How To Identify Aspergers Symptoms In Your Child

There are a number of different Aspergers symptoms that vary in degree of severity. These symptoms all are different for each individual person. The hallmark symptom seen in people with Asperger’s Syndrome is extreme trouble with social situations and interactions. As many as 1 in 300 children may have this disorder, which means it is actually rather common. Aspergers symptoms are usually noted when a child is quite young, but particularly at preschool level. This is a time when there is a great deal of normal social interaction. It is also a time when surroundings and routines are being changed. Those children who have this disorder do not deal well with disruption of their set routine. They also do not relate well to others and have difficulty in recognizing normal social cues like body language and changes vocal tone. The children often use stilted and formal language and seem incapable of casual conversation. They will say “do not” instead of “don’t” and may appear overly serious during play. Children who have this disorder also avoid touching and being touched, and they also avoid eye contact. Loud noises, bright colors, crowds and certain fabrics or patterns can bring them to tears or create extreme anxiety. One of the primary Aspergers symptoms is a high degree of sensitivity to certain textures. The children who have this symptom may refuse to touch certain pages in a book. They may also refuse to wear certain articles of clothing because of the way these things feel to them. Researchers have found that these children with Asperger’s Syndrome cannot understand jokes or sarcasm easily. They just miss the point entirely. Slowness in the development of motor skills and poor handwriting are also on the list of Aspergers symptoms. While this disorder is very similar to autism, these children do try to engage in some social activity and their speech shows age appropriate development, which is different from autism. Good verbal skills and high intelligence are quite common in people with Aspergers.Parents who have babies who do not respond to their names, who do not coo or babble or who do not smile may be showing Aspergers symptoms. There is a quick tilt test you can do with your baby. You can hold them by the waist and tilt them to the side slowly at about a 45-degree angle. Always hold them over a soft, padded surface. A normal baby will attempt to keep their neck and head upright, while an Asperger’s baby will keep their neck in line with their body angle. If your baby tests positive, you should talk to your pediatrician. Formal diagnosis usually takes place around the age of 3 through a series of tests and interviews with the child and family.Treatment plans are structured according to the severity of the Aspergers symptoms and on the individual. The treatments involve therapists who specialize in motor skill development and sensory development. Social skills can also be improved through play and music therapy.Parents can help their child with song and music therapy at home. Repetitive songs and gentle music are helpful. These children may find joy in classical songs also. Follow the Leader and Simon Says are great therapy games for children with Aspergers symptoms. Find reasons to get your child more comfortable with touching and hugging. Make a game out of this type of activity and approach it gradually. These activities will help your child.There are residential facilities available for persons with severe and debilitating symptoms. A school will use psychologists and counselors to help devise an educational treatment plan. Understanding the disorder and offering unconditional love and support is the best treatment of all.Depression, stress, and anxiety are all common for people who have Asperger’s symptoms. There are no cures known for the disorder. While the disorder and symptoms remain present throughout a person’s life, it does seem to balance out as they get older. It is good to remember that Mozart, Madame Curie and Einstein all had Asperger’s Syndrome. Marriage, family life, career, and educational success can all be achieved.

Can parents protect their teenage children from depression?
by Dr James Manning

As parents, can anything be more dreadful than thinking that a child that we nurture, plan for, make sacrifices for, comfort, hope for and worry about will one day grow into a teenager who will consciously deliberate about whether they want to carry on living?

Recent statistics suggest that one in six of our teenagers will experience so much distress in their lives that they will consider suicide.

We can take some comfort from the fact that most children will not act on such thoughts, and that suicidal thinking does not always accompany depression. However, the sad fact is that a significant number of children will experience depression.

An often undiagnosed problem

Teenage depression often goes undiagnosed and, while there is no replacement for early diagnosis and treatment by skilled professionals, as parents we have much more of an impact on the symptoms than either we or our children realise. Whether we try to avoid our childrens low mood or try to help them, it is fundamentally important to understand how we impact on them.

There is a big difference between low mood and depression.

At some point nearly all teenagers will experience low mood. Low mood as a normal reaction to the losses, setbacks and failures that we all face from time to time. For most teenagers their low mood passes relatively quickly and causes little disruption.

Depression, on the other hand, is a problem that hangs on for longer periods, often causing much more disruption to our childrens lives. If they experience depression, they are also likely to have problems with concentration, memory, sleep, appetite, motivation, energy, and with their way of thinking. Inevitably it can affect their school work and can make them more vulnerable to drifting into drug or alcohol use or into other problematic behaviours.

