LASIK stands for Lasik Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. An excimer laser alters the cornea’s shape during this operation. The cornea protects the front of the eye and is a vital human body component. Contact lenses and eyeglasses can both be substituted with LASIK. The LASIK procedure is not painful and shouldn’t cause the patient any inconvenience. You can experience a little pressure on the eyes during the surgery. The average surgery lasts about 30 minutes or less. You might have many inquiries about LASIK. Do corneal nerves grow back after LASIK surgery is one of the questions. We will dive deep into today’s article.

Problems due to LASIK

Nerves in the anterior cornea are severed during the flap development during LASIK surgery, and deeper corneal nerves are killed by laser ablation. Medical research shows that LASIK does not restore corneal nerves’ average densities and patterns. After LASIK, some people experience significant, ongoing eye pain. Dry eye is a common diagnosis for eye pain following LASIK, although other factors may be involved in some situations. Exams using confocal microscopy on eyes with LASIK indicate abnormally regenerated nerve fibers in the cornea, which could cause corneal neuralgia (pain).

Regeneration of nerve

Studies have revealed that the time it takes for LNE to resolve in most cases is roughly equal to how long it takes for the nerves to repair after LASIK. It is important to emphasize that none of the patients undergoing this operation should have dry eyes before surgery. A selection requirement for this operation would be that each patient is a typical patient. Before LASIK, patients who already have dry eye are considerably more likely to get it, and it’s also more likely to be a severe problem. Once more, it usually disappears after six months and returns to its normal dry-eye state.

Effect on the growth of the nerve

Excimer laser corneal refractive surgery is very safe, effective, and predictable, which has led to its widespread use recently. However, problems have also gotten much attention. The corneal nerve in the subepithelial stroma is harmed by LASIK surgery. The corneal flap itself sustains the damage. Nearly 50 micrometers separate the area from the corneal surface. After LASIK surgery, corneal regeneration typically takes six months to occur. The number of nerve fibers in the superficial stroma area considerably increased two to four weeks after the procedure. The density of the fibers also rises after eight weeks.

Damage is caused to the eyes.

A permanent loss of vision is a rare problem after LASIK. However, you may experience a few short-term side effects, such as glare, dry eyes, persistent pain, eye infections, and damaged retinas. These post-operative complications are pretty typical. And in a few weeks, these will probably heal on their own. One or two patients out of every 100 experience a long-term problem. It would help if you treated your eyes with the utmost care following surgery. It is crucial to remember that any harm done to the corneal nerves during LASIK surgery may result in the tear duct being permanently damaged. You might stop crying as a result of this reason. Due to the lens’ stiffness, additional age-related issues and firmness exist. And lenses lose their ability to focus on close objects. The issue is usually referred to as “Presbyopia.” The majority of people experience it. And this is the main reason why people age.

Solution

• This is for patients who produce tears on average. 8 mm or more of wetting with the Schirmer’s without anesthetic occurs in 5 minutes in patients who experience this rose bengal staining on the flap. Put on a soft contact lens to give them the necessary vision-improving smoothness. It’s not necessary for all patients, but I’ve had success with it in a few cases where patients’ corneas have significant core staining that is impairing their vision and causing natural tears.
• Performing improvements in both eyes at once is another option. When you improve them, you raise the flap and trigger the nerves. They are almost certainly going to acquire the LNE again. In cases like those, we frequently stage the augmentation, perform it on one eye, wait till the patient’s vision is clear, and then perform it on the other.

Conclusion

The number of subbasal and stromal nerve fiber bundles in the corneal flap reduces by 90% after LASIK. Subbasal nerve fiber bundles eventually reappear over the first year following LASIK. However, towards the end of that time, they only made up about half of what they initially did.