I went in to have custon LASIK last Friday and ended up having PRK, due to something the Dr. saw on my eye.

My vision is not that great at all (I'm just six days post-op) and have been told that hte healing process is completely different and longer than LASIK surgery.

Has anyone here had PRK and, if so, after how long did you see an improvement? The Dr. took out my protective contacts this morning, but it seems as though I see a little better with them in. I can barely see anything on my computer screen and am unable to change the font in my work computer. I haven't read a paper in a week and, while I can see things on my TV screen, nothing is clear. Is this normal???? And, I can't drive yet.

I went in to correct my vision and now, while I see better than I did without contacts/glasses, I don't see anywhere near as god as I did with them.

Any information from you all is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Amy

I had PRK on Feb.15 on my right eye and March 1st on my left eye. It will take awhile to heal. After about a week, my right eye was good enough to hold it's own and I could go ahead and prepare to have the left eye done. I had my 1 1/2 month check on my right eye and it was at 20/30 and they are suspecting it will be greatly improved by my next checkup in May. It can take a few months to get to the vision you want. My left eye is doing fine so far, but not yet at it's final vision.

Your eye will get blurry again after they remove the band-aid lens because when they take it out, it roughs up the outer layer again (epithelium). My eyes were blurry for about 4 to 5 days after the lens came out. The blurriness will pass. I was told to expect that.

I think each day gets better and better. The biggest changes will occur during the first month. After that, it will be more gradual and you won't notice huge changes. But changes will continue, a little at a time.

It definately takes more patience with PRK, but it is a safer procedure than lasik and two key benefits: No flap corrections or problems with PRK and with PRK, the dry eye syndrome doesn't happen as badly as in lasik patients. With lasik, some of the nerves are severed when they cut the flap. Those nerves control the amount of fluid in the eye. Without them, the eyes are dry until the nerves grow back. With PRK, nothing is severed, so the dry eye isn't as much of a nuisance.

The healing process may take longer, but I don't think we have all the possible side effects that lasik patients have.

Hope this helps and gives you some encouragement!

I'm so glad I finally heard from someone! I have been going NUTS after my surgery on March 24th. I was not quite prepared (I was supposed to have LASIK, but the Dr. saw something on one of my eye pictures and she recommended PRK (day of surgery)). My vision sucks. With and without the band-aid lenses. I went in for a follow-up exam the Thursday after the procedure and they removed the lenses. Vision was horrible. I went back in for another exam last Saturday and told them to do something to help me see, as I could not see well enough to do much of anything at work, nor could I drive. So they put in lenses w/a slight correction. It was wonderful. Nowhere near perfect, but I could drive and see better. Then this past Sunday morning, I apparently bumped my eye in my sleep and got an abrasion. So the good lense came out, another one put back in, but without the same correction, as the abrasion screwed up my vision again.
I am completelly second-guessing this decision to have anything done to my eyes, as it's been almost two weeks and I am back to not driving.
The Dr. keeps tellimg me to be patient, be patient. Well, I am one of the most impatient people I know. I want what I want, and I want it NOW. I am trying to have hope that everything will fall into place in the coming days. I don't know how much longer I can go w/o functioning properly. This is ridiculous. It is good to hear from someone who has actually had the procedure. Not that I doubt the Dr., but does she really know what one goes through if she hasn't gone through it herself?
Pardon any spelling corrections. I can't see the screen that well and I have double vision. Did you have double vision, too?
If you thnk of anything else I should expect, please let me know.
When did you start driving, or reading a paper, or seeing your computer screen??

Thanks!
Amy



I had PRK on Feb.15 on my right eye and March 1st on my left eye. It will take awhile to heal. After about a week, my right eye was good enough to hold it's own and I could go ahead and prepare to have the left eye done. I had my 1 1/2 month check on my right eye and it was at 20/30 and they are suspecting it will be greatly improved by my next checkup in May. It can take a few months to get to the vision you want. My left eye is doing fine so far, but not yet at it's final vision.

Your eye will get blurry again after they remove the band-aid lens because when they take it out, it roughs up the outer layer again (epithelium). My eyes were blurry for about 4 to 5 days after the lens came out. The blurriness will pass. I was told to expect that.

I think each day gets better and better. The biggest changes will occur during the first month. After that, it will be more gradual and you won't notice huge changes. But changes will continue, a little at a time.

