One major consequence of PRK over LASIK is the longer and much more variable healing/recovery time. It’s nerve-racking having blurry vision weeks and even months after surgery.
The amount of time required to heal can be frustrating.
Since I’ve found comfort reading other people’s recovery timelines, I offer mine in hopes that it will do the same for you. On the flip side, I’ve also read quick healing timelines that made me more stressed out. Hopefully my story doesn’t do that to you. ;)
Just remember healing time is extremely variable; six months being the most common “worst-case scenario,” but I’ve also read between 9 and 12 months.
Unless anything else comes up, I will no longer update this post cause I’m back to normal! w00t w00t! But if you have any questions about my recovery, feel free to leave a comment.
Also, be sure to read the comments for some other first-hand recovery experiences. Thanks everyone for commenting and sharing!
Overview
Day 1 – September 30th, 2010
Surgery happened around noon.
We’re looking to correct:
- Nearsightedness (-3.25 in both eyes)
- Slight astigmatism
I will say one thing about the surgery itself. The doctor sprayed some fluid in my eye right after the laser zapped my cornea. During this split second I could see crystal clear. The laser above me was in sharp focus; no haze, no blurriness, just perfect vision.
This short glimpse into my future vision is what I hold onto when I doubt the results of PRK. I keep telling myself: “You saw clearly then. You will see clearly again.”
Right after surgery I could see somewhere between with contacts/glasses and without. So between 0 and -3.25. I didn’t have any pain, but the doctor told me to take a Lortab when I got home.
Lortab makes me nauseous, so post-op went something like this: got home, took a Lortab, slept, woke up, took another Lortab, slept and into Day 2 we go! ;)
Day 2
Eyes feel fine. No pain or discomfort. Doctor says everything looks good.
Vision is still what it was yesterday. Blurry, but better than before surgery without contacts.
While the doctor says I can’t drive yet, my vision is good enough that I feel comfortable driving to the grocery store for some lubricating drops. Not sure if my eyes are in the legal limits though. ;)
Day 3
You know the feeling you get when you’re in a dark room and walk outside into the sun? Your eyes feel overwhelmed and you have to shut them for a bit?
That’s how my eyes felt for the first part of the day.
I tried watching college football but couldn’t keep my eyes open for too long. My eyes felt overwhelmed. I couldn’t keep them open for more than a few minutes before I wanted to close them.
Luckily that cleared up halfway through the day and I felt fine afterward.
Vision hasn’t changed though. Still blurry.
Day 4-5
I was standing in my living room looking across to the kitchen when I realized I could see better than the previous days. Still not better (or equal to) when I had contacts, but definitely better than before.
That’s good news right?
Day 6
That is until the doctor messes with you!
I go in for my second post-op appointment and the doctor takes out the bandage contact lenses.
Vision regresses to what it was on Day 1-3. Bummer! *shakes fist at doctor* “You’ll rue the day!”
Day 7
I drive for the first time at night.
This is my first post-PRK venture in the dark with my new eyes. I know night vision problems is a common side effect of PRK (e.g. halos, glare, starbursts), so I’m anxious to see what night vision problems I have.
To my surprise, it doesn’t appear that I have any.
Since I’m still somewhat sensitive to light, I don’t stare at any street lights for too long, but as far as I can tell my night vision is what it was before I had PRK. Not seeing any signs of halos, starbursts, etc.
I’m praying this trend continues throughout my PRK recovery.
Week 1
The common thread the past week has been vision that is between with contacts and without. Basically my nearsightedness has been reduced, but not eliminated.
Luckily it’s good enough that I feel safe driving because I go back to work for the first time tomorrow. I’m slightly worried about going back because I spend a vast majority of my time on a computer and I don’t want to strain my eyes while they’re healing.
But *shrug*. It is what it is. I gotta work to pay the bills.
There haven’t been any significant improvements or regression in vision (just a small improvement on Day 4 and 5). Overall my vision has been fairly consistent since the surgery.
I will say I am surprised at how non-existent pain and discomfort has been. I’ve experienced no pain or discomfort this past week. Also, I don’t have any problems with dry eyes (another common PRK side effect). I use the lubricating drops as directed, but never feel like I need them.
Score one for the home team!
Day 8
First day back to work.
As I mentioned earlier, I spend most of my day on a computer. Being back wasn’t nearly as straining as I had expected. I did have to bump my screen resolution down to 1024×768 to see anything, but I feel good about resuming normal computer activity (with frequent breaks).
Day 9
Today was the first day I felt good about the strength of my eyes. My eyes have needed 10 to 15 minutes in the morning to fully wake up and not feel like they’ve just woken up from a coma. Not so much today.
Aside from the still blurry vision, they feel strong.
The eyes no longer need to be babied and I feel comfortable resuming activities I’ve avoided the past week (e.g. reading my Kindle and using a computer).
Day 10-12
Same old, same old . . .
Day 13
While my vision hasn’t had any major fluctuations since the surgery, I can tell there are slight changes up/down. Every couple days or so I’ll sense my vision is better than it has been. Usually it’ll happen randomly during the day, but it doesn’t last to the next day.
Today, unfortunately, was the noticeably worse day I’ve had since the surgery. Not horrible by any means. I could still drive and function as normal, but I could just tell my vision was worse than in the past.
Day 14
If yesterday was the worse day, today’s the best my vision has been yet. How convenient since I had another appointment today. ;)
Surprisingly, my vision is somewhere between 20/40 and 20/25. Didn’t realize it would be that good. I could make out the letters on the Snellen chart, but the sharpness/focus wasn’t there. That’s the part I miss the most from my vision. Even reading things up close (like the text on this monitor) don’t have the crispness I did with contacts.
But according to my current progress, the doctor says it’ll take another three weeks before my eyes stabilize.
So until then I won’t worry too much.
Week 2
My vision through this past week has stayed fairly consistent. Consistently not stellar. The story of my life the past two weeks. ;)
I can detect minor ups and downs in quality of vision from day to day, but nothing significant. I’ve had both my best and worst seeing days in the same week. But overall, I don’t believe my vision is any better than it was a week ago. Or, maybe the progress is happening so subtly that I can’t tell?
Also, the doctor says to wait another three weeks for the eyes to stabilize.
In all of this, you’ll hear me say my eyes are blurry a lot. I think I should define that a little more. I was nearsighted (-3.25 in both eyes). After surgery I am still nearsighted (as of right now), only less so. I can read/see fine up close, but things in the distance are blurry.
Blurry applies to distance vision (which is expected being nearsighted) but it also applies to close-up vision. In this context, blurry means the vision isn’t crisp/sharp. It’s slightly out of focus. So while I can read a book just fine, I can detect a hint of the words being out of focus.
The clarity just isn’t there yet.
Week 3
This has been the best week by far. There’s been noticeable improvement in my vision. I believe I’ve hit 20/20 at various points. It’s been neat getting up in the morning and being able to see clearly.
My vision hasn’t fully stabilized yet, but I’m finally starting to feel better about the results of my surgery. If things progress as they have I’ll be a happy camper.
I also engaged in sports for the first time without any problems. Played a couple matches of tennis and a pick-up game of Ultimate Frisbee. At no point did I feel hindered because of my eyes.
There are still minor ups and downs from day to day (and within each day), but the average quality of my vision has improved. Let’s say last week was 75%, this week it’s been 85%.
The blurriness is slowly clearing up (both distance and close-up). I can now see objects in the distance with more focus. Books are also getting clearer, however, I am still having some blurriness when viewing computer screens.
Week 4
I’m pretty confident my vision is at or near 20/20. This makes me happy, but at the same time my vision is still not at the same quality it was with contacts.
