Exposing the LASIK Scam

Hi I wanted to see if any other patients have had problems post-refractive surgery with floaters.

I did not have floaters before the sugery.

In April 2004, I had wavefront-lasik. In November of 2004, I went to my eye doctor for pilocarpine (1%) and alphagan P. The DAY I started using those drops, I had a flood of floaters ever since.

I have no retinal damage (from what the doctors tell me!). But I was wondering if anyone had any similar experiences.

I have tried floater pellets from some homopedic websites but they are just a scam. I was wondering if anyone has tried Chinense rambling powder or visited with the two doctors using the YAG laser to help with post lasik floaters.

Also, has anyone noticed that when they use pilocarpine or alphagan P that the appearance of their floaters dramatically increase for the next 7 days until the drugs work their way of their system? (Side note - I stopped using both of these terrible drugs.) I recently heard about pilogel, its like pilocarpine but in a once a day gel, and I was wondering if anyone has tried it or if its essentially the same as pilocarpine.

Finally, another issue I had with floaters is that before lasik, both my pupils were 8.5mm. They were the same size until I visited my lasik surguron in late November 2004, after using pilocarpine for a few weeks with, and I went to him with my problems. Turns out that my pupils were 8.15mm in the left eye, and 8.35 in the right. To me, this is what caused the same floaters. Because whenever I have mydrasis, the floaters are still there but their appreciance is drastically reduced. Pilocarpine is known to permenatly reduce pupil size, but I did not realize using it for a few weeks would do this and cause a permenant ncrease in the appearance of floaters!! Ah!!

Anyways, I am hoping to inspire some conversation on this topic by throwing out all of my floater experiences (ALL CAUSED BY LASIK AND ITS WONDERFUL SIDE EFFECTS! )

Thanks,
Anthony

Also, would it be benefical to list who my refractive surgeron was?

Floaters after LASIK are common. They are induced by the suction ring with the potential for contribution from shock waves from the laser energy.

There are references in the LASIK report about the incidence of induced floaters... about 12% overall and 24% in high myopes. High myopes are more likely to have floaters than the general population even with no surgery.

What are floaters? Floaters are little bits of debris that come loose when your vitreous or 'eye jelly' pulls away from the back of your eye. You can indeed have normal healthy retinas and still have 'floaters'. Another name for floaters is 'posterior vitreous detachment'. Doesn't sound good, does it? Posterior vitreous detachment is routinely induced by LASIK and it's a crime that the surgeries continue in light of this knowledge - and with knowledge of worse problems, but this thread is about floaters .

If you have had a problem with your surgeon the best thing that you can do is share your experiences truthfully and accurately (never lie) so that others are forewarned.

I had a few floaters before LASIK that were barely noticeable. Now I have more. Broken Eyes has a huge curtain floater and had much lower myopia. I know a patient whose floaters are the most bothersome post-surgical symptom. He wears sunglasses all the time to make everything brown so that they are not so noticeable. He told me that every morning when he wakes up and looks at the ceiling all he sees is his floaters. Miserable... and unconscionable for the medical profession and the FDA to allow these surgeries to continue.

A few years ago my sister had a co-worker who had LASIK. He was a high myope. After LASIK he had so many floaters that he would unconsciously bat at his eyes while he was working, like he was batting at gnats flying around his face.

I remember reading on the internet, probably on the old Surgical Eyes bulletin board, about a patient who had a lot of floaters after LASIK, and when the patient asked the surgeon about it the surgeon said, "You probably had the floaters before LASIK, but your vision was so bad you couldn't *see* them".

A LASIK surgeon who is willing to stoop low enough to say something like that deserves to be exposed. Anone have any idea who it was?

I have no idea who his surgeon was, and my sister no longer works for that company... she quit a high paying management position to do the Lord's work. She's now working on her masters degree to continue doing the Lord's work.

Below is a copy of the e-mail I sent to one of the Forum members with respect to floaters.

I have found two doctors, and possibly the only two doctors currently in the world who routinely treat floaters using, I believe, the YAG laser. I am four months post-Lasik and may make an appointment with Dr. Karickhoff who has an office in Falls Church, VA in about one year from the date of Lasik to let things settle down. Unlike Lasik and other refractive eye surgeries, this procedure appears to be much safer and does not cause any structural damage to the eyes. I have contacted Dr. Karickhoff via e-mail and he responded that he has treated many Lasik patients with no problem. His web-site is very informative, including why only two doctors currently use this relatively safe procedure to eliminate floaters. Not everyone is a candidate nor is every floater necessarily eliminated or worth attempting to eliminate.

I have had many floaters since childhood, probably due to a tumble I took down the stairs at one year old, resulting in a large lump on my head. But, since Lasik I have noticed an increase in floaters in both eyes, with a tremendous increase in the right eye as confirmed by a retinal specialist. Right before surgery I asked the Lasik surgeon/butcher if the procedure could cause an increase in floaters, and of course, he lied and said no. There are two studies that report a 13% occurrence of posterior vitreous detachment with Lasik procedures and hence an increase in floaters. So, when the Lasik literature reports a 1% or less occurrence of complications or side-effects from Lasik, it is obvious that they are full of shit. I, as well as many Lasik patients have multiple problems and this fact precludes the possibility of 1% complications or side-effects. Please let me know if you seek treatment with any of these two doctors.

Dr. Scott Geller in Fort Meyers, FL - vitreousfloaters.com

Dr. John Karickhoff in Falls Church, VA - eyefloaters.com

Sincerely,
XXXXXXXX

Hi Standards,

Thanks for the information. I know of several LASIK patients who developed floaters so severe that they interfere with vision. I am familiar with the studies that found around a 13% risk of development of posterior vitreous detachment after LASIK. It should be noted that the PVD risk is higher in high myopes, with high myopes demonstrating a post-LASIK PVD rate of 24%.

When you hear LASIK complication rates are low... don't believe it.

See the Peer reviewed research section to review literature on floaters!

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/c ... _ID=952779

Yes, I started to have flood of floaters (curtains and cobwebs) after using pilocarpine 3 years ago. My floaters are so bad right now it's even more disturbing than my LASIK HOAs.

I tried rambling powder for a few weeks. No significant improvement or whatsoever. I'm really considering going for vitrectomy to suck those shits out of my eyes after watching this video http://www.helenkellerfoundation.org/re ... uckler.asp

But like any surgery, there's risk and may lead to another set of complications.

To 'Wong':

I hope you are not serious in considering vitrectomy. There is no reason to take such a risk. See my post above and investigate. Best wishes.