It definately takes more patience with PRK, but it is a safer procedure than lasik and two key benefits: No flap corrections or problems with PRK and with PRK, the dry eye syndrome doesn't happen as badly as in lasik patients. With lasik, some of the nerves are severed when they cut the flap. Those nerves control the amount of fluid in the eye. Without them, the eyes are dry until the nerves grow back. With PRK, nothing is severed, so the dry eye isn't as much of a nuisance.

The healing process may take longer, but I don't think we have all the possible side effects that lasik patients have.

Hope this helps and gives you some encouragement!

You are really going through a lot. I'm sorry it's not going well. I don't know why they did both eyes at once, because with PRK and the extended healing time involved, most doctors recommend getting one eye done at a time. The soonest my doctor would perform on my second eye was two weeks. They want to make sure that one eye can see well enough to carry on your daily activities (computer, driving, reading, etc), before they do the other eye. My right eye was first to go and after a week (7days) it was good enough to drive with (20/60 at least). In the meantime, while it healed, I wore my normal contact lense in my left eye to drive and read. After the right eye healed (7 days) I quit wearing the lens in my left eye because I had to have it out for 5 days prior to surgery. I was a little nervous without my security blanket, but my right eye carried me through the week. Everyday, it got better and better and the day of my left eye surgery (2 weeks after the first eye), my right eye was at 20/30. Today, it's close to 20/20 but not quite there. Feb. 15th was its surgery date, so it's been almost 2 months.

Left eye went well, and it is seeing as it should. I had it adjusted for monovision so the best it will get will be 20/80 or 20/100. So far, I can read and drive like normal. I do know that the vision isn't quite perfect in either eye yet, but it's getting there.

You might have had an astigmatism that caused you to get PRK. That's what I had and there is a risk of a disease that you could get in the future if you had traditional lasik. Depending on how bad the astigmatism is, the double vision (ghosting) will take longer to correct. I still have a little bit of ghosting but it improves gradually everyday. They do say that it could take up to six months for the eyes to stabilize enough to determine if corrections are needed.

It sounds like your doctor is trying to accommodate your vision needs because other people in these posts said their doctor would not give them any lenses or glasses after surgery to get them by, which I don't understand. I think it's too early to question your doctor's skills. Healing is out of their control after the surgery is over. It sounds like she's keeping a close eye on you (other posts suggest that their doctors could care less once the procedure is done). If your doctor seems interested in your concerns, take that as a good thing. If she treats you like she could care less, then I'd question the ethics. Most doctors want their patients needs met or it gives them a bad rap.

Since your procedure was done on March 24, I would give it another week before I start to be overly concerned. No two people heal alike. My personal opinion is that you should see good enough to drive after two weeks. By three weeks, you should be able to almost read well without strain and by one month, you should be getting by pretty well, with some healing weeks still to go. I know patience is a hard thing when you can't drive to go to work or see the computer. I only suffered that for about five days and it drove me nuts. When it affects your life and your ability to work and drive, patience is not such an easy thing to have. I empathize with you totally, but it is still early for you and the eyes are obviously still somewhat irritated. That irritation could be slowing the healing process. Go as easy on the eyes as you can for the next couple of weeks. Wear sunglasses even on cloudy days and wear them while working on the computer and watching TV. That made a huge difference for more. Less strain. Pamper the eyes, no matter how silly it looks!

Let me know how you're doing......

Funny you posted today, as I was just getting ready to ask you a question...did you notice your vision comes and goes? As far as clarity goes, I mean? I've noticed I will be able to see, while nowhere near perfect, somewhat clearly for a little bit, then it gets blurry and I see double. Then it will get clear, then blurry. This goes on all day. And it doesn't get clear after I use my eye drops. It just happens. Off and on all day. I don't know if that is a good thing, or if it is something that is expected, but it sure as heck an improvement over lsat week.
I got that abrasion on Sunday (no pain since then, as I was told to expect, thank God), and I almost want to say/hope my vision is getting a LITTLE better. Maybe that's just in my head. I don't know. I go in for another exam tomorrow morning, then on Saturday. Hopefully the injured eye will have healed enough for a corrective lense. In the mean time, I have been wearing magnifying glasses to help me and, they do help a bit.
As far as getting both eyes done at once, I was going in for LASIK and I actually asked about having both eyes done at once w/that. That was no problem. That issue did not even come up when she informed me that the PRK was a better procedure for me.
The astigmatism? I always thought I had it, but I guess I didn't. The procedure may have caused some, but I'm not sure yet.
I'm just at the mercy of my eyes and time.