I could see 20/20 with my contacts, but things were much more crisp.
Being able to see 20/20 is only one aspect of good vision. The part I’m missing is the sharpness and clarity. So that doesn’t make me happy and reminds me there’s still more healing/waiting that needs to be done.
Also, I think I am having some night vision issues. Still no halos, starburts, etc., but I feel like I’ve lost the ability to see detail in the shadows. It’s kind of hard to describe. As I’m drive at night there are portions of what I see that appear to be completely black; where I can’t see any detail. Instead of seeing an outline or shape in the shadows it all blends together into a blob of darkness.
Let’s hope this isn’t a permanent issue. While it wouldn’t be the end of the world if it were, it’s still a little weird. What if a burglar jumps out from the shadows and I can’t see him!? ;)
Week 5
Overall, not much has changed from last week. The vision has stayed consistent (near, if not at 20/20) and I think the lack of clarity/sharpness has gotten a bit better.
And also, I’m positive now I am having night vision side effects. I haven’t quite put my finger on exactly what it is. But it does have to do with not being able to see shadow detail. And whether it is related or not, there seems to be certain situations with lights (i.e. stop lights/car head lights) that make me sense something is different than it was prior to surgery.
I’m going to try and experiment with my night vision this upcoming week to see if I can explain what these “symptoms” are.
Week 6-7
Wow, has it already been seven weeks since the surgery? Over the past two weeks I’ve found myself not noticing any vision problems at all (at least during the day). So the slight issues I had looking at computer screens has gone away. It was such a gradual thing that I didn’t even realize it was getting better.
I just started waking up and going about my day like nothing was wrong. Only when I had to think about writing this update did it occur to me things had gotten better.
But as I hinted at before, I still have a detectable problem seeing details in shadows at night.
Even if that doesn’t clear up, I will still be satisfied with the results of my surgery. I have a follow-up appointment this upcoming week. We’ll see what the doctor has to say then.
Week 8
Had a follow-up appointment with the doctor this week. According to the Snellen chart, I’m seeing just better than 20/20. I could read the 20/20 line without any problems and some of the 20/15 line. Good news there.
As far as the night vision problems I’ve been describing, I explained it to the doctor and he wanted me to do a little test. He wanted me to compare my night vision with someone else. His main reason being sometimes people can over-analyze too much and he wanted a comparison.
Sounds like something I would do. Pretty ingenious “experiment” if you ask me. ;)
So I did the test and my roommate could not see shadow detail any better than I could. Perhaps I am seeing normally. I’ve only been able to compare with one other person. I’ll find a few more and see if the results are the same. If they are, that bodes well for me. That means my vision is normal and as good as it was with contacts/glasses!
From here on out I will only update this blog monthly.
3 Month
90 days! 3 months!
So here’s the deal. From my last update you know I was “complaining” about some night visions issues and the comparison my doctor wanted me to do. Aside from my roommate, I didn’t compare with anyone else cause I feel like I don’t have those night vision problems anymore.
Now you’re probably thinking to yourself it must have been psychosomatic (i.e. my brain was making me think I had issues when I really didn’t), but I swear I had problems! By coincidence it cleared up after my doctor had me do the test. Seriously! ;)
I would say I felt 100% healed and fully functional at the 2.5 month mark.
Other Recovery Timelines
- My PRK Adventure (three month recovery)
- PRK Surgery and Recovery (5+ week recovery)
- My PRK Surgery and Recovery (three month recovery)
- My PRK Experience (41 day recovery)
1,434 replies on “My PRK Recovery Timeline”
Willian – yes I have been taking the steroid drops as directed and still using it (Ped Forte). Three drops per day for the first 4 weeks and 2 drops per day after weeks 5 to 6. The doctor checked my eyes twice after my surgery and told me that he recommend Lasik not PRK and this is what he said “I have many patients gone through PRK at this center and your case is unique…your vision should be close to 80% better but I don’t know why – let us cross our fingers and hope for the best” – OMG. He even plug up my tear ducts to prevent dryness and bluriness have not stop – I use Optive Fresh Sensitive drops every 10-15 minutes without preservative in disposible vial. In addition, Before going to bed – I am using Acuvail (Ketorolac tromethamine) – is a nonstreroidal anti-inflammatory drug -it strings my eyes when I put a drop in.
Thank you very much William, Cindy and Alex – it gives me hope that my vision should improve in the near future. Week 6 today and my vision is worst than couple days ago. I am down to 3″ away from my computer monitor to see and type this comment.
Q – Have you talked to your eye doctor about this? I know mine said that if anything went wrong or if my vision started fading (even if there was no pain or whatever), he said to stop on by any time.
What I’ve been told as well is that as long as you aren’t seeing a “curtain” come down across your eyes (i.e. like a black line), then you’re doing all right and nothing horrible happened. sucks about the bluriness….have you been taking the steroid drops as directed? by week six, you should have had 1 month of 4x a day, and now 1-2 weeks of 3x a day.
PRK is it like one step forward and three steps back for the first 5 weeks. If I know the results and the recovery this long I would advise my surgeon to shut-up and do the Lasik for me. I am what you call a second dipper hoping for a 20/15 visions both eyes. I wore glasses and contact lenses for about 15 years in HS and colleges. My vision was -6.75 and -7.25 and I had Lasik about 11 years ago and result was L 20/20 and R 20/30 after Lasik – not bad because my vision was somewhere around 20/25. Two months ago my eyes was L20/25 and R20/35 overall my vision was slightly better than 20/30. I was talked into getting “an enhancement” to improve my vision because I want to see farther during my bike rides. I decided to get Lasik because I have experience it before and the clinic eye doctor recommended Lasik due to that my cornea is 3 times as thick compare to other patients even through I have done Lasik – it should be a breeze. Well, ten second before my surgery my surgeon advice me that she want to change from Lasik to PRK – I did not do any research on PRK and had no clue. Therefore, told her that “you are the surgeon and you should know what is best for your patient” – so I signed the waiver and got PRK. I follow all the post-op directions to the teeth and extremely cautious with my eyes. My visit was on day 7 when they took the contact lens off. My vision was L20/25 and R20/15 and overall I can see 20/15 – wow!. NO, two days after it got weaker and worst and worst. Now weeks 5 and it is burry and I have to be about 4 -5 inches from my computer screen to read. I hope that they are right about the long healing process because cuts on my body heal in 3 days why not my eyes. I am afraid that the scab is causing my blurriness – bump out now. Do not got PRK if you have another option – Lasik is way better.
Hang in there. I felt the same way.. It was so frustrating. I had lasik 12 years ago and then an enhancement on my right eye again, and my eyes continued to get worse over time and then I had the PRK about 12 weeks ago. My vision seems really good now, a bit dry when I wake up at night, but overall, it was so worth it. I would recommend it to others, but would have them read all of the comments on this site first so they know what to expect. Week 6, if I recall, was when I saw the most improvement.
PRK’s recovery is sooo much longer than LASIK. I am 2 months post op and it wasn’t until about 4-6 weeks that things got better, and 6-8 when they got even better. My eyes are still getting better as time goes on, and as the steroid drops reduce in frequency.
The steroids prevent healing, which is what they’re designed to do. if your eye heals too fast, you get a haze/film. the steroids purposefully slow the healing down so that it becomes a more nicely even shield.
I know everyone says “hang in there”….but that’s just what you gotta do.
Hmm, that’s really insightful about the steroid drops!
From the comments and my own experience, I definitely noticed the eyes improved much quicker after stopping the steroid drops.
But good to know the drops are there for a reason; to prevent the haze/film from appearing.
So everyone keep with the drops until the doctor says otherwise!
