Theres no way I would have had the procedure if I had just known the basicsthat a month of recovery was typical, not the exception, and, as your blog demonstrated, complications should not be discounted. Do not wear eye makeup, lotions, cologne, or aftershave for one week. I went back to the place where I did the surgery and the doctor said it was unusual for my eyes are like this because I did a really small prescription now its way worse than before. My vision was WAY better than before the procedure but I still felt like I couldnt see great especially in low light or at night. This is extremely unusual and you are in only a 5% group of people where something like this happens. I hope people find and read it! My eyes have been sensitive to the sun and onions ever since. Before surgery Iwas -7.50 in left and 5.50 on right. But other than this I had a a two day recovery on both eyes 3 months apart. More than 50% blurred vision for first 3 days. The first one was taken on both eyes at age 21, I had 1.25 & 1. Ive had to pay out of pocket to see a corneal specialist, have expensive treatments, and I spend over $350/month for eye drops and supplements. Even though the procedure has an excellent safety profile, PRK surgery does entail a certain amount of risk. I will never recommend prk to anyone. LASIK has little downtime with only a day or so for recovery whereas PRK is much longer. I think my husband thinks Im exaggerating when I cut onions but it can be so bad.. Have you ever sued your eye doctor? Have severe ghosting still during both day and night. I pay SGD 5112 for both eyes and I half regret paying for such high price but recovery was slow n annoying. And suffer the same complications as you. Also even getting slightly bumped in the eye is painful for me. I couldnt see well to drive at night but I thought that was just because I was getting older. 2023 Eye Surgery Guide. Pretty upset. But turns out there is another layer in the way called epithelium. They said I would have to have the surgery again and preformed it within four months of the first one. Detailed, precise vision may be slightly diminished. I am beyond frustrated and dont know how to proceed, I have missed more work in the last year than in the last 25+ combined between 3 surgeries and almost weekly visits to the eye doctor. Having a small scratch will cause some pain and blurred vision, having a giant scratch will cause a lot more. Updated August 2022. Im one month out from my PRK surgery in Knysna, South Africa, and I must say that I thought my recovery has been irritating, but yours seems infinitely worse than mine! If you are experiencing persistent ghosting after PRK, the first step should be to contact your doctor. You know the, Its so rare, it will most likely not happen. Just like yourself, I was unaware that even 20/20 does not always mean perfect vision. I guess its TRUE. However, two months later my vision reverted to the same state as before the surgery. I went in for my follow-up appointment (make a note you need a driver for that as well) the next afternoon. Rare complications and long-term side effects include deterioration of vision. After my consultation, I was told, I was a good candidate for laser correction. Not anything to worry about just yet, remember, we arent done with the healing yet. Sorry to hear you story.I agree that the percentage of dissatisfaction from prk surgeries is understated .I did mine in 2014 and the recovery was brutal for the first week.The risks and the potential regression that i discovered after the surgery were not discussed by my surgeon.if i come back in time,i wouldnt have done it, considering i has -2 in each of my eyes.After my surgery my right eye is -0.25 and left one is 0.75 eventually i will need glasses again plus i have had dry eyes ever since the surgery. Welcome! My left eye is still great. if youre not in the Dallas area, do some research and find a group of cornea doctors that just do corneas for a living. All I can say is that my dry eye did get better as time went on. Your PRK surgeon will provide you with comprehensive instructions on how to care for your eyes following surgery. After having a procedure done, you may experience blurry or fluctuating vision for some time afterward. It has completely ruined my life. Another complication after cataract surgery is retinal detachment. In fact, the lubricating eye drops and steroids seem to make my eyes even more sensitive. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This symptom, which occurs most often in patients with light-colored (blue or green) irises, can be managed with sunglasses or with a prescribed eye drop that reduces pupil size. I hope I can get a much clearer vision soon so that I can resume work. Things I wish Id known may not get 20/20, may not ever get 20/20 again even with corrective lens, lost contrast and night vision, dry sensitive eyes, and regression. I cant drive at night because I have no depth perception. i dont think i could handle that feeling for more than a week. I had an enhancement after just 3 months with my first surgery. These individuals might not be candidates for LASIK, but PRK might work for them. Vision is still not as clear (crisp) as it used to be when I wore glasses. Can You Play Golf After Cataract Surgery? I just want to say, thank you so much for sharing your stories! Angela. Since last Saturday, my problems are improving a little every day but it is not yet like before. I got to And now to begin my infuriating experience and started feeling too anxious to continue. The recovery was horrible! I