Again, let me know if you experienced the vision coming and going. I'm curious about that.

Thanks.

Amy :)




You are really going through a lot. I'm sorry it's not going well. I don't know why they did both eyes at once, because with PRK and the extended healing time involved, most doctors recommend getting one eye done at a time. The soonest my doctor would perform on my second eye was two weeks. They want to make sure that one eye can see well enough to carry on your daily activities (computer, driving, reading, etc), before they do the other eye. My right eye was first to go and after a week (7days) it was good enough to drive with (20/60 at least). In the meantime, while it healed, I wore my normal contact lense in my left eye to drive and read. After the right eye healed (7 days) I quit wearing the lens in my left eye because I had to have it out for 5 days prior to surgery. I was a little nervous without my security blanket, but my right eye carried me through the week. Everyday, it got better and better and the day of my left eye surgery (2 weeks after the first eye), my right eye was at 20/30. Today, it's close to 20/20 but not quite there. Feb. 15th was its surgery date, so it's been almost 2 months.

Left eye went well, and it is seeing as it should. I had it adjusted for monovision so the best it will get will be 20/80 or 20/100. So far, I can read and drive like normal. I do know that the vision isn't quite perfect in either eye yet, but it's getting there.

You might have had an astigmatism that caused you to get PRK. That's what I had and there is a risk of a disease that you could get in the future if you had traditional lasik. Depending on how bad the astigmatism is, the double vision (ghosting) will take longer to correct. I still have a little bit of ghosting but it improves gradually everyday. They do say that it could take up to six months for the eyes to stabilize enough to determine if corrections are needed.

It sounds like your doctor is trying to accommodate your vision needs because other people in these posts said their doctor would not give them any lenses or glasses after surgery to get them by, which I don't understand. I think it's too early to question your doctor's skills. Healing is out of their control after the surgery is over. It sounds like she's keeping a close eye on you (other posts suggest that their doctors could care less once the procedure is done). If your doctor seems interested in your concerns, take that as a good thing. If she treats you like she could care less, then I'd question the ethics. Most doctors want their patients needs met or it gives them a bad rap.

Since your procedure was done on March 24, I would give it another week before I start to be overly concerned. No two people heal alike. My personal opinion is that you should see good enough to drive after two weeks. By three weeks, you should be able to almost read well without strain and by one month, you should be getting by pretty well, with some healing weeks still to go. I know patience is a hard thing when you can't drive to go to work or see the computer. I only suffered that for about five days and it drove me nuts. When it affects your life and your ability to work and drive, patience is not such an easy thing to have. I empathize with you totally, but it is still early for you and the eyes are obviously still somewhat irritated. That irritation could be slowing the healing process. Go as easy on the eyes as you can for the next couple of weeks. Wear sunglasses even on cloudy days and wear them while working on the computer and watching TV. That made a huge difference for more. Less strain. Pamper the eyes, no matter how silly it looks!

Let me know how you're doing......

Amy,
I didn't have PRK but I can tell you that I had the blurry not blurry business going on pretty regularly for the first 3-5 months. So, while they are two different procedure, it seems normal. It may be the trauma we cause our eyes from the surgery. I think it is part of the adjustment phase and, while some may not have any problems, it seems like it is more common to have some issues than not at all.

Take care!

Oh, I'm having issues, alright. Seems I'm having nothing BUT issues. Hopefully things will start to clear up soon. I want to drive my car again!!


Amy,
I didn't have PRK but I can tell you that I had the blurry not blurry business going on pretty regularly for the first 3-5 months. So, while they are two different procedure, it seems normal. It may be the trauma we cause our eyes from the surgery. I think it is part of the adjustment phase and, while some may not have any problems, it seems like it is more common to have some issues than not at all.

Take care!

Amy,
I'm sorry to hear that you've been having some problems. I didn't have PRK, but I did have lasik surgery. My surgery was almost nine months ago and I still have problems. Most of my issues are dry eye related though.

