@merpreb I had cataract surgery on both eyes last spring. It's not unusual to have to have laser surgery later due to scarring. He did my left eye Monday. It was pretty bad and took quite a bit to open up the damaged sac. Unknown to both of us I scratched my cornea while I was there. It had nothing to do with the surgery. But if you've ever scratched your cornea you know that it feels like sand in your eye and burns. After I got home I had those symptoms but I also was having pain inside my eye that was worse than the scratch symptoms. I wore hard contacts from 10 years old to 50 when they took them away and wouldn't even let me have soft lenses. RA has caused me to have dry, red eyes for years and that didn't work well with contacts. Having worn contacts for 40 years I had scratched my cornea many many times. I know what that feels like. It doesn't include the pain inside my eye that I was experiencing. He insisted that was what caused it. Finally, I went back home for the second time that day and took my gabapentin early hoping it would help with the pain inside my eye. After about an hour it did. When I went back yesterday for the follow up visit I explained to him that my deduction on the pain is that my RA is flaring and I believe the vibration of the laser made the nerves act up and cause the pain I felt. He said he's had thousands of patients who were flaring and had no pain from the surgery. And that everyone who scratches their cornea has the exact same symptoms I had. I've lived with this body for 60 years. I know how it reacts. He refused to even consider what I said. I had started the conversation with saying I thought he was a good doctor and an excellent surgeon. But I needed him to listen to me and instead of instantly denying what I said, ask me questions about the pain I was feeling (what part of my eye, what kind of pain, etc.). Nope. Not going to give a millimeter. I have to get the other eye done next month and one follow up then I'll never see him again. Just the usual frustration with doctors who have closed minds and no skills in communicating with their patients.

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