Yeah, I thought that was really interesting too–but think of it this way: when your skin heals fast, you get a scar….imagine that scar going across your eye (creepy, i know)….so the steroids prevent the healing process to happen so quickly, thus reducing the chance for scar tissue (haze) to form.
Thanks Cindy/William for your encouraging comments to Q!
Hey alex! Reading this post has significantly raised up my hopes in fully recovering after my prk surgery. I’m currently on day 3 and my vision is still quite blurry although better than before I had the surgery. I had myopia (-6.5 in before one eye and -8.0 in the other) I sincerely hope that I can heal before school starts in 6 weeks :) thanks for posting your time line up!
You might be close to 100% in six weeks, but if not, don’t worry!
As you read through the comments, full recovery generally takes 2-3 months.
Hi Everyone! I am 44 years old and have been thinking of doing this for a long, long time…but haven’t jumped in yet! I wear my glasses all the time and work on a computer all day. My glasses prescription is O.D. -.50 -.275 and O.S. -1.25 -3.75 so you see my nearsightedness is very slight but my astigmatism is the big factor here. I haven’t really talked to many people who have had it done that have a high astigmatism like me. I am nervous about it. I don’t mind if I need reading glasses after the surgery but I am just worried that since my vision is not that bad (except for the astigmatism) that it might be worse after PRK! I know that sounds crazy but I think about that. I never wore my glasses when I was younger and could get by. Things were blurry around the edges but I could get around well enough. Anyway, I went for a consult at TLC and they said they would recommend PRK. My cornea is medium thickness so they thought that would be a better option for me. ALso I guess it works better on astigmatism? I considered doing one eye at a time… how crazy will that drive me? As it is now I HATE smudges on my glasses which I seem to have ALL the time! I soooo hate my glasses but yet I want the result of PRK to be able to see as good as I do with my glasses. Is that unrealistic? I do have issues with Floaters too… and I am worried about that. Can anyone give me any words of wisdom or encouragement or say something that can help me in making my decision. I am so torn!
I read a lot of good things here and that helps, but I am still so scared!
Thanks!
To be honest, I don’t know how high astigmatism affects the final result.
I know there is a point at which laser surgery is not recommended, just not sure what that point is and where you fall in the range.
Since most PRK surgeons provide a free evaluation, I would highly recommend you visit a few different doctors and get their opinion. If all three say similar thing then you’ll have that extra bit of confident either way.
I visited three different doctors; two of which I felt comfortable with.
Ask a bunch of questions. How the doctor responds will help gauge how knowledgeable he is, how capable he is and if you can trust him/her with your eyes.
Hi Everyone…
Just wanted to post a quick update.. It has been 10 weeks since my PRK eye surgery. My eyes get a bit dry from time to time and sometimes when I awake, it feels like my eyelids are sticking to my eyes. Pretty uncomfortable opening them up. It’s not every night, just on occasion. I still have times when things get blurry for a minute or two, but then resume to normal. No worries though, as from what I’ve read and am experiencing, things are going to work out fine. All in all, I am seeing pretty good! It has been so nice to be able to swim and not worry about my contacts!
yup your going to be fine, i’ve noticed significant results once i stopped use of the steroid eye drops. within 2 days i noticed improvement just make sure your using the rewetting drops every 2hrs and you’ll get there.
steriod cause your eye pressure to be high. which is the reason you don’t see any huge improvement.
Ohmigosh, this makes me feel so much better! I’m on day 10 with my left eye and day 8 with my right eye. My right eye is clear as clear can be and my left eye is very blurry. I was panicking thinking the surgery didn’t work, but after reading I need to give my eyes 1-3 months before I’ll be 100% again. Thank you so much for sharing your story!!
Hehe. Yeah, it takes some time. ;)
Be patient and don’t fret! Even if your vision regresses (cause that’s also normal during healing).
So I went to the eye doc for a one-month check up. my left eye is awesome, but on my right eye everything has a little smear to it. lights are really bad, and text has it too…. he said he could see the “smear” on the eye; and that it was just healing different in that particular spot….said it *should* go away as the months go on….anyone ever have this “smearing” thing? or that your eye healed weirdly? this is just my right eye. been taking steroid drops for 4 weeks with 4x daily dosage and artificial tears every 15-20 minutes.
Hmm. Interested. I’ve never heard of a recovery having a “smear” before. Let us know as you heal if it does indeed go away.
Well coming up here on my 2 month appt next week. had another visit last week – the eye doc said the dots that were causing the smearing are going away. still present, but eventually getting smoother and more of a nice even epithelium….instead of being crunchy or something. will drop the steroid use down to two drops per day beginning next week.
this past weekend I noticed I don’t need the eye drops as often anymore. sure, they get a little dry, but I don’t feel a constant nagging feeling every 10-20 minutes to do one. feels good. vision is pretty awesome.
my prescription is now a 0.00 and 0.25. 20/20 in both eyes. Sweet.
Good stuff! Happy to hear the smears are slowly fading. Hope that trend continues!
william yes your in our boat, Blink preservative free eye drops are amazing it feels like an amazing lubricant i try to use it every 2hrs or less and it just makes it feel much more moist. Waking up and opening my eyes for the first 3 weeks would feel like im pealing away a scab when i open but once i started restasis its going away pretty fast.
Mike – did you start restasis on your own? or did your doc recommend it?
I’m now going on day 23 after surgery and it’s still dry and painfull when I first wake up. I’ve tried turning off the ceiling fan but it still occurs anyway. once an eye drop of the Refresh Plus is in, I’m fine. and a morning shower with all the heat and steam helps a lot too. But those first couple of minutes after waking up….ugh
the surgeon told me about restasis so i tried it they also told me about omega 3 pills which i didnt bother with. restasis will give you some great results after 2 wks of usage and you use it for 3 months. After using it you wont have that pain when you wake up and you also start to feel like you dont need the drops every two hours so ask them to give you the script.
I had PRK done May 23rd, 2012. Was -5.25 in the right eye and -4.75 in the left eye. I am 29 (going on 30). I am an Air Force guy (not a pilot, but a weather guy). Had my surgery done at Lackland AFB, San Antonio, TX.
I found this website when googling for “how long does PRK recovery take?” glad to hear others are/were in the same boat.
Day 1: surgery was unnerving to me….felt like I was under the laser for a LONG time, even though it was 45 seconds. glad they gave me stress balls to squeeze. no pain, though.
Day 2: slept. percocet and phenagran (sp?) all day. wake up? take another.
Day 3-Day 5: PAIN. About a 5 on a 1-10 scale. felt like every blink my eyelids were scraping my eyeballs. more percocet. didn’t use numb-drops.
Day 6: overnight, I felt almost instantly better. felt it getting much better on 6.
Day 7: contact bandage removed. Vision was barely street legal (20/40 and 20/40.2).
I was put on the “4 month recovery program”. For the first month I am taking steroid drops 4x a day. at the second month, I will take them 3x a day, 3rd month: 2x, and last month 1x a day. I am taking Flarex (flurorometholone acetate opthalmic suspension).
I am also using single-use lubricant eye drops (Refresh Plus). They recommended I use them every 15 minutes while I’m awake.
My vision is pretty awesome now (day 16)…but definitely not quite there yet. Left eye is better than right eye.
When I put in the artificial tears, my vision gets immensly better. everything is crystal clear and exceptionally sharp. the full contrast of colors just blows me out of the water — I feel like I’ve never seen this good in my life.
then I blink a few times and it goes back to kind of blurry and a little dull. Still good, no doubt — not as perfect as it was though with the drops in.