I wanted to let you know that I've also had some blurry days when my eyes were really irritated or dry. I would recommend that you keep using plenty of drops. You might also want to see your doctor about your concerns. Don't forget that you paid them a lot of money for this surgery and that post-op care is included. If you think that something is wrong then I'm sure that they will see you.

Missy

I've already had a few post-op appointments. I have one tomorrow and one Saturday. They know exactly what my problems are. I'm just told to be patient (which is something I am not.). I was chatting w/another person who had PRK and he has been through the same things I am going through. Unfortunately for me, his healing time was quicker. Oh well. We're all different.
Hopefully I'll get some good news tomorrow or Saturday and be told my eyes have healed more since last week. Fingers crossed :)

Amy

Hi again....I'm glad to hear that things are getting better for you. Those first two weeks are so delicate, that if people are going to panic about their eyes, that's the time it happens. I think they could have better prepared you for what to expect as far as outcome.
Things to expect:
- vision will flucuate often, especially the first 2 to 3 weeks. Sometimes a slight double vision, to clear, to blurry. This is expected to happen off and on. I haven't noticed it happening much after the first month.
- you might have some glare and halos at night. Mine was never that bad and only lasted about one week. I took the Vitamin C, so I'm not sure that's what gave me the great night vision or if I was lucky. But it can't hurt to try.
- your eyes will often feel sore, likey they are tired. The wetting drops will help because the soreness is from dry eye. You will have a lot of this if you work with computers. When I'm not working a PC all day (like weekends), I never notice dry eye. I rarrely use those drops away from a PC.
- perfect vision will not come quickly. Mine still isn't there yet, but it's close. Again, my right eye is almost 2 months post-op. Other PRk patients that I know said they established close to or perfect vision by 3 months.

Hope this helps. I know I wrote you a book yesterday so I will try to keep this shorter. Let me know how your appointments go. If they are seeing you two days in a row, that tells me that they are taking good care of you...we hope!

No need to apologize for a long reply. I look forward to them, as I know I'll be reading some good information.
I was not at all prepared for this, as we were all expecting LASIK. The PRK was sprung on me that day just a few hours before the procedure. I had absolutely no information on it at all.
As for the soreness, I really haven't experience that. And I work on a computer from 9-5. This week, as opposed to last week, I've been logging on to my computer at home to check mail, pay bills and surf. Last week I would come home, put my lovely sunglasses on, turn off the lights in my bedroom and listen to TV (couldn't really see/make anything out). While my vision still isn't all that great, I don't always wear the glasses, but am able to leave the lights on and sort of watch tv.
I'm using drops like crazy. I went through the 1oz bottle of tears w/in a week last week.
I had an appointment this morning, but the Dr. was late, again, and my ride had to go, so I left w/out seeing her. She came in as I was walking out. So I threw a couple questions at her, like when can I sleep without those darn goggles?? I hate them. When can I take a shower w/o worrying about getting water in my eyes, when can I go back to the gym, and the most important question: WHEN CAN I WEAR MAKE-UP?????
I go back in Saturday morning. Hopefully my little abrasion I got Sunday will have healed and they can put in a slightly corrective lense to help me see better so I can start driving. I have a hockey game to go to and need to drive myself up there.
I had a much better week this week. Last week was just absolutely HORRIBLE. I know part of the reason I am having a better week is due to the corrective lense in my left eye. Unfortunately. I would like to think it's because my eyes are healing and I can get rid of the lenses completely. I really do not like sleeping w/contacts. It feels like my eye lids are glued shut when I wake up. I'm sure you know the feeling.
Anywho...thank you, again, for hte info. No worries about the length. Look at min!

Here's to a good exam on Saturday (fingers crossed).

Amy



Hi again....I'm glad to hear that things are getting better for you. Those first two weeks are so delicate, that if people are going to panic about their eyes, that's the time it happens. I think they could have better prepared you for what to expect as far as outcome.
Things to expect:
- vision will flucuate often, especially the first 2 to 3 weeks. Sometimes a slight double vision, to clear, to blurry. This is expected to happen off and on. I haven't noticed it happening much after the first month.
- you might have some glare and halos at night. Mine was never that bad and only lasted about one week. I took the Vitamin C, so I'm not sure that's what gave me the great night vision or if I was lucky. But it can't hurt to try.
- your eyes will often feel sore, likey they are tired. The wetting drops will help because the soreness is from dry eye. You will have a lot of this if you work with computers. When I'm not working a PC all day (like weekends), I never notice dry eye. I rarrely use those drops away from a PC.
- perfect vision will not come quickly. Mine still isn't there yet, but it's close. Again, my right eye is almost 2 months post-op. Other PRk patients that I know said they established close to or perfect vision by 3 months.

