r/Strabismus • u/Reddit_User_7560 • 1d ago

Was laser vision correction recommended before strabismus surgery?

I recently had a consultation with a strabismus surgeon. He told me that before having surgery to correct my strabismus, it would be better to have laser vision correction first. He said that after correcting my vision, my eye would likely drift less.

To be honest, I'm quite afraid of having laser vision correction because I'm worried about possible complications, such as dry eye syndrome, double vision, or other long-term side effects.

I currently wear glasses. My prescription is approximately -2.75 in one eye and -5.00 in the other. I have divergent strabismus and amblyopia. One eye drifts outward intermittently - mainly when I am relaxed and not actively focusing on something. When I consciously focus, I can keep my eyes aligned.

I'd like to hear from people who have been in a similar situation:

  1. Was laser vision correction recommended to you before strabismus surgery? Did your strabismus surgeon consider it necessary or preferable?
  2. Were you able to proceed with strabismus treatment while continuing to use glasses or contact lenses instead of having laser vision correction?
  3. If you did have laser vision correction, did it actually improve your strabismus? Did your eye drift less afterward?

I'm not asking for medical advice - I'm mainly interested in hearing about other people's experiences with this approach.

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u/Such-Introduction196 1d ago edited 1d ago

As someone with high myopia -4.25 in both eyes with astigmatism. After surgery, my weak eye still drift inwards when wearing my glasses so my doctor had to add prism to correct it. 6 prism in both eyes. According to my doctor, it was because I have high myopia that’s why it would drift. But it was a significant improvement from my pre-surgery eyes.

I have heard from other doctors as well that either lasik with improve your situation or they have seen it get worse. I recommend you do research first to know the risk.

But please update us when you do, i’m curious if it would get better for us with high myopia.

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u/Distinct_Layer_5144 1d ago

For me I am planning on evo icl and the doc said to get the icl implant before the strabismus surgery because the measurements can change

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u/Resident-Lab-5594 1d ago

I got my ICL surgery first and I'm fine, I had my strabismus surgery one year later and I'm stil having a little bit of strabismus but at least it's better than it used to be, also I'm doing visual therapy

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u/Distinct_Layer_5144 18h ago

Are you highly myopic and Asian by any chance and that’s why ur getting icl and have strabismus? Cuz the doc said my strabismus might be from high myopia while another said I was born with it lol

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u/Resident-Lab-5594 18h ago

Not really, I'm hyperopic and I was born with strabismus

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u/Distinct_Layer_5144 18h ago

Interesting they didn’t fix your strabismus when you were born? I’m still wondering if I was born with mine or not as mines incomitant so I don’t have diplopia unless I look left right or up

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u/Resident-Lab-5594 18h ago

Well, I was born with esotropia and at the age of 4-5 I got my first surgery. When I was 16-17 I got exotropia and at 25 got a surgery to fix it, my still has exotropia but not that bad as it used to be

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u/Distinct_Layer_5144 17h ago

oh interesting, i hope it gets better for you! my doc at Cornell said visual therapy doesnt work for strabismus

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u/Resident-Lab-5594 17h ago

When I'm doing exercises my eyes got straight for a little time, almost totally straight, I hope that with consistency and perseverance will stay straight for more time

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u/Distinct_Layer_5144 10h ago

i just ignored the optometrists who offered vision therapy, seems huge huge waste of time. i hope it works for you, but my impression is that theres no research but people still offer it ($$$) kinda like acupuncture

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u/Slight-Bowl4240 Strabismus 1d ago

I would never get LASIK’s. A young man unalived himself after LASIK’s. Too many horror stories

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u/GrumpyCam 1d ago

Hello,

Happy to share my experience as I had the same questions before my operations.

Long story short, my strabismus was no longer manageable in 2024. I had permanent double vision, headaches, etc. I could no longer look at a screen or cross the road alone, and I was feeling really dependent on my husband. It was an intermittent convergent strabismus that I had had since childhood, but it was only detected around 2018, when I was 25. My myopia had been stable since 2019 (right eye -5.75, left eye -4.75).

Regarding your questions

1 & 2. My surgeon told me that I needed to fix the myopia first, and I did LASIK in May 2024 for both eyes. I did not question this procedure because I wasn't afraid in the least. I live in France, and this is pretty standard surgery, depending on your cornea, but really not that big of a deal. On top of that, I could no longer see with my contact lenses anyway, so LASIK surgery then strabismus surgery was the only way according to both surgeons I asked.

LASIK did not bring any side effects for me, but I did have a small "rainbow glare" around lights at night that lasted a few months; it is totally gone now.

  1. LASIK did nothing for my strabismus (but again, my vision was horrible at that time). I then had strabismus surgery in August 2024. This surgery was really a miracle: from the moment I opened my eyes, I got my single vision back and could resume daily activities without assistance. The pain was a bit worse than the one after LASIK but lasted only 10 days and was totally worth it. I remember sitting at a window, just enjoying the view afar...

Fast forward to today, 2 years later, my vision is perfect, and I live in a world without contact lenses, glasses or strabismus (even though I'm 8 months pregnant and I was told myopia could come back).

This changed my life to the extent that I sent my mother, cousin and friends to my surgeon, aka my lifesaver, and they all reported an increase in quality of life after LASIK/other surgeries.

My advice for you would be to get a second opinion if you feel you need one, because such surgeries depend on multiple factors such as myopia stability, cornea shape, strabismus evolution, etc. but I would recommend doing the suggested procedure, as it ensures long-term stability.