I didn’t sleep well for the first two weeks. Constantly waking up with VERY Dry eyes – running to the bathroom to put in more artificial tears. But now I am sleeping better. still waking up with dry eyes…and it almost stings a little when I put in the drops —but at least I can see my way to the bathroom!
Nightvision: it’s not so much the aura/starburst for me, but rather lack of contrast. Cars blend in with the color of the road at far distances. Twilight is actually the worst, versus dark night. I still feel well enough to drive at night though.
Reading through all these posts, I didn’t see anything (no pun intended) about artificial tears and/or lubricant eye drops. what have people been using on a daily/hourly basis? does anyone else have the nighttime/overnight dryness? (waking up with dry eyes).
And how do you avoid all the crap in the eye lashes/under the eyes from all the drops? I hate wiping the tears away, because it’s starting to make the skin raw….but leaving the liquid on there it dries out and leaves residue/nastiness.
I really wanted LASIK, but doc said my epithelium was too loose – so the flap could be an issue late on in life.
yes the blurriness and ghosting/double vision issues is all normal and it gets better as you heal. each eye heals different its totally normal. i had prk a month ago and my left eye is healing slightly slower i still have blurry/ghosting with words and signs its extremely annoying and i’ve felt the same, dont worry after u slowly decrease the dosage of your steroids ( im on lotemax) you start to clear up. it also as to do with dryness make sure your using the rewetting drops every 2 hrs and 1 hr if your on the computer.
I had PRK done almost 2 weeks ago on -2.00 nearsightedness and I can see fine in my left eye but my right eye is blurry, were u experiences different vision in each eye?
Yup, that’s normal.
See the comments from Jennifer and Mike.
Hi!
First of all, thank you for making this blog! It really helps to read about other people’s experiences. I had PRK in both eyes a week an a half ago (on May 25th). Over the past few days I’ve noticed that my left eye sometimes goes more out of focus than my right eye to the point where if I close my right eye, I have trouble reading the words on my computer screen (such as right now as I’m typing). As expected, the clarity of my vision in both eyes waxes and wanes, so the blurriness in my left eye isn’t consistent, but it’s making me a bit concerned. Has anyone else experienced the decreased clarity in one eye when compared to the other during the recovery process?
Thanks!
~Jennifer
Yup, that’s totally normal and expected. I experienced a slightly different healing process for each eye. And from reading through previous comments, others have experienced that as well.
It’s not uncommon to have one eye be 20/25 and the other 20/20. But combined you’re 20/20. So I wouldn’t worry too much about the individual recovery process for each eye.
Be patient and be diligent with the eye drop regimen your doctor has you on!
Thanks Alex! I really appreciate you keeping up with this site for so long after you’ve had your procedure! You’re helping a lot of people! :)
Thanks Alex! Your story has been most helpful. I am 3 weeks out from PRK and your timeline makes me feel better. I was discouraged because the healing process seems so long. I am seeing pretty good – 20/20 in one eye and 20/50 as of my last appointment one week out – but my eyes fatigue very quickly from computer work and get blurry with the lotemax drops. My main complaint is how dry my eyes are – especially at night. I am using systane ultra during the day every hour and have tried some of the nighttime formulations – but I swear it’s like putting vasoline in your eyes! Did you experience severe dryness? Did it improve over time? Any thoughts on what works best? Thanks again for sharing your story!
I had read dry eyes was one common side effect of PRK, but I was fortunate enough to never experience any problems with it.
From what I’ve read, most people will experience some degree of dry eyes during recovery, but it clears up.
Have you talked with your doctor about the dry eyes? I would follow his suggestions and continue to be patient.
And remember, you still have plenty of time to heal. With as quickly as your eyes fluctuate during recovery, you could wake up one day and no longer have dry eyes.
It’s been almost 5 weeks since my PRK procedure on 4/23. My first post, I could barely see to type anything and had difficulties reading my post and others. No problems today! I had my 4 week appointment today. Doctor said my eyes are healing good. My vision is pretty clear. I still have difficulty reading small print that I could read prior to PRK and have periods of noticeable blurriness. I was told that over the next several weeks, my vision will get better. Next check up in 2 months. I can use any type of eye drops now for the dryness, they do not need to be preservative free. All n all, so thankful for your site Alex and the posts from everyone. It kept me from worrying and gave me faith. Cheers to brighter days!
Great news! Happy to hear your eyes are healing up nicely!
Alex-just wanted to thank you for this site. I had Prk on 18 May and am currently on day 9. I would have been greatly disappointed in the surgery had it not been for your timeline. I am pretty much tracking with you so far. In fact, once my expectations were realistic the change has been fun to experience. I just turned 50 and have worn glasses since I was 9. I was -8 in left and -7 in rt with little to no astigmatism. The fact that I’m sitting looking out the window and can actually see some details of trees across my yard is almost miraculous-and knowing that you say 2 to 3 months should even be much better–well it brings great hope.
I choose Prk because I did not want the flap created by lasik–call it a personally thing. My corneal thickness was Ok for LASIK but a friend had a lot of dryness with the procedure-even now my dryness seems under control-makes me happier with the Prk decision.
Because of my age I know I will need reading glasses but I’m good with that. I was just tired of skiing or playing hockey with glasses or contacts (contacts made my eyes tired real quick).
As a spiritual person I know I needed to learn more patience and Prk is helping-rather than be frustrated after the BCLs came out, I laugh a little at the 2 steps back as you would say. I also learned reading your blog is that expectations, if not reasonable, can ruin a great experience-hard work comes before results and shortcuts aren’t usually better.
Well Alex–thanks again. Right now I’ m going to pour another cup of coffee sit back and enjoy this slightly blurry view on this beautiful Saturday morning in northern New England.
Heya John! Happy to hear this post has helped you set realistic expectations.
Here’s to the future and enjoying beautiful mornings, coffee and clear vision!
how important are the lotemax drops are they really that significant? and restalsis did you guys use it? also does it really matter to use preservative free eyedrops or the ones with preservatives, thanks
at lotemax…yes, you need to use it.
any kinds of eye drop should work, doesn’t need preservative or not….i just used the big bottle, rather than individual package.
I didnt have the surgery but a friend did. She said it was really two solid week before she felt comfotable enough to drive, eyesight wasnt better where she was really conforatble until 3-4 weeks later!
When did you all feel comfortable enough to drive? I had PRK on Friday and still do not feel comfortable driving at all (today is Thursday). I know that it hasn’t even been a week since my procedure, but I’m getting a little frustrated since I have to ask coworkers to bring me to and from work. I had my follow up appointment on Tuesday and had the protective lenses taken out. The doctor will be checking the pressure of my eyes next Tuesday.
I was comfortable driving within a week after surgery (including at night). I know you’ve hit the week mark, but don’t worry if your healing isn’t following my path.
If you’ve read through the comments, you know the healing process is very different for people. No two eyes heal the same. So nothing to worry about this early in the process!
Hi,
I had PRK surgery April 6th 2012 I work in information technology and it was a tough month after the surgery. I too was getting very nervous I did the wrong thing a couple weeks in. Now that I am at the 5 week mark it seems my vision is getting better everyday. I had astigmatism in both eyes and had worn glasses since I was 12 yrs old. I am 40 now and I am happy so far with the results. The doctors however were not very helpful with telling me that the first few days would be really hard to see. I asked directly if I would be able to drive the following Monday following the procedure and he assured me that I would be able to. Thanks to my wife I was able to be driven to work rather than drive and get into an accident. My vision was pretty bad after the first few days. I had the contact bandages removed the thursday after the procedure. As I said above I am seeing much better but have noticed my right eye healing quicker than the left. I can see pretty well with the exception of some ghosting in the left eye. I go back for a check up May 19th and I would say I am seeing 20 25 maybe a bit better when I get the glimpses of the clarity when the left eye is not ghosting I will post after my check up with the results. I am confident my vision will be at least 20/20 if not better once my eyes are finished healing. It does take a long time to get to that point and patience is the key. I was told by a friend this was not normal but he had lasik and was able to see within days of the surgery 20/20 but he did not understand I had PRK done this site was extremely helpful in my recovery. Knowing what I was going through was pretty normal helped a lot.. Thanks John matthews
Good to hear you’re progressing well in your healing! Let us know how your followup on the 19th goes.
