Q: Am I a candidate or not for Lasik Surgery? My prio exam prescription is as follows. Sphere Cylinder Axis Add +222 -160 165 +75 -75 147 225 I have no depth perception, my eyes do not work together, I somewhere in life injured my eye, yet I do not know when or where or perhaps it may have been from living in CA and having severe reactions to smog. I do not have that here. I have an astigmatism. I don't know if age comes into it but I am 64 years old. My prescriptioin for glasses also has changed since my last appointment but I don't have that one available at this time. It did not change for the better. Please advise me. Thank you, Barbara SHearer A: You may be a candidate. You need a thorough exam to determine if you are a candidate. Andrew Caster, MD

Q: With this cutting of the corneal flap, I've heard that the body may respond to the incision by growing layers of cells that blur the vision. what needs to be done to clear up the vision ??? I have 1.5 weeks of blurriness after a correction for residual astigmatism. Is it dangerous to go get a second opinion examination where they apply special eye drops to open the pupil ? A: It is not dangerous to get a second opinion. But 1.5 weeks of blurriness is not that uncommon. Andrew Caster, MD

Q: I was wondering if I dye my eyelashes will it effect the lasik surgery? Does the dye cause problems with the lazer A: No, but I would wait for 4 weeks after the surgery to avoid irritating the eye. Andrew Caster, MD

Q: I am writing a feature article on laser eye surgery and its effects. I would like to know your opinions on the people who have the surgery, and have suffered as a result of it. Are complications in the sugery common? what problems can occur during and after the surgery. Thank you for your help. A: Serious complications are very rare, and are usually treatable. There are a lot of websites that discuss complications. Andrew Caster, MD

Q: I am one week post-lasik, I had a steep correction of 8 diopters. One eye is seeing 20/40, and the other is 20/70. But there seems to be no clarity or focus in anything I look at, my dr. does not seem concerned and wants to do a second surgery in 3 months and has temperarily fitted me with contacts. Even with the contact nothing is sharp as it used to be before lasik. What is going on, and will the bluryness be permanent? A: You may need a touch up to get rid of the blurriness. You should have been carefully explained this by your doctor. Andrew Caster, MD

Q: I had laser surgery in 2003 and the doctor said I had -3.00 or more I don't remember, on both eyes. (i had astigmatism and myopia) After the surgery I was 20/20. He said I had recovered more than 100of my vision. After 4 months I notice that my eyes were extremely tired and I was not seeing well at night. I went back and he said that I needed surgery again (re-touch). So I had surgery again this was back in 11/2003 and again I cannot see things that I was able to see after the first surgery. At school sometimes I cannot see the board and my eyes get very tired and they hurt. I went with another dr. and he said that now I have -1.00 -0.75x40 on the right eye and 1.00 on the left. But I don't want to wear glasses any more. What happened to my vision. A: It appears that your eyes are still changing. Lasik will not stop your eyes from changing, so it is advisable to wait until you reach an age that your eyes stop changing. I would not recommend another enhancement now. I would wait until there is no change for two years. Andrew Caster, MD

Q: I heard of a procedure that actually doesn't cut at all. You actually sew or glue a lens right to the eye itself. Then if technology changes you can have it removed and improved. What is the name of this procedure and how does it compare to Lasik? Thank you! A: It is called phakic IOL or phakic implant. It is a foreign body in the eye, so it is more invasive and possibly has more complications that Lasik. Also, you can remove the lens if you want to, but that will not undo any damage that the lens might have done. Andrew Caster, MD

Q: I went for my inital screening and was told that I had up to a 7.2mm pupil in total darkness, and that the docot would perform a the surgery with a 7mm laser. This area of .2 would cause me to undoubtably have halos and starbursts, correct? A: Not necessarily. Most people in this situation will have only minimal halos. Remember, you have some halos now with glasses or contacts.

Q: I had lasik back in 2001 and now notice vision worsening again. Is this normal or should I be concerned about something more serious? Is this correctable with a touch up procedure? A: It would be best to get an eye exam to determine what is going on. Andrew Caster, MD

Q: I wanted an eye doctor's opinion--since I have moderate dry eye can CK be performed on my eyes? I am 57 years old. When I wore contacts my eyes were =1.25 (right eye) 1.50 (left eye) Add 2.25 (for glasses prescription) A: CK can be performed on people with moderate dry eye. Andrew Caster, MD