PRK/Lasik Surgery

[Iplayragstoo]

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I just had PRK 6 weeks ago.

The first two days following were the hardest from an uncomfortable standpoint. My eyes watered nonstop. With the pain pills and the sleeping pills I did fine though - I would not call it pain necessarily, more like incredible discomfort. And don't expect to be able to keep your lids open for any period of time for the first two days.

I was expecting clearer vision faster. It surprised me that it took a couple weeks to really see well - I think my expectations were not set correctly so I was a bit disappointed. After a couple weeks my right eye settled in nicely at 20/15, though my left eye has taken longer to stabilize.

Now at 6 weeks I'm still waiting for my left eye to get better than 20/30 or so. It will take longer to know whether a correction is necessary.

I'm 39 and have been in glasses since about 12, my prescription was about 400 with 1.25 astigmatism.

I am happy to see well - it was worth it even if I'm still waiting on my left eye.

Lasik people can't talk to you about recovery and pain - only someone else that had PRK knows what it's like.

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How about days 3 and 4..were you able to function normally, or close too it? I HAVE to work on days 4 and 5, got no choice. Otherwise i will have to put it off, and I do not want to do that...

[ItalianFX]

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I just had PRK 6 weeks ago.

The first two days following were the hardest from an uncomfortable standpoint. My eyes watered nonstop. With the pain pills and the sleeping pills I did fine though - I would not call it pain necessarily, more like incredible discomfort. And don't expect to be able to keep your lids open for any period of time for the first two days.

I was expecting clearer vision faster. It surprised me that it took a couple weeks to really see well - I think my expectations were not set correctly so I was a bit disappointed. After a couple weeks my right eye settled in nicely at 20/15, though my left eye has taken longer to stabilize.

Now at 6 weeks I'm still waiting for my left eye to get better than 20/30 or so. It will take longer to know whether a correction is necessary.

I'm 39 and have been in glasses since about 12, my prescription was about 400 with 1.25 astigmatism.

I am happy to see well - it was worth it even if I'm still waiting on my left eye.

Lasik people can't talk to you about recovery and pain - only someone else that had PRK knows what it's like.

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How about days 3 and 4..were you able to function normally, or close too it? I HAVE to work on days 4 and 5, got no choice. Otherwise i will have to put it off, and I do not want to do that...

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Go with Lasik if you have the chance. Within a day I went from 20/400 and 20/200 to 20/30. Within 1 week, I went to 20/15.

[CopTHIS]

I have had PRK and Lasik, having been short sighted at about -6 in both eyes. PRK didn't work too well because I developed a haze, so eventually had LASIK in both eyes (I only had PRK in one eye). Anyway, based on my experience I really don't know why anyone would ever have PRK. It hurts more, and recovery time is far longer, plus you may get haze. Saying that, PRK may have moved on and you wouldn't have that recommended without a good reason I guess (actually, I thought PRK was hardly ever used now).

[Iplayragstoo]

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I have had PRK and Lasik, having been short sighted at about -6 in both eyes. PRK didn't work too well because I developed a haze, so eventually had LASIK in both eyes (I only had PRK in one eye). Anyway, based on my experience I really don't know why anyone would ever have PRK. It hurts more, and recovery time is far longer, plus you may get haze. Saying that, PRK may have moved on and you wouldn't have that recommended without a good reason I guess (actually, I thought PRK was hardly ever used now).

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Its being used more and more...mainly for people who have thinner cornea. Also the long term results are better then lasik. I have read tons of great stories about the long term effects. You are right though, the recovery time is longer, and it is more unpleasent of a procedure. I have read nothing about anyones procedure to lead me to believe that any of it is "painfull", more uncomfotable then anything else.

[CopTHIS]

The procedure itself it just unpleasant in both cases, but PRK hurt a lot more afterwards. For Lasik, it's really only sore eyes for a very short time (like an hour) then whenever you put the steriod drops in (I think 3 times a day for a week or something like that). With PRK though I has a sore eye for days and even watching TV a few days after wasn't easy.

[icepick]

I did PRK about two years ago. I posted a trip report here on OOT if you want to dig for it.

The first couple of days suck, and it takes a full month or more for the healing to complete and for your final vision to settle down.

But, you don't have any chance of anything happening with the flap either.

Due to the shape of my corenas, I didn't have an option. PRK or glasses, which wasn't even a choice. Best money I ever spent.

[littlejohn]

Days 3 and 4 were much less on the uncomfortable scale, although I still had trouble seeing. My eyes were tired and any stretches of 10 minutes at a time or so on day 3 were still hard to keep my lids open, I'd have to close them for a few minutes to recoup.

The morning of Day 4 (not counting the day of my surgery) I drove into the office myself to remove the bandage lenses. In retrospect, I could see barely enough probably to be driving. Since I knew where I was going there were no problems, big objects like cars were easy to spot but I could not read any road signs.

I went back to work on Day 5 - I work mainly on a computer. It was manageable but still hard to focus on the screen. It was a few days before I could really focus on the words in email and such. Meetings with people were fine, and I could write notes to myself big enough to be legible. All discomfort was gone by day 5 and hasn't returned since.

Yes, PRK has had many advances since first coming out. My eye doctor actually recommended it regardless of my thin corneas.

[chillrob]

I had PRK a few years ago. My vision immediately improved significantly, and I only had any pain the night of the procedure.

However, I had heard of the extended recovery time, and I also couldn't afford to take time off work, so I had the two eyes done at different times. I also was a little worried and figured if the surgeon was drunk that day I would only have one eye blinded and would then be a really rich one-eyed person which I could live with.

I often wore only one contact at a time anyway as they made my eyes dry and I could see 90% as well just wearing one.
So I wore just my left contact for awhile (wasn't allowed to wear in the eye to be treated for a week or two ahead of time). Got the surgery in that eye - after about two months when my vision was perfect in that eye, I stopped wearing the other contact, and a few weeks later had surgery in the second eye.

I can't see quite as well out of my left eye as I could with my contacts, but overall my vision is great and no regrets.