And yeah, for PRK, what you’re experiencing is completely normal. LASIK patients basically ride a first class jet to recovery. PRK is more like being shoved in the bathroom for an overseas flight. ;)
Went to my follow up appointment yesterday and found out I am reading the chart at 20/20 with both eyes but the left eye alone I coud read the 20/20 line except for one letter. My assumption about my left eye being behind my right was correct. It is only a little bit though. Docs said I should continue to improve over the next few weeks. I woke up today to find my left eye has gained a bit of sharpness today. I do feel I have seen vast improvement over the past week or so since I posted. So have to go to another appointment in July Hopefully by then I will be completely back to normal.. Thanks John Matthews
Hello all I wanted to post up tomorrow will be the end of week 9
I was having a little trouble reading smaller print for the past coupkle of weeks and was staring to wonder if I would need to wear reading glasses to help. I was going to go out tonight to get a pair. Well I guess my body said no you dont need that because today I am reading the small print at 100% on the computer screen. I noticed that things seemed a bit sharper this morning. I am happy to report that it seems as if my left eye just needed that extra week to catch up. I am very hopeful this continues. I am seeing very well now I would have to say at least 20/20 if not better things are really starting to sharpen up.
Thanks again for your site excellent info in here..
John Matthews
Hello everyone I went back for my three month checkup and they said I am reading the chart at 20/15 in both eyes. My distance sight is excellent. I have been able to make out signs sooner than my 14 yr old son. I do have some instances when the very small print is hard to make out but I think that is just my age. I am extremely happy with the results of my PRK I have a couple more visists to the doctor but I am seeing very well. To all those who are still in the beginning stages. Be patient your vision will improve as your eyes heal. Good luck to all
John Matthews
Awesome! Great to hear you’re seeing 20/15!
So, it’s been over 3 weeks now since my PRK Lasik surgery. My vision is still quite blurry close up. I am on the computer all day for work. I am not sure even after 3 weeks of PRK lasik surgery, one should be driving. The street lights are very blurry. From a distance, when I look at the green light, the best I can describe it, the light looks like a Mickey Mouse shaped light. Frustrating…. I have never had any type of eye pain associated with this surgery, as I have read others have. I did use my eye drops exactly as indicated by the Doctors and will continue to do so. Currently, I am only using my steroid eye drops 2x’s/day and the wetting eye drops as often as needed. About every hour. Next week, week 5, I will use the steroid drops 1x a day, and then I will be done with those as well. Looking forward to clearer days soon!
Cindy I too work on a computer on a daily basis. I was getting frustrated myself. I just finished week 5 and stopped the drops the past couple of days and I have to say my vision has shown vast improvement in the past week. I thought I was not getting where I should be but… It seems things get better after stopping the drops. Dont really know why. I have my resolution set at 125% right now. two weeks ago it was at 200% just so I could read it.. The night vision was also awful for the first three weeks but since the improvement I would say it is bearable now and getting better as my vision gets better… Good luck with your recovery..
i work on computer 8 hrs a day too…but the good thing is i only did PRK on one eye, wait for it to heal up before doing the 2nd eye….i don’t want to do one eye at a time but after getting the result, i suggest getting one eye and the 2nd one later.
Greetings, all:
I am taking the “plunge” (PRK) , so to speak, on June 1, 2012. I go for “mapping” on May 29, 2012.
I plan on taking two weeks off from work for the PRK. Fortunately, only my left eye needs PRK, so I will be functional.
I must admit, after reading everyone else’s experience, has me apprehensive. However, many people do report good outcomes.
Hiya Misa!
Reading the long recovery times with the ups and downs can definitely make a person apprehensive, but know for a large majority of people, the final outcome becomes worth the roller coaster ride.
The key is to be patient. Give yourself 2-3 months for your eyes to stabilize and for your vision to clear up.
PS. This site has been great, it really helped to understand I was not alone or out of the norm for recovery.
I just wish I would have known all this before I had PRK.
Thank You Alex for this site, and I hope you know you have helped a lot of people get over some ruff times with this site.
KARMA
Your welcome! Thanks to all you and the other comments for posting periodic updates for others to read!
I Folks
Up-Date
Well I just had my 7 month check-up. I have 20/30 in both eyes and its about as good as its going to get I guess. They did say it might still get better but as far as they were concerned they would not do any more for me to get it better.
I still have some double vision at a distance which would account for the poor clarity. (note I did not have double vision before PRK)
To sum it up, Before PRK vision was 20/100 and I had to use reading glasses at +2.5 and corrective lenses for distance.
Now I only need reading glasses for fine print or low light and not at all for computer use which is great because I had to use my readers before to see it.
I could get corrective lenses for the distance/double vision
I can live with the distance part because some days its great and your mind is a wonderful thing because you get used to it.
Next check-up 1 year from now.
Best wishes to everyone, its been one he11 of a ride so far and its not over yet “I guess”
Thank you everyone for your comments. I am a little more hopeful that my vision will return to normal. It’s been 2 weeks since my PRK lasik surgery. Prior to PRK, I was nearsightedness. I could see fine close up, seeing distance was blurry for me. After surgery, it is the total opposite. Which stinks, since I work on the computer 5 days a week. It is hard for me to see the words, as a matter of fact, what I’m typing now, is extremely blurry so forgive my typo’s. lol. Day 5, 6, and 7, were my best days ever. I could read e-mail, etc. After I got my protective lenses removed, everything got blurry again. There are times my vision is a little better, but to see close up, is a challenge for me. I am not use to this. Tomorrow, Monday, will be the start of my 3 week journey. Hoping things clear up.
Glad to have you stumble in as a fellow PRK-er!
I feel like it’s been a common thing for vision to get worse after taking out the bandage contacts.
You’ve got a high statistical probability that you will clear up just fine. ;) In general, it seems 3 months is a good time frame to wait before you get overly concerned.
i’m on the same boat before…but it should clear up 2-3 more weeks…if not, then ask if your eye pressure is high or not, if it’s, then they should lower it down and you’ll be fine. 20/15 in both eyes after lowing my eye pressure.
How do they lower eye pressure??
eye drops.
Thanks for this. It was really helpful.
I had my surgery 18 days ago and I have blurriness as the day wears on and also night vision issues. I drove a friend home tonight and I couldn’t make out people in dark clothing, they blended into the background. Luckily I was only driving 2miles an hour.
I like reading your timeline, gives me something to look forward to because I was starting to think, “Is this it?!”
Also, I can’t focus on the computer or reading for more than 10mins at a time before it’s painful and blurry. How long does that take to fix?
Thanks for stopping by! 18 days out definitely does NOT qualify as “is this it?” territory. ;)
You’ve still got plenty more time to heal up.
According to my timeline, it took me just over a week to start feeling better reading on a computer/Kindle. But that’s not to say your healing wouldn’t still be considered “normal” considering how wide-ranging the healing process can be from person to person.
If you have to look at a computer, try to lower the resolution so that text displays larger. And take frequent breaks. You don’t want to strain your eyes if you’re feeling pain after 10 minutes of reading.
