Luckily this doesnt happen very often. i cant imagine it hurting worse that that. I just want to say, thank you so much for sharing your stories! I didnt feel like I could see well until maybe 4 months later. Unclear near vision 18 days after PRK laser eye surgery - Is this normal? Posted by Otto Olivier | Eye Diseases | 0. Just in time for my three-month hiking trip in Spain. I wasnt able to go to my 3-month follow-up with the eye surgeon due to a stomach flu but it was postponed to January 7th. These changes to vision can be permanent. 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. All those things are just something I used to enjoy and now will probably be selling pay for anything that would help restore my vision and take away the pain. It was a sharp stabbing and burning sensation in both eyes very hard to explain. How are you both healing? Also, pay for the best. Bowman with Cornea Associates of Texas. I used to love the outdoors- biking, hiking, swimming, but now with dry burning eyes and photophobia, nothing is enjoyable. Astigmatism causes multiple focal points and may create a blurry appearance afterward. The fixed monthly payment will be rounded up to the next highest whole dollar and may be higher than the minimum payment that would be required if the purchase was a non-promotional purchase. I waited three long years to share my experience so my eyes could stabilize and I could give you the full outlook. I guess Ill just have to get reading glasses then. Thats great! Our patients often find their vision is slightly blurry for the first few weeks following their PRK procedure surgery. How sharp? Then a cornea transplant because I had damaged my cornea. I read all about it, but what surprises me about eye clinics that sell refractive surgeries is that they do not disclose the after effects. Anyone experience the same?? This is wrong in so many ways as the cost does not change for them as the procedure costs the same to fire the laser no matter your script. Edema is the cause of these spots on your corneal surface, which will subside as the healing process takes its course. I hope people find and read it! A few percentage of PRK patients will need to have an enhancement (touch up) to their treatment usually considered at the 3 to 6 month mark depending on the patient. Driving is dangerous and what am I supposed to do now that it will start getting dark at 5pm? What laser, corneal thickness, procedure done, etc. I think I will need some psychologists sessions after all this Thank you so much for sharing your experience. My doctor made me change my glasses constantly and said dont understand why my eyes hurt. its helped me feel more confident about my decision that the long recovery and potential risks really arent worth it for me personally. 4. I cant believe my eyes are ruined . Thank you so much for sharing your story. As much as I hated wearing glasses, I wish I had them on right now. The pair I picked out at the eye doctor were $440 so I couldnt believe the price difference. Is this normal? i consulted with my doctor, he was saying it will be recover itself. They did NOT use nearly enough eye-numbing solution and the little valium they gave me didnt do a damned thing for me. Here I am, shortly after the 3 month-post PRK surgery mark. I felt compelled to share so people out there contemplating corrective eye surgery are fully aware of all the risks and complications that can happen. The LASIK doctors are pretty much protected from a legal standpoint because of the consents that are signed before surgery. Its like a dentist visit one persons cavity or root canal can be totally different than another! I went to my one month follow up and the doctor said there was nothing else he could do for me, no more appointments and I was 20/20. So disappointing. Imagine how I felt going through it?? Psychosomatic effects are real. Compared to mt left eye, my reading distance is somewhat blurry and NOT crisp! The assistant blew me off, but when she examined me she realized that I had a corneal erosion (not just an abrasion). This layer serves as the skin-like layer of our cornea. I know I still have about 4.5 months to go but I will probably end up just getting glasses at the end if the vision doesnt stabilize in the future mostly due to how awful and painful the procedure was. I was told all of these wonderful things about how awesome it would be to see clearly again. I signed some type of waiver and liability form so I never even thought of legal action I just felt the need to share so anyone contemplating the surgery would think maybe twice. As a result, the eye dries out easier until this all heals up. That extra glare and ghosting at the 1 month? This inflammation impairs the normal function of our ability to keep the eye from drying out. Ive had so many people reach out to me privately and below in the comments about their own personal nightmares with PRK complications. I dont feel like I am seeing any improvements but some days are better or worse than others. Answer: No particular reason. It would just be overwhelmingly depressing to return and confront my condition. These nerves usually regenerate in the first three to six months after surgery. Have you gone back and talked to yours? Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news, podcasts etc.. 2022 Foxiz News Network. I paid extra for LIFETIME lasik and this was all he did. Sorry for your eye issues, but there is hope. 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. There are several eye surgeries and procedures including cataract, laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and certain restorative eye surgeries like retinal detachment surgery that can cause temporary blurry vision. Maybe, like you, a life of crisp 20/20 due to glasses, made our expectations too high for this procedure?! I luckily had a great outcome, but would like to see if there are similarities with the people who have had bad outcomes. I hope this helps. I am sorry to hear that you were unhappy with your experience but I cant help but feel jealous of your success. Join the LASIK Complications Support Group on Facebook. 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. And only the healing time and potential complications differ. Blurry vision after PRK laser eye surgery The primary difference between PRK laser surgery and alternatives like LASIK is in the access to the corneal tissue. Keep both eyes closed as much as possible the first day. I have had the prk surgery and it was done by a close friend who is a Dr. Im writing this for anyone who is thinking about it. One month later and I still cannot read the computer/phone screen without zooming to the max. Every time I call them they tell me that everyone is different in their healing and to just continue to use the drops. Thats exactly what happened to me. This is the whole reason I shared my story because I felt like I read nothing like it on the internet before going through with the procedure. What do the numbers on your eyeglass frames mean? It was like having a tic tac! Ill summarize here as this story is getting quite long. All I can say is that my dry eye did get better as time went on. Im now 6 weeks post surgery#2. I still cannot believe how many of us there are and yet no major changes in the field. It reshapes the cornea so that light can enter the eye and be properly focused onto the retina for clearer vision. I had severe dry eye as well but it did get better it just took some time. Hi Catherine, What a journey for you, Im so sorry. Vision in low light/night time is horrible. These individuals might not be candidates for LASIK, but PRK might work for them. I had PRK 3 days ago. It was always just a little better than my current shitty, post-surgery eye sight. Opthalmologist mentioned that epithelium in one eye is healed and the other eye is healing. Still not comfortable driving I was so surprised when the follow-up doctor told me 20/40 is legal for driving!! Three to six months to be exact. A retinal detachment (also called a detached retina) is a serious medical emergency. How Long Should You Wear Sunglasses After PRK? Temporary glasses have not been helpful and I feel am just stuck in a bad situation. This remaining prescription will make vision a little more blurry. Is this normal? The doctor give me bunch of other eye drops and hopefully can help the healing process. Im now 42 with 20/80, astigmatism, and +1.5 progressives. Im going to be paying $5900, both procedures have similar results but Advanced PRK of course takes longer. But i am getting epitheal erossions. The doctor told me they could take me in for another go once my eyes stabilize but she said if I was Ok with the glasses she wouldnt recommend it since I started with such a high number the first time. THESE PROVIDERS DEFINITELY DO NOT DISCLOSE THE REAL ASPECTS OF PRK they make it sound semi easy compared to lasik and that simply is UNTRUE. Unlike LASIK, PRK does not involve a corneal flap, which comes with its own risk of complications both during and after the procedure. 2.5 mos after wavefront optimized PRK with alcon excimer 5000. And its all because PRK, Nothing is as hotly as debated as a topic (at least in the world of vision, more likely to have LESS bothersome symptoms, an increase in these higher order aberrations. Im not sure if Im having an allergic reaction or what gives. I have had the prk surgery and it was done by a close friend who is a Dr. Im writing this for anyone who is thinking about it. I went to an eye surgeon in Arlington Heights, Dr. Thomas Koziol, who is now retired. now instead of headaches from glasses I get them from light and dryness or eye. At my 3 month post op I was seeing 20/20. Im not holding my breath. I am still unable to drive at all, and my computer usage is very limited. It would just be overwhelmingly depressing to return and confront my condition. Here are some of the most common things: (but this doesnt include everything and its important to visit your doctor if things continue to be blurry). (Note: I did have an astigmatism in the left eye before this). My price was around $3K. 