Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; lasik eye surgery, anyone??

Hi to all,
I was wondering if any of you NSDers with previous uveitis have had lasik eye surgery and, if so, what were the results? I'm at a point where if I stay on highly anti-inflammatory foods I can tolerate some starch after 4 years of strict NSD so I have made lots of progress. It will soon be time for new specs as the old lenses are scratched and honestly lasik at $795 per orb (think I could get away with just one to correct failing distance vision) would be a bargain as my last specs plus sunglasses plus exam was nearly $600. I must admit I have some trepidation as my uveitis was horrendous before NSD and if recurrence has occurred to any of you who have had lasik while on NSD I definitely wouldn't consider trying it myself...
Thanks for any insight you might have...
LindaG

I have seen this topic at some point either at Kickas or at SAA. You may want to search on it (not in regards to NSD dieters though).

Tim

If you have had iritis or Uvitis I would be careful of lasik or contacts. My opthamologist has advised me against even contacts. I have the iritis/Uvitis that never seems to stop without using ANTI-TNF-A drugs though. You seem to be able to control yours with diet. Anyway, check with your opthamologist and ask what your risks are. You could end up losing the money you put into your eyes, if you flare up and the structures in your eyes get damaged by the inflamation.

Tim

Tim, just wondering if you are on strict NSD in addition to meds?
LindaG

I have been told I am not a candidate for any sort of vision enhancing surgery.
Sometimes new techies at optical dispensers in the past, seeing my glasses, would chipperly inquire if I was interested, and when I would say "no thanks" (remember, having gotten the "not for you" talk from the Really Good Eye Doctor) they would start to prattle on about all the newest advances, blah, blah. That was sort of annoying, but the place I go to now they must keep good notes because they don't do that.

I've heard that once done you end up needing reading glasses as you get older anyway. I despise my bifocal portion and just do not want to risk the close up vision I do have in my better eye, I can at least, when all else fails, hold something close without the lenses at all, and see it clearly with one eye.

My glasses are outrageously expensive for the lenses but then again at least they can come up with something that lets me see at all because I have really bad astigmatism, esp. in the one eye. I also have the classic problems with glare and bright light, and I've heard that there were some forms of lens operations that may make that worse... just what I really don't need.

I rinse my glasses off every night with cool water and gently dry them with a facial quality tissue, this helps the lenses not get scratched up so much. Two years ago I discovered my brand of toilet paper should have been named "lense brillo." When I see the amount of dirt and dust and gunk on them, I know that I'd rather not have that going anywhere near my fragile eyes anyway.

I am on strict NSD mainly to help lose some pounds. I'm keeping my calories low and taking a fat blocking diet pill. I can't exercise right know because I'm in a constant flare. Also, to hopefully get off some of the meds. I can't stop the meds cold and go on NSD because my condition is so bad without it. Plus I have not seen any posts or info on the Net that indicates that the NSD diet can stop fusing once it starts.

Tim

Hi windrider, was the reason you weren't a candidate for vision enhancing surgery because of iritis or uveitis or was it the astigmatism or something else entirely different? I have not personally spoke with an ophthmalogist but my daughter who had this surgery asked hers and he said as long as there was not active inflammation I was a candidate. I have developed so much faith in diet to cure everything that I fear I may not be totally objective at times!!! Basically, I'm convinced that 99% of ill health is diet related!
Thanks for your input,
LindaG

I think it was a combination of everything but basically my eyeball is too long and the astigmatism too bad and the dry eye thing really does not help. I can't wear contact lenses either. I tried. I could NOT go outside without sunglasses or I couldn't see, because my eyes are so dry any sort of breeze at all was unbearable and made the contacts pop out or dry up. My corneas also seem to scratch easily, which is very, very uncomfortable. What was the point? It was actually a relief to hear it because in some areas they really try to sell people on it and I've actually had OBNOXIOUS clerks at those mall vision center type stores try to push it on me until the eye doctor actually did the exam and then it's "not for you." Sometimes also in public people will actually make comments to the effect of "gee, have you ever considered laser surgery you'd look so much better, I had mine done and I'd never go back to wearing glasses again." Since there are no moderators in real life I can have a bit of fun with those types of people.

I actually don't mind wearing glasses because now I have the transitions coating which is the built in photogreying which I find very handy, also, I tend to do a lot of things where I need eye protection anyway and I never have to think about it, I already have it on.

From a short perusal of what I found on the internet by searching "lasik surgery complications" it seems that unless patients are screened very carefully for suitability they can end up with complications of dry eye, decreased field of vision if their pupils are large because the cornea shrinks after the laser surgery, and a LOT of glare problems such as haze, halos, stars, etc, at night. Hmm, I seem to have these conditions already.
The remedy for some of the screw ups is to wear hard contact lenses over the lasiked eyes (which I can't do anyway, and what would be the point of having to wear contacts?!) or to wear glasses over the screwups, but again, some people find that after lasik they cannot ever get back to having their glasses work well enough to correct them to the their "best vision." It's gone. Everything is a little blurry. Another possible complication is "night myopia" where the lasiked eye gets more nearsighted at night, meaning glasses have to be worn after dark.

All in all, for some people, lasik just changes what you're wearing the contacts or glasses for... what you were born with vs. what they did to your cornea with the laser... not a good option for some of us.