My friend took almost 5 weeks before she could actually look at a computer for longer than 10 minutes without discomfort. It’s been I think 6 or 7 weeks now and she is still experiencing halo effects at night, and has trouble seeing distance. Her reading ability has improved, but distance still no good. Doctor told her still too early to make and judgment calls. Need to give it 3 months or so for a good measurement of “this is it”
i don’t know it’s true but i think there are two methods of PRK. The way they removed my outer layer was by using something like a toothbrush and brush it away. however, when i went to youtube and saw few PRK videos. the procdure was different from mine. the video on youtube look more painful. the video show they using a circle hold and pull down to on your eye to remove the outer layer. So i guess it all depend on the way ur doctor performed PRK. can anyone chip in to see if i’m correct about the two methods. thank.
So my frined has been back to doctor 4 times since here surgery 4 weeks ago. Not a noticable difference in vision, there is improvmenet but nothing to write home about. For some reason yesterday she got her haircut, the lighting in their was like putting a needle in her eye. She was in pain for hours, up all night. She has another appointment next Saturday. Obviously getting very frustrated in the slow recovery and also the lack of vision, especially since she cant even wear anything corrective to get her through until her eyes are completly healed. She is having trouble reading and driving.
Here is a synopsis of my surgery in point form;
1. Male 32 years old
2. -2 in the left eye with astigmatism, nearly perfect in the right eye
3. Never wore contacts or glasses, just dealt with the problem my whole life
4. I’m a baby when it comes to pain
5. Got PRK 3 weeks ago from the day of this post on just my left eye
6. Day of surgery, it was painless and non eventful
7. Day 2, still no pain and did not use any of the eye drops the doc gave me. Went for the check up and everything looked fine, no infection. Was driving but covering my eye most of the time.
8. Day 3, pain and discomfort kicked in and I began using the pain drops every 3 hours. When the pain drops wore off it felt like someone had put a bag of rocks and the Sahara desert into my eye. I would wake up frequently during the night.
9. Day 4 to 7, same as Day 3 but now I was beginning to think I made the worst decision of my life, I could basically see nothing out of my left eye, thankfully I still had one good eye. If I didn’t I would probably have been on suicide watch (slightly kidding).
10. Day7, went to the doctor to get my contact lens removed but was told I would need another few days before it healed. He replaced my contact lens while I was there and it felt like someone ripped a bandage off my eyeball. I couldn’t drive out of there for 45 minutes because my eye was watering so much and the pain drops were doing nothing.
*** Key Turning Event *** The doctor told me to not use the pain medication and just stick it out. He said the healing would speed up. Wow, that was the best advice I got. I could literally feel my eye starting to heal over the next few days. It felt like when you get a scab and it starts getting itchy all around it. I knew right away that things were different. The pain turned to just discomfort and my vision got better but I was basically still blind out of the one eye.
11. Day 14, finally got my contact removed, I had a small amount of discomfort for a few days, it first felt like I had a small rock in my eye and then began to feel like an eyelash and then finally 3 days later I had no pain at all. My vision got progressively better.
12. Day 21 (Today), no pain, no dry eyes, my vision is getting MUCH better, I would say its where it was before the surgery (-2) if not a bit better.
My biggest advice to anyone getting PRK, get one eye done at a time or you will likely be unable to do any kind of work for 1 to 2 weeks. If I didn’t have one good eye I would have lost my mind….. also, try and stay off the pain drops. I believe my body didn’t heal because it didn’t know there was anything wrong with it because I was hiding the pain with the drops.
Be very patient! It takes time!
All the best,
Mike
Heya Mike, thanks for the timeline! I’m sure it will help encourage others to tough it out. As you experienced, there are times when you feel like you made a mistake, but inevitable it does get better!
Wow, it took them 14 days to take out the contact? It took them 4 days for me. I feel discomfort, so they took it out but my eyes was healing well enough for them to take it out.
I know, 14 days scared the crap out of me. It just goes to show that everyone heals at different speeds…. what’s great is that after it came out my eye sight seems to be getting better at a very fast rate. I would say my eye is around -1 now, it has been 9 days since the contact came out, 23 days since the surgery. I go for another checkup next week, I’ll let you know how it goes.
sound good….let’s hope you get 20/15 like most of us in here…..and no dry eyes.
Update, I went for my 4 week checkup yesterday. The doc said I was progressing much faster than I did in the first 2 weeks. She said the surface was 90% ‘smooth’ and over the next little while things should clear up even more once the remaining 10% smooths out. My eye sight was 20/25 and she expects it will get to 20/20 once the last bit heals.
Good luck to everyone else out there!
@Mike,
you corrected both eyes at the same time?
hello i have some questions about prk i plan on getting it soon im farsighted with -3.5 in both eyes its fine for me to slowly progress to seeing 20/20 but how bad is the blurry vision up close? I can see 20/20 upclose now, will that become blurry and if so, how bad? will i be able to see the hair on my arms during the healing period? i dont work on the computer much but reading and seeing up close is very important for my job. i can take off 2 wks vacation is that enough ?
Hi Mike, for me the blurry vision up close was tolerable during the first week of the recovery. I could definitely see the hair on my arms.
But that doesn’t guarantee your experience will be the same because it can be so varied.
My doctor recommended I take a week off from work to give my eyes time to rest and heal before going back to work. I’m not sure taking the entire two weeks of your vacation will be necessary, but a week wouldn’t hurt.
Underwhelmed.
But necessary.
What had happened…..apparently some “debris” from my Cataract surgery was behind the lens and the back of the lens was getting cloudy. My vision was actually getting worse after PRK.
It had nothing to do with the PRK, and maybe as many as 20% (or even more) of the people who have had cataract surgery will need a YAG Laser procedure sometime later. Look up YAG OD if you want the details.
So, the YAG Laser was done yesterday and I am back to where I was about two weeks after PRK.
That is to say……..not very good…….. and am on the PRK recovery schedule again. Rats.
Good news is that there’s still a chance your PRK could be considered a success when it’s all said and done!
Yes, that is still possible, but I don’t think so.
I think it has been a complete failure.
In any event the session of Post Op on the YAG was without incident until we started
to talk about the PRK………
The Dr, Dr Gorovoy of Ft myers, one of only two Drs on the gulf coast of florida that is recommended by Castle Connolly (Ostensibly an independent rating service) has now indicated that it is not working.
But he wont do any more enhancement until this operation has healed.
We setup an appointment for September when he will re evaluate it and he gave me
a prescription for glasses.
I picked up the glasses today and they are”OK” on my good eye (Left eye -That was set up at 20/70 for Reading), and while they help the right eye some…the astigmatism is still very bad.
I am going to get a second eye exam from an optomitris and see if it agrees with Gorovoy.
Well, we shall see. Pun not intended.
But I am not optimistic at his point. It has been 6 weeks and even the Dr is pessimistic.
Hello all,
Wondered if anyone has ever asked for a refund because their vision was not corrected to what the surgeons predicted? I had PRK last April 2011. The left eye was under corrected, so I need to wear a contact or glasses to drive. The right eye was left with a bumpy epithelium (sp?) which never cleared up. A recent enhancement on that eye resulted with NO change and the surgeon is stumped. I cannot read or see far away and their suggestion is a hard contact that will help “even out” the epithelium. I know I am in a small minority that this just did not work, but I am frustrated (and a lot poorer!)
i doubt they would refund you. don’t you signed some kind of documents before you went in for lasik? i signed two times, one for each eye.