Depression is still widely misunderstood

Ironically, although depression is very common in our society - during our lives at least one in four of us will experience a significant period of depression - it is still clouded by misunderstanding. Depression often does not make sense to those who have never experienced it. This lack of understanding can often leave teenagers who experience depression feeling very isolated.

Depression is like a trap from which its hard to escape.

For those teenagers who experience it, depression can feel like a trap - the more they try to escape from it, the more imprisoned they feel. Its not dissimilar to falling into quicksand. Struggling doesnt work, and the strategy that they need to get out (being still) feels counter-intuitive.

Are positive intentions enough?

As parents, one of the most important issues that we have to deal with is responsibility. Our own fear that somehow we are responsible for how our children are feeling. This can create high levels of distress that leads us to try to get rid of our own uncomfortable feelings. Much of the time we can make the situation worse by using unproductive strategies such as teaching, controlling, criticising, avoiding, and over-protecting all in the name of trying to help. For more productive outcomes, we will need to quickly drop and replace these outdated strategies.

Strategies that work

Ask no questions (e.g., Whats wrong? Whats the matter?) Instead tell your child that if they want someone to talk to, that you will be there for them.

Concentrate on creating an environment that makes it easier for them to approach you.

Be non-judgemental and use praise.

Instead of trying to rationalise their feelings away, let them know that it is OK to feel the way that they do. Explain to them that the way they feel, while unpleasant, is normal and is often part of growing up.

Offer no solutions unless they are asked for.

Tell them that low feelings, although unpleasant, are produced by our body to help us.

Approach your child, even if they push you away. Let them know that you are there for them.

Praise them for all of their good points and tell them how much you love them.

View yourself as being there to help, not to control.

Let your child know that their feelings are accepted.

As parents we can have much more influence than we realise

Sometimes we dont tell our children how much we love them. Sometimes we dont apologise for things that we have done wrong, or for mistakes we have made in the past. Letting our children know that we have made errors is very important, as many children often blame themselves needlessly for things that were not their fault. It is important also that we do not seek forgiveness, as a child may well try to minimise issues to protect us. They may say things such as dont worry about it, it was nothing. Many things that cause pain are not forgotten, even if they happened several years before. It is never too late to say sorry.

How do we react to our feelings when our children tell us things about ourselves that we dont want to hear?

It is important to listen to our children and to let them speak. Sometimes they will say things that may be painful to hear. When this occurs, it is easy to get drawn into a defensive position. If this occurs, we need to encourage ourselves to acknowledge our own feelings and resist the urge to defend ourselves. If we do this, we will be carrying out excellent parenting behaviour. We will be showing our child how to accept responsibility by direct modelling and demonstration. In this case, actions definitely speak louder than words!

We need to remind ourselves that our children cannot read our minds

If we find it hard to express ourselves to our children, it can be very helpful to write them a letter telling them all the things that we like and love about them, and letting them know how we feel about them. We will need to choose our compliments very carefully, without criticism and - very importantly - without trying to teach.

As parents, we are the most important role models in our childrens lives. We must never underestimate how important we are to them.

Detailed Information on Mallory-Weiss Syndrome
by Juliet Cohen

Mallory-Weiss syndrome is a condition in which the inner lining of the esophagus tears at or near where it connects to the stomach. Mallory-Weiss syndrome may also be caused by epileptic convulsions. Mallory-Weiss tears cause approximately 10-15% of all episodes of hematemesis in adults; however, these tears occur much less commonly in children. Mallory-Weiss syndrome is often associated with alcoholism and eating disorders and there is some evidence that presence of a hiatal hernia is a predisposing condition. Mallory-Weiss syndrome is usually caused by forceful or prolonged vomiting or coughing.

Mallory-Weiss syndrome is the result of about 5% of episodes of upper GI hemorrhage. Most episodes of bleeding impede spontaneously; severe bleeding occurs in about 10% of patients who need significant intervention. Mallory-Weiss tears are equally common among male and female children. These tears also arise with equal frequency in both sexes in adults, although they have different causes. About 10% of the tears are in the esophagus. Most are either right at the junction of the esophagus and stomach or in the stomach just slightly below the junction. Bleeding from the tear causes a disruption in fluid and electrolyte balance of the body.

