The Question:
Hi Dr. Chynn – Wow am I glad I found you!
I’m a 44-year-old female in Florida, no prescriptions, no eye issues except for being very nearsighted — everything checked out with my recent LASIK tests. I do legal transcription for a living which entails staring at my laptop screen for hours and lots of typing. I’ve worn glasses/contact lenses for over 30 yrs.
What is your Rx, because if it is above -8, it would be MUCH SAFER for you to do LASEK than LASIK, btw?
My main concern: a conjunctival vein in my right eye which I want to remove (or move)
I just stumbled upon your YouTube video explaining exactly what I’m looking for — cosmetically removing unsightly veins (or vein cauterization), apart from eye whitening.
I’m trying to tell my staff that they need to post on YouTube not just social media, bc people search for guidance more on YouTube than on SM, I think!
I’ve had to deal with a lot of pushback from ophthalmologists after making LASIK appointments as a guise to ask them about this — the good thing is I found out I’m a candidate for LASIK with thick corneas.
Yes, I am still in the process of teaching my new Front Desk Manager that people will do that, and she cannot get fooled! 🙂
I’ve also tried to call/email a couple eye docs that do eye whitening — just because it’s relevant to my question but not what I want (too dangerous due to lymphatics/nutrients). I was wondering how they perform that when large veins like mine are in the way in the conjunctiva.
You’re smart, there’s a doctor in Beverly Hills who is taking off huge amounts of Tenon’s and has had a few bad cases of necrosis bc he removed too much of the blood supply, is what I have heard.
This large conjunctival vein, I was born with it, it almost touches my iris. It’s ugly and unattractive, I’m self-conscious of it — especially when inflamed/enlarged — and I want it gone!
I showed a picture to a Reddit eye doc and he’s telling me it’s most likely a conjunctival vein. It’s very flaccid when you press on it, which would indicate it’s superficial.
That eye doc told me it may be possible with conjunctival veins, not scleral — and you commented in your video that it can be done. I watched videos of pterygium surgery — but I have no medical indication for it.
Can you safely “move” it under my eyelid or cauterize it?
I’m worried about cauterization causing eye strokes, vision loss, etc. when disrupting the vasculature of eyes which is why I ask if moving it and hiding it under my eyelid is an option?
I’ll be ecstatic to address only this one vein, but have 3 total that are visible.
Yes, I’ve worn contacts for over 30 yrs and I’m guilty of leaving them in for long periods of time and constantly sleeping with them, which I understand deprives the cornea of oxygen and your eyes will compensate by creating new blood vessels.
Thank you very much
Please call my office on Monday and tell my receptionist VERY CLEARLY that you want to book a REMOTE SECOND OPINION, for which we charge $500, or $0 if your medical insurance will cover it, we will do a video where I can see that eye, you should have a friend present, so they can shoot higher quality images than you can yourself, on a high-end cellphone like an iPhone 13 or similar.
I did a very similar case, 3 vessels, we did 1 at a time to be safe, you’re 100% right, if they are conjunctival you can cauterize them safely, if they are deeper you must be careful about preserving sufficient vasculature, but 1 of 3 would probably be OK in either case
TALK SOON!
Emil William Chynn, MD, FACS, MBA