had prk 2 months before. Then the day of the surgery he told me I was getting PRK. I hear some people saying they pretty much heal over the first month; others tell me that the transition between the 3rd and 4th month is the final round of big changes. i have really dry eyes already and sometimes they burn so bad i can barely stand it. Your email address will not be published. At this point, I thought the PRK recovery wasnt too difficult. I got PRK in 2005 because I was military and into extreme sports. Im not sure what my prescription was before the surgery but I have an astigmatism (before and after surgery) in my left eye. LASIK and PRK are two commonly performed eye surgeries that correct vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Home / PRK Lasik Surgery / Complications from PRK. The average total cost for LASIK surgery is $4,800 for both eyes. The success rate of PRK continues to improve as technology advances. Required fields are marked *. Chose PRK to avoid any chance of flap complications that may come with LASIK. Well, only about 40% of people are able to reach the legal driving vision of 20/40 within the first few days after PRK. I am told I am in a 2% 5% group but the more I read, the more I am discovering that percentage might be drastically understated. The only time I have issues now is when driving. Thank you Steven. Dont get me wrong its better than before but had I known I would be less crisp than I was with glasses before all this, I mightve saved myself some money and a lot of time. This retrospective comparative study analyzes the early postoperative impact of laser vision correction for myopia on the optical quality and stability of functional vision using a double-pass aberrometer. Beware if you have an astigmatism, and or strong prescription because you will need further adjusting which leaves more room for error. C) I used for 1 month dexamethasone drops.Week1 4drops Week2 3drops Week3 2 drops Week4 1 drop.Was it enough ? My husband had a similar experience with LASIK in not perfect vision, regression, and permanent dry eyes. It is so frustrating and disappointing. It hurts so bad. for about 5 days i couldnt see a thing. Once that surface heals over, vision steadily improves. Should I go to make an appointment with my eye-docter? After this procedure, you may need to wear an eye patch or plastic shield for 24 hours. For example, if I am cutting onions my eyes dont just water and get a little red, it feels like someone threw acid in my eyes. Bowman with Cornea Associates of Texas. It was so-so to good (never 20/20 but less blurry than the night before) in the morning with my eyes feeling refreshed after a good nights sleep but then would taper off by getting more blurry in the evening. Ended up asking some friends to meet me halfway and drive me back in my car. I had PRK in 2004. I had PRK done on both eyes on the same day. They wanted $160 after several discounts applied and I said to them, Im not paying that much for some temporary vision and I left. Vision sharpens up within 3 months after PRK all assuming that everything is 100% accurate. Its when the cells begin to grow back over the eye that you start feeling what I can only describe as the sandy sensation turning to toe-curling-pillow-squeezing pain. PRK is also generally less expensive than LASIK. I did go ahead with the second surgery and am still walking around with glasses and dry eyes. Jennifer I am in your exact situation! Just when it would get bad it would be time for more drops which made them feel better. I couldn't read any of it. Ive seeing doubles, my eyes are always blurry and I cant even see close. Ive had so many people reach out to me privately and below in the comments about their own personal nightmares with PRK complications. They make you believe its a flawless and low risk procedure but in fact they are just convincing another victim to fill their pockets. Thanks so much for sharing your story Amy. Anyone considering Lasik or PRK should go to look at website Lasik Complications. Type 2 (late-onset corneal haze) occurs after three months and persists longer than three years. Dry eye it varies, but hadnt such a problem before. The first week out after PRK will have the most blurred vision. Femtosecond lasers enable epithelial cell regeneration at an accelerated pace; you may even be able to use a special nighttime eyedrop for several months in order to reduce its impact on vision. 6. I asked him why I couldnt see his face clearly two feet away if I was 20/20. Improvment is slow as compare to my colleagues and feels that I should be 20/20 by now. All my symptoms remained the same as month one and two. I definitely agree we have to all share so people are aware of whats going on. The FDA has actually received many complaints from patients throughout the years and many patients are now complaining that complications were not communicated to them properly or at all. It was the first type of laser vision surgery and is often recommended if a patients corneas are too thin for LASIK. This has been a nightmare for me and many others. Read here what others are saying on the PRK Recovery Reddit thread. Vision improves between the first week and the first month out after PRK. Ive needed a second surgery for years, but no thanks. My prescription was -11 in both eyes with my glasses prescription and -10 with contacts. I was DEVASTATED when I was told I had to re do PRK almost 8 month later due to blurry vision amoung other things like dry eye and light sensitivity. 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