PRK - One year later

I found this sub very helpful before my procedure so I want to add my experience.

I had PRK done about a year ago. My vision was -6.0 and -6.25. I had the choice between PRK and LASIK, but decided to go with PRK for personal reasons. I also paid for the lifetime warranty.

The surgery wasn’t bad at all. I asked for some anti-anxiety meds before it and I think that really helped. It was quick and painless.

Recovery was not painless. A couple hours after my surgery, I was in extreme pain. Part of that is on me because I couldn’t pick up my prescription for pain meds yet. Once I had them I wouldn’t say the pain got significantly better, I just cared less about the pain if that makes sense. The first four days after surgery was pretty bad. I had to go back in at day 3 because I couldn’t get my eyes open to put the drops in. The clinic was super nice and took good care of me. They gave me strong eye drops and calmed me down. I had terrible light sensitively at this point. I would say recovery day five was the turning point.

I am very thankful I downloaded some audiobooks before surgery. I also turned on voice assist and voice guide for my phone because I couldn’t even look at my screen. I wish I bought more easy to eat snacks. It would have been great to have some food that doesn’t need to be refrigerated or heated up. For the first couple days I just wanted to lay in bed and sleep to avoid the pain.

I had to sign an additional waiver because I had a higher probability of dry eye. I understood how bad dry eye can be, but my vision was so bad without glasses I figured it would be worth it. I had pretty bad dry eyes for the first two or three months after surgery, but now it is mostly fine. I have noticed that it still gets bad when I stay up really late and in the mornings if I sleep with my make up on. For myself, the trade off was 100% worth it.

I also had light a lot sensitivity for the first three months. It slowly got better. I did buy some good quality sun glasses and wore them every time I went outside. My light sensitivity is almost entirely gone now. I still wear polarized sun glasses every time I go outside, but that is to protect my eye health.

Before my surgery, I couldn’t safely drive at night unless the roads were very well lit. I couldn’t see well enough even with my glasses and the whole thing was terrifying. Night driving is a lot easier and safer now! I had some halos around street lights for the first couple months, but slowly that went away. I can also drive safely in low light, it does help to dim the lights on the dashboard.

Even with all the pain and occasional dry eye, the surgery was very much worth it. When I go camping now, I don’t have to constantly worry about where my glasses are. I can go down water slides and swim in lakes without having to choose between being blind or being scared of losing my glasses. Working out is way easier. PRK increased my quality of life so much!

I’m sorry this post was so long, but I wanted to share my whole experience. I am happy to answer any questions!