Dry Eyes after Lens Implants

Question: Two months after receiving bilateral toric lens implants for astigmatism, I feel like I have hard contact lenses in my eyes. My eyes ache and strain after the least amount of close work. I, also, see peripheral rings. My ophthalmologist says these symptoms are not a result of the surgery but that I have dry eyes and should use eye drops.  This gives me no relief. Is there a solution to this problem?

Answer: Dry eyes after lens implants are not terribly uncommon. During any eye surgery procedure where an incision is made in the cornea-depending on the location of that incision-it is likely that some of the corneal nerves will be cut and will take time to be restored. These corneal nerves are responsible for providing innervations to the Lacrimal Gland for tear production. It can take some time for these nerves to regenerate and the tear film to once again become normalized. Thus, it might very well be that you have a post surgical dry eye in need of somewhat more aggressive treatment options including insertion of tiny punctal plugs, prescription eye drops called Restasis that help you to produce more of your own natural tears and ten of course artificial tear eye drops. If you are not satisfied with the explanation or care you are receiving then it is never inappropriate to seek a second opinion. In your case perhaps a consultation with a corneal specialist who is also a cataract surgeon might be useful.

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