Hope this helps. I know I wrote you a book yesterday so I will try to keep this shorter. Let me know how your appointments go. If they are seeing you two days in a row, that tells me that they are taking good care of you...we hope!

Hi, Bowriter.

So, I had another Dr. appointment last Saturday. I believe my right eye (the one I seemed to have bumped and scratched) seems to be a bit better. After taking out the Rx lenses, I think the Dr. said my vision was better in that eye.
I got a new pair of Rx lenses so I could function while my eyes heal. He told me they won't heal as fast if I keep the lenses in. Again, I have to have them so I can drive and work. So he told me to take them out at night. That's what I've been doing since Saturday and with out the lenses, I seem to be okay. No where near good vision (or no where near what I was before PRK). I can function: read, watch TV and get around the house. I would not even consider driving or working w/out the lenses. Although I do go on-line at home w/o them. It's a little struggle, but it's better than it was during week one.
I will now be going in every week until otherwise instructed. I still have my moments when my vision gets a little blurry. Like right now. Other times it's pretty good.
So, hopefully I will get good news again Saturday and will be told my vision is still improving. My eyes are still a bit rough, I was told. But, we'll see. I have a feeling this whole 'healing' process will take several more weeks, if not months.
That's my update for now.
Until next time...

Amy



Hi again....I'm glad to hear that things are getting better for you. Those first two weeks are so delicate, that if people are going to panic about their eyes, that's the time it happens. I think they could have better prepared you for what to expect as far as outcome.
Things to expect:
- vision will flucuate often, especially the first 2 to 3 weeks. Sometimes a slight double vision, to clear, to blurry. This is expected to happen off and on. I haven't noticed it happening much after the first month.
- you might have some glare and halos at night. Mine was never that bad and only lasted about one week. I took the Vitamin C, so I'm not sure that's what gave me the great night vision or if I was lucky. But it can't hurt to try.
- your eyes will often feel sore, likey they are tired. The wetting drops will help because the soreness is from dry eye. You will have a lot of this if you work with computers. When I'm not working a PC all day (like weekends), I never notice dry eye. I rarrely use those drops away from a PC.
- perfect vision will not come quickly. Mine still isn't there yet, but it's close. Again, my right eye is almost 2 months post-op. Other PRk patients that I know said they established close to or perfect vision by 3 months.

Hope this helps. I know I wrote you a book yesterday so I will try to keep this shorter. Let me know how your appointments go. If they are seeing you two days in a row, that tells me that they are taking good care of you...we hope!

Amy - I am glad i found you (and Bowriter for that matter) because I had PRK perfomred on March 24 too. I stumbled upon the Healthboards website and your posts whil surfing the web looking for others that have had PRK done.

I must admit that I did not have issues as intense as yours but I have had my own problems. The day after and the following day were most uncomfortable and I could not function at work real well for the first week or so because my PC screen was so blurry. However, my discomfort pretty much stopped after the first week and since then I have just been struggling with vision. If I had to guess, I would say I am at 20/50 in my left eye and 20/60 in my right which is weird because my right eye was better than my left prior to the procedure. Anyway, Friday 4/21 marked my one month anniversary and I was starting to get nervous about not having 20/20 vision. I feel somewhat better after reading bowriter's posts about the full recovery time and I know they do not guarantee perfect vision but I still will have a hard time swallowing the fact that I paid over 4K to still wear glasses.

What was your perscription in each eye going into the surgery?

Hey there both of you! I hope you are both doing okay. My vision was -5.25 (contact lense prescription) in my right eye and -6.25 for my left, or something like that. Both were bad. It's been a little over 2 months for my right eye and my doctor did a quick check on the eye chart last night for me (I was really in there to have my knee checked, but he was curious too, as to how the eyes were doing). My right eye was at about 20/25 and my left was at 20/70. My left got stronger than expected because it's set for a reading eye and was supposed to have a 20/100 prescription. But I can read just fine so I'll leave that alone!

I know some people already at 20/15 and their procedures were done about the same time as mine. They are younger too (upper 20s) so I don't know if the younger ones heal quicker or not! Sounds crazy, huh?

