Can I undergo LASIK if I have Sjögren's syndrome?

Doctor's Answer

Hi, in general, the answer is no.

The concern is that patients with Sjogren syndrome have very dry eyes, and LASIK (or any other laser refractive surgery including epiLASIK/PRK/TransepiLASIK/TransPRK/SMILE etc) will make the dryness worse.

It's worth remembering that dry eyes span a spectrum from mild to severe, and mild dry eye not related to Sjogren syndrome is not a problem for LASIK.

On the other hand severe dry eye, even if not Sjogren related, may 'disqualify' a patient from laser refractive surgery because of the risk of delayed epithelial healing, blurred vision after surgery, corneal inflammation, etc.

Even if a patient with Sjogren syndrome does not currently have very dry eyes, there is a high chance of developing this later on and experiencing problems as mentioned above. Hence laser refractive surgery is not appropriate for patients with Sjogren syndrome.

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