiltration occurs very rarely.  Mathematical thought for the day: a 99.8% success rate is meaningless when you're one of the 0.2%!

The cornea specialist (Dr. Robert Mack)  had to raise the flap, scrape out the gunk, rinse off the interior surface, and close it up again.  I DID NOT LOOK FORWARD TO THIS.  I had to be given Valium  just to get me into the office for this procedure. .  Without that, they would never have gotten me into the chair.  By this time, I didn't want to let anyone NEAR my eyes.  No exaggeration:  that was one of the worst days of my life.   It made childbirth seem like a picnic in the park.

Fortunately, I was in the care of the fabulous Dr. Robert Mack.  I lived through that second surgery, but the anticipation was horrendous!  At that point, I would have given just about anything just to have my "old" eyesight back - bad as it was, thick glasses and all.

Thank God,  Dr. Mack gave me strong pain pills.  I slept most of the time for weeks.  My dad took fantastic care of me. He woke me up every couple hours  to put various medications in my eyes and to give me more pills.  Good thing he kept track of the medication schedule.  I would never have been able to do it myself, in my drugged state because I took so many different pills; and the prescriptions changed every day at first, while the doctor tried to hit on the perfect combination to get the inflammation under control.

One of the happiest days of my life was when I was able to make out three blurry fingers that Dr. Mack held in front of my face.  He was almost as happy as I was.  He gave me a bottle of champagne to celebrate!  

It took months before my vision returned enough so that I could get around well.   Even after the fog cleared, I saw double and triple for a long time.  Several doctors since then have told me that they've never seen a case as bad as mine, except in text books.  I always wanted to hear that I was one in a million, but not in a situation like that.  To this day, when I go to an eye doctor just for a vision test, they are awed and call in everyone in the office to see "what some quack did" to my eyes.

I spoke with lawyers about any possible legal recourse I might have, but no attorney would take my case.  They each said I could never win against a doctor unless I was totally and permanently blind. Many patients did file cases against the doctor who did this to me, but I have not followed up to learn the outcomes of those law suits.

My eyes still bother me -- they are red and sore all of the time.  They are very dry, scratchy, and constantly irritated because they can no longer produce the protective oil that should lubricate the membranes.  This is called "rusty eye syndrome."  I must use eye drops several times throughout the day and night. 

Since this ordeal, my vision has been poor, especially in dim lighting.  But during the past year, it's gotten much worse. I can hardly see details like faces, so I have a hard time recognizing people across a room.  Reading and watching TV are frustrating because everything is so blurry.  I can't see at all to drive at night; and even during daylight hours, I have a hard time reading road signs. 

I have vision, yes; and I'm grateful for that.  But it's like your television -- you may get a picture that you can see, but the clarity, color, etc. may need fine tuning.  Unfortunately, my sight cannot be "fine tuned." It's like a fuzzy TV picture with "ghosts" and a haze. Headlights and streetlights now have huge starbursts or "haloes" around them, which blind me:

My depth perception is also poor.  Going down stairs can be hazardous because sometimes I can't tell where one step ends and the next step begins.  One doctor told me that my eyes now are like looking through a dirty window covered with bird poop.  That's a good description; but sometimes it's more like looking through glasses that are steamed up.  I want to wipe them off so I can see, but the fog doesn't wipe off. 

The problem now is that I have scar tissue over my cornea which causes a white haze and blurriness. Some days are better than others.  It depends, I guess on the light source, how and where the light hits my eyes, how dry the air is, how often I've used the lubricating drops that day, etc.

 Another problem is that colors are no longer bright like they once were.   The two photos below demonstrate what I mean:

The  photo below, left is normal - what you probably see.  The one on the right is how I see colors now.  

http://drmack.com/

Check out the website of the doctor who was an answer to my prayers:   Thank you, Dr. Robert Mack  I owe you so much!