Overall, I am happy with the results because they told me my prescription was about the limit to where they will perform the procdure. Any worse, and the subtle guarantees go down. Even though Tiger Woods had -11.0 and he see's great now. Go figure.

hello Bowriter. Thank you for your posts - they have been very helpful to me. My vision was -6.0 in my right and -7.50 in my left so I must have been borderline too although I think they measured even worse eysight than that when the evaluated me for the procedure. Like I said in my last post, I think I am in the neighborhood of 20/50 20/60 with my left eye slightly better than my right which is the opposite of pre surgery.

I really have not had any discomfort since the first week and I can get around with my vision right now but I still try to be active by playing hockey once a week and now softball so 20/50 vision is getting frustrating. I only can hope in improves in the weeks ahead.

Tiger was -11.0?? Did he have PRK?

I had my eyes done at TLC, which is nationwide. They did Tiger Woods and he is on their pamphlets. My doctor told me he was -11.0. I think he had the lasik done, not the PRK. He had his done in 1999. My guess is that he probably needed enhancement with sight that bad, but they never said if he did or not. But apparently he is at 20/15 in both eyes. So there is hope for all of us!

It's got to be frustrating with sports. I remember playing softball one year and I had to take my lenses out becuase of an irritation or something. I couldn't see squat. I shouldn't have showed up that night.

One of the follow-up doctors said that usually after the second month, there is a huge improvement. So far, that has been the case with me and again, they are going by statistics. It could differ slightly depending on the person. There will always be some that just don't heal by the book, but that's to be expected too. I go back to the TLC doctor in late May for my 2-3 month follow-up. Hopefully, I'll be 20/20 by then in my right eye. Still, I am happy with the way I am seeing now. It's just great not to have to wear contacts anymore.

Thank you once again for you post. My eyesight seems to have leveled off at around 20/40 or 50 for about 2 weeks now but I go this thurs to Diamond vision for my 6 week follow up. I am very interested to hear what they have to say about what I should expect over the next month. You are right, not wearing contacts is great even if I cannot see perfectly.

I have had PRK and found that it takes a while before your vision settles down and has more clarity for lack of a better word. I couldn't drive at night for a long time, maybe a couple years but now I see fine and I can drive at night. The healing process is just much longer. Don't get discouraged, the best is yet to come, lol! :wave:

Hi Amy --

I had PRK on March 31. My surgery for PRK was plans as I didn't qualify for Lasik due to thin corneas.
The surgey went fine, this was a Friday, I was OK sat, Sun --- Monday my eyes were really iritated from the bandaid contacts but it was short lived they came out on Tues. My vision wasn't good at all, but within 2-3 days I was clearing up.
My right eye is about 20/30, maybe 20/20 now but my left eye is struggling. I went back after about 2-3 weeks as I am seeing double & its all normal & I was told to give it at least 2 months if no longer. Granted I can see without glasses & I am driving but PRK does take longer to heal. I'm sure it is harder for you since you didn't get a chance to prepare yourself for the extensive healing time.

My doctor did both eyes at the same time, he left is up to me, gave me the pros & cons & I decided to go for it & do both. Glad i did.

I am so sorry you are stuggling, I'm sure things will settle soon. Hang in there.

Hi, guys. Nice to see new posters on this topic. Tomorrow (Friday, May 19th) is two-months post-op for me. My last appointment was three weeks ago and I go back in this Saturday. When I was checked the last time, I was apparently 20/30. I couldn't even attempt to read the 20/20 line on the chart. I can't say I've noticed an improvement over the last three weeks, but we'll see what Saturday brings. I would be extremely surprised if I'm 20/20.
I go through short periods where my vision gets a little blurry. Especially when I'm at work on the computer. But, for the most part, I see pretty much as well as did before the surgery (with my old contacts, of course).
My night vision still sucks. It did before the surgery and it still does. Not that I can't see well, but lights are a problem. They have been for years. Car/street lights are nothing but globs of color. I don't think that will change.

Hope the new posters to this topic are doing well.

Amy

I am having PRK surgery June 15th. Reading all your posts makes me very skeptical in having the procedure. I am only doing it in my left eye. I have recurrent corneal erosion and the Dr. said tht would help with that and with my sight. Hope I'm doing the right thing :confused: I'll let you know when it's done and how things are going.