I’ll have to dig out the original folder with copies of everything and check. I kinda recall the old “satisfaction guaranteed” and since this is very unusual, I might have a case. I guess I never thought my eye would be worse than what I started with!
curious, I had lasik no problems about 4 weeks ago. a recommended a friend and she was told after wearing no contacts for two weeks that the cornea still hadnt changed and prk was neccessary. she is in day 3 and is still feeling alot of dicomfort. is this normal? she had the procedure done saturday afternoon today is monday pm. very sensative to light still and her eyes are still hurting? she using the drops given and taking advil, but again just curious if this is normal for some people? thanks
From reading through the comments here, it is normal for some to experience pain three days (and longer) into the recovery process.
But if she is worried, I would strongly advise she check in with her doctor. There is no harm in asking. And in the off chance it is something more serious, they can address the issue earlier rather than later.
thanks Alex, she is reaching out to the doctor today. She was told that Lasik wasnt an option on the day of surgery, stated she was going to need the PRK surgery. She;s frustrated because going in was expecting Lasik, but told the day of wanst going to be an option. Opted to go ahead anyway with prk but wasnt expecting this long of a recovery. feels a little better today, but on day 3 (last night) was in more pain than day 1? Funny you mention 3 steps forward 2 steps back, thats what she experienced yesterday for sure. She is hoping to get back to work tomorrow, was not expecting to have to be out for a couple of days.
Was getting depressed.
My vision was definitely worse after 4 weeks than it was….after two weeks. Or 3 weeks.
What’s going on?
Well, todays appointment came out well.
The cornea is progressing, but I am still not seeing well.
When he talked about an “enhancement” a couple of weeks ago, he was talking about
Yag Laser Posterior Capsulotomy which is a procedure to cleanup Cataract surgery.
Easy stuff. No fasting. No pain. No extra drops. Drive in and drive out!
Should positively affect my vision within an hour or so.
No resetting the cornea healing to zero.
And no charge, even tho it is associated with my earlier cataract surgery done by a different
outfit and has nothing to do with the PRK…. except it is preventing the PRK from giving me good vision.
That will be done Friday. Can’t hardly wait.
He has started weaning me off the steroid drops. Been doing 4 a day.
He wants 3 day for a week, 2 a day…..etc…..
That’s awesome to hear Homer! You can’t beat free!
I really hope it does improve your PRK vision. Give us an update on Friday!
I had Lasik eye surgery August ’06, when I was 21, I feel now at this time at that age I wasnt a good candidate for it considering, Im done developing as I would put it. After my first procedure my vision was 20/15 for about a year, and then I noticed my vision wasnt as clear as it has been. Every year I have gone back for my follow up and my vision has gotten worse but not to the point where I started. Since my surgery 5 years ago my vision has changed alot, I have an enhancement schedule in two weeks but I have choosen the PRK procedure rather than Lasik again, a little nervous about the recovery time. Any helpful suggestions. Thank you
How come you decided to go the PRK route versus LASIK again?
My suggestions/advice to you . . . have realistic expectations about the recovery process (read through some of the comments to get an idea).
And be patient. Especially since you’ve done LASIK before and you’ve experienced how quickly you’re able to see clearly after surgery. That’s not the case with PRK.
You’ll think you made a mistake during the recovery process because of how slow it is. It’ll feel like three steps forward, two steps back. But be patient and trust you are making progress even in the minor setbacks.
Trust your body’s ability to heal itself and let us know how the recovery goes for you!
I paid about $4500 for both eyes, which includes enhancements. My surgery was performed by a surgeon in a university setting who is an expert in dealing with former radial keratatomy patients.
Here’s my message of hope. I had PRK in my left eye Jan 2011, right eye March 2011. I was frustrated with my left eye. I could see 20/25, but with NO visual acuity. Nothing was clear and night vision had consistent ghosting.
I could see 20/20 with both eyes, but my right eye was much better than the first one that I had surgery on… Clear vision at 20/20 and less dryness. Hoping for an improvement, I went back under the laser for my right eye in July 2011. By November, I could see 20/20 in the eye, WITH NO visual distortion. Was it guaranteed? No. Was it worth it? Absolutely…even though I had to go through the healing process all over again. The process was easier because I could see very well out of the second eye I had corrected without the aid of a contact lens.
I had slight ghosting most noticeable with Red lights at night through late Dec / early Jan. Not anymore. I often joke that I can now see in HD and am still amazed that I don’t require glasses at all. You really, really have to be patient. For me, it was worth it…enhancement and all.
This blog made the entire process much easier for me in setting my expectations.
Did they correct the astigmatism with the enhancement? What was your vision like the first month after enhancement?
Mine was just under $4k, I financed it on a no interest Chase Care Card, did a lot of figuring and in approx. 5 years with no contacts/glasses it pays for itself! Almost at the 1 year mark and it is the most amazing thing I ever did for myself!!!
paid just a little $2G with insurance
will anyone share an approx cost per eye for this prk procedure, or a basic price range. Im interested, but not fully commited yet… thanks!
Hi Tyson
I paid around 3k for both eyes to be done at the same time.
I live in WNY area.
Just be ready for a long recovery time.
Mine was 5k (on the expensive side) for both eyes, but I had two other quotes that were 3k and 3.5k.
Ended up going the more expensive route cause I felt much more comfortable with the doctor.
$3k for me….best $3k i have ever spent!
$2200 to do one eye.
I also have a guarantee that if it needs “enhancement”, it will be done for $200.
I paid a little under 2000 per eye and that includes an enhancement if needed for no extra charge
I live in Vancouver Canada and paid $800 for one eye. I believe both eyes would have been $1400. My experience is posted below.
Has anyone here had an enhancement procedure? It looks like I’ll need to have both eyes “tweaked.”
How was the “enhancement” procedure vs. the first time? How was the recovery time, etc.? Any differences?
Thanks.
JAM,
I had an enhancement done Jan 27 (due to residual astigmatism). My initial surg. was March ’11. It was no different than the first time, just alot less time under the laser this time. But the drops before and after, contacts, doctor visits, etc, is all the same. Also, I ‘ve not seen any difference in the recovery time~when your eyes are “cut” on, they have to have time to heal. I’ve been less patient this time, but as all PRK people understand, you MUST be patient. As I have said before, PRK is 3 steps forward, 2 steps back. Hope this helps.
Geo – Thanks for the reply.
Are you seeing better now (6 weeks after the enhancement) than you did before? Was it worth going through the process again?
Thanks again.
Scott –
If you have read these posts, all I can say is that utmost patience is required (I know, easier said than done). It does get better — though possibly not for a long time (I am at month 8 post op and still experiencing some changes). Suprisingly, the brain is very agile and helps us cope with poor vision filling in what we truly can’t see — though that too will take a bit of time. One thing that did help me was insisting that the surgeon provide me with a prescription for glasses. Even though my eyes were constantly changing and I needed updated prescriptions constantly, it made driving, especially at night, possible. Check out Target — while they take 10 working days to get your initial lenses, they will replace lenses at no additional cost for 90 days. I kept 2 pairs of glasses in rotation at all times this way. (I was 20/100 and 20/80 post surgery coming from very severe correction). So PATIENCE. And hang in there.
I just had PRK on both eyes on Friday (2/24/12). I was 20/15 corrected with contacts but -5.50 in right and -4.75 in left to get there. I chose the PRK over the LASIK due to my activity level and risk of dis-lodging the flap, but the concept of seeing the world like this for another 4+ weeks is not making me feel all “warm and fuzzy”. I was 20/40 the day after the surgery, and about 20/30 yesterday before the BCL’s came out. Now that they are out, I’m about 20/80. I have things to go do today, and this weekend, and I’m feeling pretty useless right now, especially having to rely on my wife for transportation…Really hoping tomorrow is a big improvement.