In most cases, the bleeding stops spontaneously after 24-48 hours. The patient frequently produces vomit tinged with either fresh blood or older, blackish blood. Blood loss can be considerable. Mallory-Weiss tears usually arise in the fifth and sixth decades of life. In children, tears are more commonly observed in older children and adolescents secondary to increased intragastric and transgastric pressures that develop at an older age. Treatment is usually supportive as persistent bleeding is uncommon. Medications to decrease vomiting are often prescribed. The blood transfusions and intravenous fluids will help restore the fluid and electrolyte balance.

When bleeding does not stop, cauterization or injection of epinephrine to stop the bleeding may be undertaken during the index endoscopy procedure. Esophageal balloon tamponade, although useful for patients with esophageal varices, should be believed only in extreme cases because the use of an esophageal balloon increases the risk of extending the esophageal tear. If all these treatments fail, surgery is performed to stop the bleeding and 5% of cases require surgery for uncontrolled bleeding. Prevention is better than cure. Limiting alcohol intake may assist prevent the disorder.

How To Naturally Cure Insomnia

Late at night, you go to bed. You closed your eyes but can’t seem to fall asleep. You might even try counting sheep, but to no avail. And your mind keeps on working, you keep on thinking on a lot of things. Looking at the clock, you noticed that hours had passed but your still awake. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, in 2007, that at least 20 million feel the same thing, experiencing occasional sleeping problems. What is commonly referred to as Insomnia has actually three types: transient insomnia which lasts from days to weeks; acute insomnia lasting for about 3 weeks to 6 months; and chronic insomnia which lasts for years. Although the situation mentioned above is more common, called as onset insomnia, there are 3 other insomnia patterns. One is known as Middle insomnia, referring to the difficulty of falling asleep when waking in the middle of the night. Waking too early in the morning is another type of insomnia called as terminal insomnia. Another type of insomnia is called middle-of-the-night insomnia which cover both terminal and middle insomnia. There are a lot of causes for insomnia. A common cause of insomnia would probably be a disease or disorder the person is under. Stress might also make it hard for a person to sleep; so as fear, anxiety or any mental or emotional problems that the person is experiencing. Hormonal shifts also causes insomnia, as well as the disruption to a person’s sleeping pattern such as a change of shift at work. Although most people would prefer taking pills and proceed into medication to aid them in their sleep, there are also alternative and natural ways of dealing with insomnia. One very familiar and common way of making it easier to sleep is by drinking warm milk before heading to sleep. Now some might be skeptical about this, but milk is basically been used for a long time to aid sleep. There is a scientific explanation to this. Milk contains the amino acid tryptophan which acts like a mild tranquilizer. Some also noted that its easier to sleep when you exercise hard before going to bed. This one makes sense since your body will be pretty tired and must need to rest after exercising vigorously thus makes you more inclined to sleep. Some methods of getting sleep faster is avoiding mentally engaging activities as well as exposing your eyes to light before going to sleep. Of course by avoiding mentally engaging activities, you are not “starting up” your brain’s engines. Another method used for a long time, is by using aromatherapy and taking a warm bath. The key to this is making the body relaxed, free from discomforts, and more inclined to sleep. Using lavender oils, or any other relaxing oils is just fine. A good way of doing this is by taking a warm bath before sleep. You can add you’re favorite aromatherapy product, coupled with the essential oil while listening to relaxing music of your choice.

