Expert: Dr Anand Shroff, MD, FICS - 7/6/2009

Question
My husband suffers from recurrent Iritis which he controls by Maxidex drops at the first sign of Iritis.  He has not had a full blown episode in over 20 years.  Recently he had a consultation to have laser correction surgery for short sightedness.  He has been assured that he is suitable for the surgery.  If he goes ahead with the eye correction will this in any way be detrimental to his eye health e.g. will it make his Iritis worse?  Do you think it is advisable to have the surgery?  He is unsure whether to have it done or not.  I welcome your advice please.

Answer
Dear Junemay.

Iritis is not always acute and active., The trigger is usually an inflammatory reason which is systemic such as arthritis, or SLE or also with something as simple as a dental focus of infection.

LASIK is done on the cornea which is a superficial area and not related to either a systemic influence or to the iris in anyways.

I would not of course suggest him to do this if his iritis is active or acute, but if silent he may consider this.

After LASIK he may need to be on a mild steroid eye drops prbably for some days longer than others, but his treating doctor should be able to guide better regarding this considering the status and nature of his iritis.

However, for LASIK many other factors decide the success so it is actually the doctor examining his eyes who should be labelling him fit or unfit.

Hope this helps,
Best,
Dr Shroff
www.lasikindia.in