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. Unrelated I had to have a membrane removed from the retina. i dont think i could handle that feeling for more than a week. Required fields are marked *. The prescription of the eye stabilizes and with this comes improvements in what you can see. I do have a possible procedure to brush the cornea again as something (i cant remember the term he used) is 60 microns thick, while a normal (insert term) should only be 40 microns thick its something on my cornea. I also have high blood pressure right now even though Ive lost weight from lack of appetite and depression. Eyeglass temples: How do you know if they're the right length? PRK was the original laser eye surgery, and soon after LASIK followed suit. Anywhere I inhabit is littered with the tiny plastic bottles of preservative free eye drops. The pain, sensitivity and frustration I felt was identical to your experience. LASIK and PRK are two commonly performed eye surgeries that correct vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Day time vision is functional, though not very crisp. Hi Jess, It is unbelievable how many stories are out there just like us! I couldnt see as crisp as I used to with contacts and had a hard time reading signs far away. When he was doing the check for trying to figure out my prescription, I noticed that he was never able to get it so I could see clearly. He handed me a prescription and said to get glasses in the interim because he would not want to do the second procedure for another six months or so. Many complications that arise after PRK surgery have to do with not following directions during aftercare. It has completely ruined my life. He said everything looked okay and to just rest and keep up with the drops as directed. Wasnt that tough, to be honest. Upon my first month check up since my vision was still very blurry my doctor prescribed a new par of RX glass to use while my eyes heal. Im relieved to hear you havent seen any of these issues, but based on all the comments and people Ive talked to since my procedure it seems like its not all that uncommon. Vision problems usually improve over time as your eye heals and stabilizes. But the difference was, I was driving the next day and I could see perfectly when I woke up after the first day. Im +1.75 in the right eye and +2.25 in the left. Epithelium and stroma of the cornea; Image by StemBook (CC BY 3.0) / modified from original. Vision works best when looking through a clear surface. Because thats all I can do. Can you please advice. I did not feel comfortable driving and my eyes themselves felt extremely sensitive to the touch. Like I could barely keep my eyes open. Consult with a doctor virtually or in person. Are contact lenses a good choice for kids? I am praying it gets better as well. Thanks so much for sharing your story Amy. i had lasix and had no problem at all after. Also, my eyes are extremely sensitive and they were never before. But fortunately even that resolves by 6 months after PRK. I paid $3,363.12 including a discount of $1,000 for my type of insurance to correct my nearsightedness (-5.50 in both eyes). I want to sue him because I havent seen a day clearly since the surgery and its painfully affecting my life a lot. Its a frustrating situation. slightly higher risk of infection than LASIK. Ive only had PRK twice. They say its because of dry eye, but before surgery I never experienced dry eye (probably used eye drops 3 times in my life before surgery, now 10+ times a day and 5+ times a night). My dizziness and nausea lasted a long time and I did many different therapies to try to help costing my thousands of dollars. I was not alerted by the doctor about possible complications. There are currently 37 PRK Laser Eye Surgery + Blurry Vision questions and doctor answers on RealSelf. When would I have the time and how do I know this will work if it didnt work the first time. Whatever the cause I would see an ophthalmologist right away because you shouldnt have a drastic change in vision over night. Im getting worse not better! Lets find out. I want my true vision and even now rather my natural vision over corrected. These two different measurements are called lower-order aberrations and can easily be corrected with glasses and surgery because they are symmetric and regular. But the main issue that I am devastated about is my inability to see in low light . Kind of strange but very cool at the same time. 