How To Identify Aspergers Symptoms In Your Child

There are a number of different Aspergers symptoms that vary in degree of severity. These symptoms all are different for each individual person. The hallmark symptom seen in people with Asperger’s Syndrome is extreme trouble with social situations and interactions. As many as 1 in 300 children may have this disorder, which means it is actually rather common. Aspergers symptoms are usually noted when a child is quite young, but particularly at preschool level. This is a time when there is a great deal of normal social interaction. It is also a time when surroundings and routines are being changed. Those children who have this disorder do not deal well with disruption of their set routine. They also do not relate well to others and have difficulty in recognizing normal social cues like body language and changes vocal tone. The children often use stilted and formal language and seem incapable of casual conversation. They will say “do not” instead of “don’t” and may appear overly serious during play. Children who have this disorder also avoid touching and being touched, and they also avoid eye contact. Loud noises, bright colors, crowds and certain fabrics or patterns can bring them to tears or create extreme anxiety. One of the primary Aspergers symptoms is a high degree of sensitivity to certain textures. The children who have this symptom may refuse to touch certain pages in a book. They may also refuse to wear certain articles of clothing because of the way these things feel to them. Researchers have found that these children with Asperger’s Syndrome cannot understand jokes or sarcasm easily. They just miss the point entirely. Slowness in the development of motor skills and poor handwriting are also on the list of Aspergers symptoms. While this disorder is very similar to autism, these children do try to engage in some social activity and their speech shows age appropriate development, which is different from autism. Good verbal skills and high intelligence are quite common in people with Aspergers.Parents who have babies who do not respond to their names, who do not coo or babble or who do not smile may be showing Aspergers symptoms. There is a quick tilt test you can do with your baby. You can hold them by the waist and tilt them to the side slowly at about a 45-degree angle. Always hold them over a soft, padded surface. A normal baby will attempt to keep their neck and head upright, while an Asperger’s baby will keep their neck in line with their body angle. If your baby tests positive, you should talk to your pediatrician. Formal diagnosis usually takes place around the age of 3 through a series of tests and interviews with the child and family.Treatment plans are structured according to the severity of the Aspergers symptoms and on the individual. The treatments involve therapists who specialize in motor skill development and sensory development. Social skills can also be improved through play and music therapy.Parents can help their child with song and music therapy at home. Repetitive songs and gentle music are helpful. These children may find joy in classical songs also. Follow the Leader and Simon Says are great therapy games for children with Aspergers symptoms. Find reasons to get your child more comfortable with touching and hugging. Make a game out of this type of activity and approach it gradually. These activities will help your child.There are residential facilities available for persons with severe and debilitating symptoms. A school will use psychologists and counselors to help devise an educational treatment plan. Understanding the disorder and offering unconditional love and support is the best treatment of all.Depression, stress, and anxiety are all common for people who have Asperger’s symptoms. There are no cures known for the disorder. While the disorder and symptoms remain present throughout a person’s life, it does seem to balance out as they get older. It is good to remember that Mozart, Madame Curie and Einstein all had Asperger’s Syndrome. Marriage, family life, career, and educational success can all be achieved.

Detailed Information on Myotonia Congenita

Myotonia congenita is a chloride channel disorder. Myotonia congenita is an inherited condition that affects muscle relaxation. The condition is present since premature childhood, but symptoms can be mild. Most children will be 2 or 3 years old when parents first notice their muscle stiffness, particularly in the legs, often provoked by sudden activity after rest. The muscle stiffness, which particularly occurs in the leg muscles, may be enhanced by cold and inactivity, and is often relieved by exercise. There are two forms of the disorder: Becker-type, which is the most common form; and Thomsen’s disease, which is a rare and milder form. The disorder is reason by mutations in a gene responsible for shutting off electrical excitation in the muscles. In Becker disease, symptoms most generally become apparent between the ages of four and 12 years. As in Thomsen type myotonia congenita, affected individuals develop myotonia, associated muscle rigidity, and abnormal muscle enlargement (hypertrophy). Myotonia congenita is estimated to affect 1 in 100,000 people worldwide. Myotonia congenita is caused by a change to a gene. The CLCN1 gene provides instructions for making a protein that is critical for the normal function of skeletal muscle cells. For the body to move normally, skeletal muscles must nervous and rest in a coordinated way. Muscle contraction and relaxation are conducted by the flow of ions into and out of muscle cells. Mutations in the CLCN1 gene alter the usual structure or function of chloride channels. The altered channels cannot properly regulate ion flow, reducing the movement of chloride ions into skeletal muscle cells. This disruption in chloride ion flow triggers prolonged muscle contractions, which are the hallmark of myotonia. It is passed down from either one or both parents to the children. Myotonia congenita is believed to be caused by a problem in the part of the muscle cells that are needed for muscles to relax. Abnormal recurrence electrical discharges occur in the muscles, causing a stiffness called myotonia. Most people with myotonia congenita don’t need special treatments. The symptoms of myotonia congenita may be relieved with quinine, phenytoin, and mexiletine and other anticonvulsant drugs. Stiff muscles usually resolve with exercise, or light movement, especially after resting. Physical therapy and other rehabilitative measures may also be used to help muscle function.