Hi Scott
I’m sure your going through a lot of doubt about if you did the right thing now because I sure did at that stage.
I’m 5 months out now and my sight is still changing, some days better then others.
I still cant read traffic signs until I’m 30 feet from them which I don’t understand why there is no clarity in my sight yet.
I see really good with in 20ft, with really good clarity.
So just hang in there, it will take time.
Hey Scott,
Anyone who has had PRK understands what you’re going through. It’s a pretty wild ride, one that isn’t all that fun to ride. But as Walt/Fran mentioned, the recovery requires a lot of patience and time.
It sucks, but for the vast majority of people it’ll be worth the wait at the end.
2 weeks today.
We talk a lot about the recovery being different for each of us,
And that is true to a certain extent. But there are some similarities for many…….I am tracking Alex pretty close.
So go back ad look at where Alex was at 2 weeks.
Still not good sight, but better…….and def still blurry…but better.
And then I took a peek at week 3 for Alex. Whoop! I sure hope so!
everybody is different. also, i think the reason ur eyes arent better faster b/c of hte steriod drops, which cause your eye pressure to increase. i didn’t see good enough for first 3 weeks b/c my eye pressure was high, then dr gave me drops to lower it. i was able to see 20/20 within few days, and 20/15 few more days after that…..
I am 64 years old. I went through cataract surgery in March (left) and April (right) of last year (2011). Typical monovision setup with right eye being for near vision. As is turned out there was just too much disparity between the two eyes for me to accommodate. I asked the doc to “enhance” the vision on the right eye to bring the two of them a little closer together. He did PRK on it 9 days ago. The BCL has been removed. Vision is not good at all. Very frustrating….especially if you have ever had LASIK and gotten immediate results. I feel like I’m looking through a piece of thin white tissue paper…..very difused light coming through……no crispness at all…..I can only see the second line on the chart…..really only guessing at that. I can tell this is going to be another 6 month ordeal. At my age I’m asking myself why did you do this to yourself…..again. Night vision is really, really bad with many halos and flares due to previous RK procedures a lifetime ago. My wife will have to do the night driving in the future. It’s a funny thing…..I don’t think of myself as being this old, but I guess I am. Could take a very long time for me to heal. Oh well, as in golf, never up, never in. Keep the faith and just keep blinking.
Hi Vic, thanks for sharing your experience. I think you summed it up well. There’s really not much else you can do when recovering from PRK other than keeping the faith (that things will get better). It is an up and down ride indeed.
Especially if you’re recovering from PRK after multiple other eye procedures/surgeries.
I’m at 6.5 months and 20/25. Has anyone here experienced continued vision improvement AFTER 6 months? I really don’t want to go through an enhancement procedure and am hoping there is still a (slight) chance for more improvement.
Thanks.
Hi John,
20/25 sounds pretty good, but what is your quality of vision? Can you see well at night? Do you have double vision or residual astigmatism?Probably your prescription wont improve but the clarity might get better.
Hi, Amy. Yes, 20/25 (compared to where I was) is not too bad. I see OK at night, no double vision and the doctor hasn’t mentioned any astigmatism. He also said there is no hazing on my cornea’s.
I’m not happy with the lack of “sharpness” of my vision. I can read most writing, but it’s blurry. Part of the problem is my age (45) and I probably would need reading glasses/bifocals anyway. He suggested doing an enhancement procedure, but I don’t know if I want to go through it all again, especially if I’ll still need reading glass most of the day (I have a desk job).
If I’m watching TV for example, and no words are on the screen, I don’t notice the blurriness. But if words are on the screen, they’re not very sharp (but they are readable). Before PRK, I would have been lucky to even see the TV (really bad eyes), so it’s much better than that. But I was expecting a higher level of sharpness. Maybe it will get sharper with more time (?????).
The doctor gave me prescriptions for some glasses – (1) Distance only correction: OD +2.25 -0.75 x170; OS +2.00 -0.75 x005, and (2) Bifocals: OD +1.00 -0.75 x170; OS +0.75 -0.75 x005 +1.25. I’m not sure what all of those number mean, but he said it was a very low prescription.
John
It certainly is possible that it will continue to get better,,,,,but…..lack of sharpness, in my mind, indicates that you have some astigmatism.
Ask him if the “enhancement procedure” will set the clock to zero again.
I can see where you might not want another 6.5 months.
But perhaps the Enhance Procedure can done in just a couple of weeks?
Worth asking.
Nick I am also using Steroid drops. 4times a day. Definite improvement that last couple of days.
I can now see as well with the PRK eye as I can with the other eye! It just keeps getting better.
Hope mine moves that fast Nick.
They took out the protective Contact.
Vision got worse.
Doesn’t want to see me for 3 weeks. No more of anti iNflam drops but keep up the Steroids.Worst news of the day? Says he may have to go back in for a “touch up”. I would imagine that would reset counter to zero……..
I have been screwing around with my vision for 1 full year.
That’s when I had cataract surgery that didn’t do well on the right eye.
Seems like I am a Perpetual patient. My Favorite song has become
Gypsies,Tramps and Thieves.
I’m no doctor, but it seems weird to already say you may have to have a touch up so soon in the recovery. Maybe they know more than we think that early? Let’s hope he’s wrong in your case though…
Yeah I thought so too Alex.
But apparently he is looking for a “smoothness”.?
And something like a “corner” is not smooth? And he has seen it before.
Most times it “smooths out”. Sometimes it doesn’t.
I think he is trying to manage expectations so that if he has to go
backin for a “tweak”, it won’t terribly upset me…….
One thing that is concerning me……..I still have worse vision than when I went in…….
Not even a couple of minutes of “better”……….seems to me that everybody
“normally” starts seeing at least a little better after maybe a day….or 5 days……?
But, no panic et. Following a couple of other links that you supplied shows that no two recoveries are the same…….
Progress. As of today. my ye is a little better. Still not as good as my left eye (Which is setup as my reader in the Monvision technique), but still….a little progress, finally.
3 weeks to see you after taking out the contact? wow! i visited my doctor every week after they took out the contact. they want to see how’s i’m doing, see if my eyes are good or not. i used steriod drops for 6 weeks on each eyes…i don’t know if it helped me in my fast recovery or not.
HELLO EVERYBODY!
It has been 5 months since my PRK for right eye and 3 months since my left eye. I’m seeing 20/15 on my right and 20/20 on my left. It took me about a months on right eye to be 20/15, but took about 2 months on my left eye to be 20/20. overall, i’m very very happy with the result but still seeing starbust and halo on tail light but it’s very small and goes away within few min.
That’s great to hear Nick! Happy your recovery is going well. Probably the last thing to “go away” for me were the minor night vision issues. Hopefully that’s the same with you.
hopefully it will go away too but it’s a minor thing i can live it!
btw, thanks for this site Alex Tran, nguoi viet ha? lol…. w/o this site, i don’t know what to expect after having PRK. all of my friends got Lasik, so they don’t know what i’m going through.
Had the operation on Monday.
Pain? well, I’ve had pain. Shrapnel to the kneew. Kidney stones. Sciatic nerve crushed.
This wasn’t pain. It was discomfort.
However…for some reason every bone in my body hurt. Doc says he didn’t do it……OK/ hell of a coincidence tho.
Can’t see squat/ Worse that when I went in.
Protective contact to be removed tomorrow.
Maybe better then?
He says 6 weeks.
So far, so good.
heya homer. thanks for posting! i’m not sure how old everyone is, but at least you’ll only be doing PRK in one eye. so the recovery won’t be as severe since you’ll have your left eye to support your right while it heals.