Lisa

I had PRK a year ago this June on both eyes. I am so ahppy with the results! At first I wasn't sure I had done the right think! It takes a few weeks for everything the settle down. The first week I could tell that I was seeing better than with contacts but not enough to get by. After three weeks, I was 20/20! The only thing I can tell differently about my eyes since PRK is they are more sensitive to sunlight (so I just have sunglasses with me) and they are alot more sensitive if I get something in them. I don't know if that is because I wore contacts for close to 20 years and am not used to not having them there as protection or what. Anyway, I would do it again! Good luck! I hope you are as happy as me with your results!

Hi just to let you know my sister had prk done on Jan 27, I had lasik done the same day. She is doing great and I'm the one who has had issues. It does take time and she felt blind as a bat for two to three weeks. They say it improves for 6 months. So be patient, I'm starting to wish that I would have had prk, because the side effects are less. Hang in there, my sis loves it!!!

Hi, Lisa. I have to say I wish I was you. I didn't know I was going to have the PRK until a few hours before my procedure. I didn't know ANYTHING about the procedure or the healing process. I didn't know anyone who had PRK, so I didn't have anyone to talk to about what I was going through. I didn't have a chance to even look for something like this website. So, in that sense, you're lucky. I had my two-month check-up last week and I am seeing 20/25 in my left eye and 20/30 in my right. I'm still healing.
Don't be too afraid of what we're all complaining about. PRK, unlike LASIK, takes a long time to fully heal. I'm healing nine weeks after my procedure. But, even thought I'm not 20/20 yet, I really can't tell the difference between my vision now, and my vision when I wore my contact lenses. Again, just be prepared for a long healing time. I really didn't see that well for about three weeks. I had to be driven to and from work for two weeks. I made the doctor give slightly corrective lenses during my third week and, by week four, I had naked eyes for the first time in 15 years!! I am one of the most impatient people I know, but I had no choice. It won't be fun for the first couple weeks. You vision will probably suck. But, it will get better. I thought I made a huge mistake. Now, I have to constantly remind myself that I see as well as I do without contacts. Every day I tell myself. I still can't believe it. It is awesome.
You have to be patient and give your eyes time to heal. It will be worth it.
Good luck.
Amy



I am having PRK surgery June 15th. Reading all your posts makes me very skeptical in having the procedure. I am only doing it in my left eye. I have recurrent corneal erosion and the Dr. said tht would help with that and with my sight. Hope I'm doing the right thing :confused: I'll let you know when it's done and how things are going.

Lisa

Those of you who have had PRK, what is your night vision like? I'm nine weeks post-op and my night vision still sucks. There is no difference between now and before the surgery. I spoke to the Dr's office today and was told that it takes longer for night vision to improve. I called to ask about this, in particular, because when I had an appointment last week, I mentioned it to the opthamologist. He told me they 'didn't correct my night vision. They only correced my prescription.' ???? HUH??? How can they correct your prescripton only??? Isn't the way I see at night part of it? I was completely confused. The girl I talked to this afternoon said that might have been a misunderstanding and, again, my night vision should improve.
What about you guys??? Please tell me it does improve after your day vision improves.

Thanks :)

I dont know if anyone still posts on this board, but I thought I would extend a thank-you to you all for reassuring me that what I am going through right now is normal. I just had PRK done at the Valley Eye Care Center 1 week ago tomorrow... needless to say I can't see very much and I've been trying to do research on what is normal versus abnormal at the 1-week marker and I've seen doctors say most patients have 20/40 or better; I had 20/40ish one day after the surgery, but today when they took the bandage contact out I suddenly dropped to 20/60ish... extremely frustrating. But it sounds like you all have been through this already, so I feel definitely more at ease with my condition. I will try to update you on my progress just in case anyone else is where I am now and would benefit from another example on these boards. So thanks-again; reading these forums just dropped my blood-pressure and worry-meter a ton.

Thanks,

Chris


A little bit about my prescription:

Left Eye Operated 6-7-06 Custom PRK
Right Eye Scheduled 6-29-06 Custom PRK

Pre-op:

Left -4.5 diopters
Chose PRK for thin corneas and large pupils and I'm also thinking about joining the Navy if Law School doesn't work out and thats what they prefer. I also had custom wavemapping and I've decided to take vitamin C 1000mg daily post surgery.

