Boothe Laser Center
ears naturally keep the eye moist and comfortable. Small tear secreting glands on the eye’s surface and in the surrounding tissue produce them. The fine nerves that are found in the eye provide a feedback loop by sensing the state of hydration of the eye and stimulating those tear producing glands to generate tears appropriately.
One of the challenges that some patients experience after LASIK can be eye dryness. Generally, this is thought to be caused by the loss of connections of the fine nerves ends on the eye surface. As a result, the eye doesn’t produce enough tears for normal lubrication until these fine nerves regenerate. Instillation of artificial tear lubricants usually compensates for dryness until natural tear production returns to normal.