How Our Ingenuity Made Us SAD

Ever since Thomas Edison developed his version of the electric light bulb in 1879, it has been heralded as one of the most influential advancements in scientific history, changing the way we live and work forever. However, this change has not always been for the good of our wellbeing and it is only recently with the advent of the sunrise clock that we are able to claim that we are once more achieving a state of harmony during the natural downturn of the seasons.With light came opportunity. No longer would we be slave to the natural rhythms of the world; no longer would we need daylight to fulfil our daily tasks. City streets became lit, allowing people the opportunity to move around freely during the hours of darkness, making our days longer and motivating us to suppress the natural urge to sleep. Lights began to become more commonplace and used for work, which began a gradual shift in the developed world away from agriculture as a main means of production as we were less and less dependant on hours of daylight. Or so we thought.This disruption in our natural rhythms has caused chemical imbalances within us and, coupled with naturally cheerless factors such as worsening weather and, in today’s world, heightened levels of stress, has led to our growing unhappiness.It is ironic that over a century and a quarter later it is the very invention that has caused our seasonal blues that is literally bringing us back into the light. Devices such as the sunrise clock give us the light that we need in order to function correctly, making us more alert and less prone to letting the weather get on top of us.First developed in the 1980’s, the concept is not exactly brand new. However, with technological advancement comes new understanding and it is only relatively recently that light therapy has come to be commonly regarded amongst health professionals as effective treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder.Through trials it has been discovered that the success of light therapy depends on intensity, or lux, as defined from the International System of Units (SI). This is a measure of the amount of light a person might receive from a light source, away from which he or she is positioned at a specific distance. A typical sunrise clock will operate around 10,000 lux. When compared to standard lux of incandescent light bulbs (which, in an average house, will reach 400/500lux) the difference is visibly tangible. Even so, this is nowhere near the lux level of a bright day in summer, which may reach 100,000 lux.When purchasing a sunrise clock it is important to check the lux of a particular model. If it stands somewhere less than 10,000 lux (some models start at 2,500 lux) it does not signify that the model is inferior, but rather that the relative time needed for effective light therapy will increase. Most models of sunrise clocks have variable time-settings to ensure that owners can define the most effective usage time themselves. Once employed and given time for effect (for some a few days, for others a few weeks) the sunrise clock can give us the mastery over our environment that we thought we had achieved over a century ago.

Maisonneuve Fracture Treatment Information

Maisonneuve fracture is a disruption-bony or ligamentous- of the medial ankle and proximal fibula and is usually caused by external rotation of the ankle. There is an associated fracture of the medial malleolus or rupture of the deep deltoid ligament. This type of injury can be difficult to detect. Maisonneuve fractures and syndesmosis injuries occur most often in athletes. The foot is planted on the ground and the lower leg rotates around it. The force of the injury is translated through the interosseus membrane, travels up the leg, and exits through the top of the bone. The result is a proximal fibular fracture.With a Maisonneuve fracture, there can even be a fracture of the tibia at the bottom near the ankle. One cause of ankle injury is previous injury; inadequately rehabilitated ankle sprains place the ankle at risk for subsequent injuries. Common sign of maisonneuve fracture is tenderness at medial malleolus and proximal fibula. Maisonneuve fracture need to reaaproximate syndesmosis.The syndesmosis screw will have to be removed in a subsequent surgery. If not removed, the screw’s presence will not allow for normal ankle motion and could break causing more pain. Rehabilitation should proceed as directed.

Five Top Tips for Getting a Good Nights Sleep

Sleep and rest are essential ingredients for a healthy existence, and are deemed by many experts to be just as important as balanced nutrition and taking regular exercise. People leading busy lifestyles often overlook the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. The irony here is that taking the recommended eight hours sleep every night will actually better prepare people for the challenges thrown at them by their hectic lifestyle. In order to arrive at an atmosphere which will aid you in falling effortlessly to sleep it is suggested that you assess the following:1. Arrangement of Bedroom FurnitureThis isn’t about Feng-Shui, it is simply about practicality. A cluttered room with poor furniture arrangement can be devastating to ones hopes of getting a good nights rest, and this is primarily because untidiness clutters the mind. Anxiety (perhaps brought on by worrying when you will next have time to tidy your bedroom!) prevents your mind from resting, which is a vital ingredient for a good nights sleep. Keeping distracting items, such as televisions, computers and stereos in the bedroom is also not recommended due to the disruption they cause to somebody trying to sleep. Electrical items left on standby still emit light and even a slight humming noise which all contributes to keeping you awake! 2. LightExperts recommend a dark room to be much better for sleeping in, because our bodies naturally wake up in response to light. If your curtains or blind are permeable then it is more than likely that you will wake up long before the alarm clock goes off, particularly during the summer months. Nightlights and bedside lamps can trick the mind into thinking it is either time to wake up or it is not time to go to sleep! 3. NoiseNoise can be extremely irritating when trying to get to sleep. Many people would assume earplugs are the solution to this problem however; this can be a dangerous tactic, particularly if you sleep alone, because you may not wake up should a smoke alarm go off. Double glazing is a very effective insulator of distracting noise caused by traffic, although it can be expensive. Hanging heavy curtains is a less costly solution to this problem or, alternatively, you could consider moving the bedroom to the back of the house.4. Temperature.It is important to think about what you wear to bed. Experts recommend wearing natural products (such as cotton) because these are best for letting your body breathe which in turn will help keep your temperature down. The density of your duvet will also play an important role in ensuring you maintain a healthy while sleeping. You may find it is necessary to use different thicknesses of duvet depending on the time of year. 5. Mattress %26 Bed BaseIt is vital that you are comfortable lying on your mattress. If not, then it can become extremely irritating and it will prevent you sleeping. Mattresses have a shelf life and it is important to review the situation at least every 10 years. There should be adequate room for you to move around in your bed while you sleep, which is definitely worth bearing in mind if you share your bed with a partner.

LASIK and the Dry Eye Revisited

The many benefits of LASIK are obvious, vision without glasses, however several side affects must always be considered prior to surgery. One of the most significant, and bothersome is Dry Eyes. Most individuals that undergo the procedure will experience at least some dryness, yet others will be greatly affected.There has been a great deal of research, and clinical trials performed in an effort to determine the exact cause of the post operative dry eye, but the specific etiology has yet to be determined. One such theory is the Neural Feedback Loop Theory. This theory suggests that the disruption in the corneal nerve fibers; as a result of the flap creation and stoma layer ablation decreases corneal sensitivity. Consequently there is a decreased blink rate leading to an increase in tear film evaporation; thus the eyes become dryer. Clinical trials have shown that this anomaly corrects itself in most, but not all individuals.The second theory is Goblet Cell Damage. Goblet cells manufacture the mucin layer in tears preventing tear film evaporation. Microkeratome pressure on the cornea during flap creation can damage conjunctiva Goblet cells resulting in an unstable tear mucin layer. An unstable tear mucin layer will cause the tears to evaporate quick and leave the exposed cornea dry.Next theory is the Change in Corneal Curvature. Changing the corneal curvature is required to alter one’s prescription, but also affects how the tear film overlays the cornea. This change causes an iron stained epithelium, resulting in a very dry eye.In all cases, osmolarity changes because of the decreased blink rate results in damage to the cornea called Keratopathy. These are the most widely accepted theories on why eyes become dry following LASIK. It should be noted that dryness rates are much lower for PRK because there is no flap creation and many of these factors do not exist with that procedure.Extensive dry eye testing should be performed prior to LASIK to determine if there is an underlying dry eye condition. Some routine tests that must be done are Tear film evaluation, Schirmer test, Lissamine green staining, tear meniscus height measurement, Phenol red thread testing and Fluorescein staining. While all of these need not be done, some must be performed because the surgeon must know not only if there is a dry eye condition, but how bad it is.In cases where there is an existing dry eye, preoperative treatment can be done. The use of artificial tears, and in more serious cases, Cyclosporin commonly known as Restasis can be prescribed prior to surgery. In addition, topical steroids can also be employed to help re-mediate the condition.During the procedure the surgeon can also lessen the dry eye affect by creating the flap with a nasal hinge instead of a superior one. This appears to cause less dryness since only one side of the nerve is severed, while with the superior hinge both sides are cut; this affects corneal sensitivity. Some studies have not supported this theory while others do. The method of flap creation is a much greater factor. The microkeratome definitely creates more damage to the corneal nerves and thus dryer eyes. The better alternative is flap creation with the femtosecond laser commonly called Intralase. Corneal tissue disruption is much less and corneal sensation returns much faster.Post operative dryness can be dealt with most commonly with artificial tears. The best of which is Celluvisc. Restasis is also often employed, but must be used for at least 3-6 months to be affective. Inserting a collagen plug in the area of the lid where tears drain is also used in extreme cases to retain tear volume in the eyes.In summation, extreme dry eye patients should carefully consider, and discuss with their surgeon whether LASIK is appropriate, and all refractive surgery patients must be prepared to suffer from dry eyes post operatively for at least several months and perhaps even longer.