Post-op:

Day 1- 20/40ish vision and slight halos and starbursting at night; really a fair amount of pain because they didn't tell me when to start my numbing drops and I fell asleep for a few hours after the surgery... I woke up to a freight-train running through my eye... not very fun for about 45minutes until my drugs and drops kicked in. The surgery was very quick and smooth with no pain. That smell of burning is slightly unnerving though.

Day4- Vision about the same, but halos are smaller and starbursting at night seems to be better, reading is extremely hard at times, but I'm getting used to the double vision..I tried driving to the grocery store, that was a mistake and I won't try that again.

Day7- 20/60ish vision after bandage contact
was removed; very frustrating

Hey, Chris. Glad to hear you're doing better. I wasn't up to 20/40 (legal driving vision) until about two weeks, post-op. And that was with slightly corrective lenses from the Dr. I had those for one, or two (I can't remember) weeks until I stopped wearing them and had naked eyes for the first time in 15 years. My next appointment isn't until July 22nd-four months post-op. Last visit I was 20/30 in my left eye and 20/40 (still) in my right eye. Funny thing is, my right eye was stronger before the procedure. Go figure.
How is your night vision doing? Mine STILL sucks. I need to find out what the heck is going on with that. One girl in the office said that takes longer to heal than day vision. Huh? The opthamologist said I wasn't corrected for night vision. Huh?? ***? No clue. I've taken to wearing +1.25 magnifying glasses at night once in a while. Lights are still as blurry as before the procedure. But with the mag. glasses, it's not as bad. Still bad, only very slightly improved. Still pretty darn frustrating.

Anywho...you'll continue to improve. It's just a long process.

Amy

Epi Lasik 6/8/06
I was also told 10 minutes before surgery that He wanted to do Epi Lasik instead if Lasik. I wasn't afarid because I think they gave me the valum before they told me cause they knew I'd be relaxed. I have a well respected surgeon in Michigan Dr. Reza Rahmani, He told me the results would be just as good or better than Traditional Lasik, and all he said was healing would "Take a little bit" After 4 days, I thought I had @#$%^& up my vision because I had NO @#$%^&* IDEA what to expect. So I have spent all my post op days researching the procedure I had. It seems like there were others who got slipped a "mickey Finn" at the last minute also. I must admit that my 1 week post op was 20/40 boths eyes and 20/30 combined, It has been twelve days and my vion is about equal with my glasses. I have little doubt that that I will settle 20/20 or better, however, I felt alone & afarid for, and still do a little bit. I know I'm an outside sine I had Epi-lasik and not PRK, but maybe I'll start an Epi-Lasik Forum..

:wave:
I had PRK four years ago this thanksgiving. Like you I did not know I was not having LASK until the day of surgery. I was told my cornea was too thin to make a flap. I only took off about five days, It was not enough! The theraputic lens would get very cloudy from the steroid drops, it felt like a very very dirty lens. I had to have another placed after than and continued the steroid drops for about a month. I had to use the refresh drops for moisture frequently. After about two months i had 20/20 vision and still do. I had a bad astigmatism since first grade. wore contacts from age sixteen to 39. I can tell you as the months go by you will use the refresh drops less and less. I still use them if i get something in my eye or am on medications that dry out the eyes. It took a while but thank goodness i worked in a office on the edge of town. I could drive the fifteen miles throught the country go into town the back way and straight to the office and home. It was two months before i drove myself any place else! take it slow it will get better. :blob_fire

Lisa Jane, how is your night vision? Mine has not changed one bit since my procedure. The opthamologist said I 'wasn't corrected for night vision.' ???? I have an appointment next week and will make a point to talk to the surgeon.
How was your night vision before and after surgery?

Sorry it took a while to get back, im usually on the lupus board. I wore contacts for many years before the surgery. I always had halos due to gas perm lens. I had worse halos after the surgery but they diminished after about a year. Since I already made due I really didnt have a problem. I am not sure what he means by night vision correction. I will check with my niece, she has past experience working in a vision surgical center. Ask what he means by night vision. Sometimes you have to make them stop going out the door while they are telling you everything is good. I always have to say wait i have another question before he will let me get in a word. But, he was the best in central illinois! Good luck and i will write if i find out anything from my niece.
Lisa Jane :wave: