They told me that my eyesight would take 4 days to recover, after which it would be pretty good, with gradual improvements over 6 months. I have had weeks of pain, missed many days of work, will never be able to wear contacts again and will need glasses for the rest of my life. Developing haze long after PRK can cause the prescription to regress, cause extra glare and cause the vision to be blurry. Im glad you posted your experience. I was -5.75 in both eyes. Cant touch my eyelids, an eyelash feels like a knife, and onions are acid. The doctor (again, not the big honcho who performed my procedure because apparently he only does surgeries and never follow-up) revealed my eyes should basically be done healing. Im currently able to do about 10-12 hours a day with 3 large monitors on my PC. The experience has taken such a heavy toll on my mental health. I am recovering slowly. It hurts so bad. I would like to add my personal experience, although the story is not over yet. As with any surgery, there are always risks of complications unfortunately. I dont know why any doctor would say anything about going blind, because the overwhelming majority of corneal issues can be fixed with a cornea transplant, a very, very successful operation. I was given some blue blocker-type glasses, an additional prescription for Ambien, and instructions for the next few days. Was he on Washington? Prior to the PRK Id never cried over an onion. Have you been back to the doctors office? This is really the worst stage of recovery after PRK. I didnt think it was funny and Ill be damned if I go back to him. WHAT A RUSH DECISION! My distance vision is not that great either, but better than before obviously (my power was -6 in right and -7 in left). Im not sure if Im having an allergic reaction or what gives. When I brought this up with the doctor, all he had to say was wow Ive never heard of that before, have a nice day. Slight convergence problem got pencil push-ups exercises, seems it got better. 5. The first week things will be the most blurry. BUT I have severe and debilitating photosensitivity. It usually takes around 5 to 6 months to last (in most of the cases). for a week i couldnt even consider driving and could just barely get through the work I needed to do. The average total cost for LASIK surgery is $4,800 for both eyes. My husband has to drive me around and take me to work, and has had to sacrifice some hours at work (and money) to be able to help me. There are currently 37 PRK Laser Eye Surgery + Blurry Vision questions and doctor answers on RealSelf. I need glasses for everything, but cant really go get a prescription because things are supposedly changing still. But being so affected seems indeed to be quite rare. This is VITAL to your recovery. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. I had PRk Surgery 10 weeks ago. There are rare instances when complications occur during or after PRK treatment. The worst part of the whole day was going outside. To anyone who is thinking about getting this surgery done I would highly suggest not to. I am in constant pain. That extra glare and ghosting at the 1 month? After prk I had blurred vision which left me debilitated because of headaches and difficulty working on my computer. Due to the first PRK I have developed Chronic Corneal Erosion. I received a (hopefully) temporary prescription for farsightedness back on November 5th from the eye surgeons office. Today, my vision is still blurry but when I wear that same pair of nonprescription cosmetic lenses, my vision sharpens and becomes more crisp. Originally only wanted to while driving or seeing something far away. Within about 3-4 days, the epithelium has healed over the giant scratch. Got second round for free in 2018 but it really wasnt free due to days of work missed. Ive seeing doubles, my eyes are always blurry and I cant even see close. Retreatment is performed with an excimer laser. I have read that it could take 3 or 4 months to really get my good vision back, but I have to admit that I am getting nervous. I came here too because I also am experiencing issues with prk and it has been pretty much 4 months. So, just to sum up my far distance vision gor corrected, no complaints, but at what price?! Still on steroids to prevent hazing. It doesn't feel like there is much notable improvement during this time. Here are a few facts I wish I would have read before I began my PRK journey. My eyes have good and bad days, and are no longer painful; dont feel particularly dry either. Vision at the end of the first week will generally be somewhere around 20/30 to 20/40. I had PRK 3 days ago. The amount of time required to heal can be frustrating. [Read more about cataract surgery recovery.]. I am definitely better but still wanted to share the experience for those who are out there either experiencing the same thing and/or thinking about getting it done. The first eye, no problems. Contact an eye doctor if you need medical attention. No, its not crisp, but if this is the vision I had the rest of my life, I would be fine with it happy with it even. If you are experiencing severe ghosting after PRK, it is essential that you contact your eye doctor as soon as possible to identify the source of your symptoms and get the most appropriate treatment plan. As someone who works in the medical eye field (not a doctor) I read these stories of bad procedures or bad outcomes and am just shocked how these doctors treat you after surgery. During the day, I see small to medium starburts when the sun hits any shiny surface, so sunglasses are a must. I was thinking how many days do i need to take off from my job? Blurry image in morning. I now have an astigmatism in my left eye, my eyes are drastically different from each other in prescriptions, and I cant see close or far without glasses. I had to have a cataract procedure (even though I didnt have a cataract, but they had to replace the lens). You will need to wear sunglasses all the time while outdoors even on cloudy days for three weeks to a month. 11/13/2012. I wish I would have read this story before I had PRK surgery. I had the consultation planned for the Tuesday, surgery on Thursday and work the following week. I did go ahead with the second surgery and am still walking around with glasses and dry eyes. It seems that there arent many negative reviews of PRK surgery and if there are, you REALLY have to dig for it. Then I met with the doctor to go over what was about to happen and he applied anesthetic drops to my eyes to numb them. He said everything looked okay and to just rest and keep up with the drops as directed. There is a slightly higher risk of infection with the PRK procedure than there is with LASIK. Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news, podcasts etc.. 2022 Foxiz News Network. So, with that, I will be a candidate to get PRK again.. Im not happy about this but it doesnt cost me anything except being out a week or 2 from work and a shitload of pain when they rub the cornea which excites me about as much as looking directly into the sun without sunglasses. Being ignorant of the prk procedure, I just assumed I would have great visual acuity the day after surgery, just like with IOL Not until after the procedure, however, did I learn (my fault entirely) that I should expect up to a month of blurred vision. After your PRK surgery, it is wise to use lubricating drops or a moisturizing contact lens in order to keep your eyes comfortable during the healing process. Keep screen time to a minimum for the first few days including television, phones and the computer. Im waiting it out another 3 months & Im remaining hopeful. I can see better than before but the blurriness annoys me. Please speak with your NVISION Eye Center for additional details. They told me I was a candidate for either and ended up with lasik because of the lower healing time (i travel a lot for work). healing and visual recovery take longer because the outer layer of the cornea needs to regenerate itself. I slept off and on for most of the first two days with mild discomfort here and there. I thought it would subside after some time but after one full year after my last procedure, it hasnt. They keep telling me I am still healing, but I am starting to feel doubtful and feel that I have unnecessarily permanently damaged my vision. He acted like the shift was no big deal and said I had thin corneas. Vision problems usually improve over time as your eye heals and stabilizes. What do the numbers on your eyeglass frames mean? Dont think there is need to expand here, simply google haze after prk, and youll get plenty of results on this one! Author has 101 answers and 241.3K answer views 6 y About one month. Imagine how I felt going through it?? Medicaid: Eligibility and Vision Benefits. Its hard to explain but it took effort to be able to look at the screen. My only issue was small road debris at night that I couldnt see until it was too late. Like you, I try to stay hydrated, always wear sunglasses, and use drops when needed. Answer: the front desk can leave a note for your doctor. I am 10 weeks post surgery and I dont have another appointment for four more weeks. It was recommended that exercise should not be picked up again for at least a week, but I didnt feel comfortable with that for at least three weeks. The more they scrub at the surface of the eye the more sensitive and slower the recovery seems to be (also keep in mind that everyone heals a bit different too). So infuriating! Type 1 occurs one to three months after surgery and subsides after about one year. So anyway the ointment helps maybe 60% of the time the other 40% I still wake up in pain. Im, I did a lasik 3 years ago and my eyes got a little bad so I went back for a PRK. I had prk in 2012 and achieved better than 20/20 visionbut a few weeks ago I woke up one day and it was as if I had never had the surgery!! My experience has been almost identical to yours. Did your doctor offer a 2nd PRK procedure? No light sensitivity or halos. All About Vision and AllAboutVision.com are registered trademarks of AAV Media, LLC. Im so glad you commented Candace. So I had been in a blur for five or so years. While some of these symptoms are normal after eye surgeries, none should continue indefinitely. The 1-year mark: Although it is important to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from ultraviolet . All my friends had success with LASIK, only complaint was mild dry-eye. As you get older the likelihood of needing readers grows quite a bit. I wanted to avoid spending $500 a year on eye classes but now I spend $500+ a year on eye drops! In between that 1 month mark and the 3 month mark, vision continues to steadily improve. He did my cornea transplant in 2001. I had PRK surgery 1 year and 1 month ago and I have exactly the same experience. I feel your pain.. Its devastating to hear these stories but Im so glad you shared with us. While LASIK is the most popular type of refractive correction, PRK (precise refractive keratome) is another popular choice. Do you have another appointment? Hope you get better and your message raises awareness regarding those surgeries. Of course I can see 10 times better when wear the glasses. I wish I never had the surgery. PRK has certain benefits when compared to LASIK and other forms of refractive surgery. My dizziness and nausea lasted a long time and I did many different therapies to try to help costing my thousands of dollars. She also said they would possibly end up doing the PRK. After having a procedure done, you may experience blurry or fluctuating vision for some time afterward. Doctors just keep saying more time more time. 6 years later, still not right, but Im scared to have a second surgery because if it got any worse it wouldnt be bearable. The recovery was horrible! I wanted to ask you how long it was since your second surgery and how are you regarding dry eyes?, since I still suffer from it. I chose PRK instead of Lasik due to my martial art training. Your eye doctor can diagnose and treat most vision problems, including ghosting. But when this epithelium is removed, the surface becomes rough. i shall be very thankful to you. The bother of glasses is nothing compared with the misery youve experienced. Your email address will not be published. The level of frustration I have with this procedure dwarfs all others. Required fields are marked *. Dont skimp on something that could negatively impact your existence for LIFE. It is the biggest regret of my life. Amazon Associates Disclosure Dang Travelers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Definitely do not have any more surgeries! Hey, Im 10 months post PRK and i have severe dry eyes. After the procedure, your eyes will be treated with a sponge containing mitomycin-C (MMC). My original appointment was about three weeks prior so I never put them back in afterward. Also even getting slightly bumped in the eye is painful for me. Do you see floaters that were not there before? I wanted to try getting contacts and he ordered some trial contact lenses for me but get this when I tried them on, it was as if I was nearsighted again and everything was blurry at distances. PRK was the original laser eye surgery, and soon after LASIK followed suit. I went to an eye surgeon in Arlington Heights, Dr. Thomas Koziol, who is now retired. Bowman. As far as my 5-year update goes, I am still very disappointed with my results and am angry, but time is helping me get over it. Now I am 3 years post op Im still experiencing this. Having some residual prescription means blurry vision (without glasses). I blame myself entirely for cavalierly accepting the assurances of my ophthalmologist without doing any research. I had severe dry eye as well but it did get better it just took some time. Any advice? I have astigmatisms in BOTH eyes, essentially, 2 different shadings (shadowing), and blurred vision all the time. Oh Ariel, I am so sorry you are going through this. The healing was irregular. Everyday when I wake up I am reminded of my mistake and then begins the battle of what I could possibly do to improve my condition. By the way, I am residing in Singapore and we are not cover by insurance for this type of eye correction surgery as it was consider to be under the comestic surgery catergory. Then the day of the surgery he told me I was getting PRK. I even had to get an enhancement on my left eye 7 months ago (July 2021) due to residual astigmatism. I wanted LASIK but my corneas were too thin. Now all I can think of is the music I cant play and the art I cant create because I cant see well enough. My left eye is still great. In some cases, a steroid shot behind the eye might be necessary. Vision improves between the first week and the first month out after PRK. Anywhere I inhabit is littered with the tiny plastic bottles of preservative free eye drops. LASIK has little downtime with only a day or so for recovery whereas PRK is much longer. Blurry vision after PRK laser eye surgery This may take anywhere from a few weeks to a maximum of six months. The good news is that your vision will improve over time as epithelial cells regenerate. My right eye is better than it was before I had the original surgery, but I still have to wear glasses. Need drops several times a day. Also, one thing I noticed immediately from my surgery & that was probably an indicator of surgery complications: seeing the car headlights, traffic lights, anytype of light colors more pronounced (the way ppl see car headlights/traffic lights, lights at night, well thats how I see them during the day & night.) I had the same experience as you did. For some reason, it really didnt bother me until the morning of. I was 29 when i first fid PRK, since it is free from where i work, i grab the opportunity. Current rx: plano, -1.25 and plano, -1.00? I made a little chart for all the meds because it was hard to keep track of when and how many to administer. I dont recognize my coworkers sometimes from across the room. Offer cannot be combined with any other discounts or special offers, previous surgery, insurance, or vision care plan savings. I had PRK done on both eyes on the same day. With PRK, rather than forming a flap, the top surface (epithelium) is scraped away. This should be read by anybody who is considering this procedure. I had the procedure done from a super experienced surgeon, whos website claims that they have performed over 80K procedures, so I figured, I was in good hands. If I put a soft contact lens on with 0.5 diopters of distance correction, I can see 20/20, but eyeglasses will only get me to 20/40. My job choices are now extremely limited. He told me not to worry and by the time I got back, Id be seeing great. Good luck to you. But even if you can see 20/20, vision just may not seem very clear. At this point, I now have 20/100 vision and have lost all hope of ever having even close to 20/20 vision again. 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