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. I personally chose PRK myself and had a great surgeon that was very easy on the eye throughout the procedure and their method utilized a disc instead of a well to apply the alcohol directly to the treatment area reducing the after surgery pain. I guess I knew the risks but then I just crossed my fingers and hoped that it would not happen to me. So here I am two eye surgeries later with a new astigmatism, many missed days of work, chronic dry eye, and a prescription for glasses. But it is still normal to have blurry vision one month out. The cupholders in my car are full of them. I wasnt a candidate for lasik due to this but was for prk. The first week was still tough with being tired and all the eye drops but by the second week I was already back on the computer. If you see any other promotions lower than that proceed with caution and/or know you will probably receive the whole bait and switch scam once you get there. Cant describe the pain and the medication Ive had to take. Im definitely NOT going back for a third surgery does anyone seeking for legal help for the experience?? Thats gotten better as well. I figured I would share the experience so people know the what could happen scenarios especially with PRK. Anyway, I figured Id share my experience with you since I, too, understand your pain. I would ask myself am I going to have long-term light sensitivity after PRK for the rest of my life? my left eye is useless except for the range from 100mm to about 300mm. Because both of my eyes are different prescriptions, I need different cheater lenses for each eye in addition to different lenses for both eyes-with astigmatism correction for my left eye-to see in the distance. Since different people have had different recovery timelines, it is important to remember that the timing is extremely variable. Once again, thank you for sharing your experience and hope u r pretty fine and better now. Should I go to make an appointment with my eye-docter? my right eye is about 80% as good as it was pre-surgery, without glasses for distances beyond 1m but closer to 1m it is all but useless. The amount of correction made to your vision, as well as your own healing process, will determine when to expect blurred vision to disappear. I am currently going through my own journey of feeling super disappointment, anger and extreme regret. Hi Engy, I had severe myopia (- 11) and had PRK done 4 months ago. I am in constant pain. Im pretty much going to be honest and up-front with them, as I always have been. I wouldnt worry at all. Over 3-5 days, as you heal, your vision will gradual Since I see that it is a problem of the surgery and the pupils. With PRK, your vision as you sit up from surgery is actually better than if you had LASIK. Also, use all eye drops and prescriptions exactly as recommended. My job is suffering because a huge chunk of it is using a computer, and I dont know how I will feel from hour to hour. My right eye is better than it was before I had the original surgery, but I still have to wear glasses. I used the numbing drops accordingly and the prescription pain meds but nothing helped. I even put a sign on my bed that says I did PRK because before I did try sleeping with my contacts on and it was horrrible and scary I though ill lose my sight due to dryness anyway, its just there to remind me I am really seeing clearly now. Here are some questions to consider post eye surgery. I still have very hazy eyes but according to the dr I have 20/20 vision but cant see clearly. 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. for a week i couldnt even consider driving and could just barely get through the work I needed to do. The cost of my procedure was $4500 even. I was very hesitant and still cant believe I went through with it but all I kept thinking was about how I spent so much money that they should fix their wrong! I hardly had any spherical power in the left eye, but got it checked today, and it was -6. Same pain and sensitivity again. So when my distance vision started getting a little blurry, I went back to the same surgeon. The bright sun was HORRIBLE. Since I work on the computer all day, I totally get it and it is so tough. 11/13/2012. How long does it take to get 20/20 vision after PRK? It feels like I have a sunburn on my right eye and I can not see anywhere near as good as I could have with my glasses. In rare cases, more extreme side effects can occur. Prior to the PRK Id never cried over an onion. The content on this site is for informational purposes only. In fact, the vision can get slightly worse in the first few days as the irregular margins of the healing epithelium start to grow into the center of vision. How Long Do You Have to Wait After Cataract Surgery to Play Golf? Im Otto Olivier, the guy behind Eyes Advisor. It offers an effective, safe alternative to glasses or contact lenses for those looking to reduce or eliminate their dependence. All my friends had success with LASIK, only complaint was mild dry-eye. My PRK Recovery Timeline. I had LASIK in 2019 and have been going back every 6 months because my eyes backslid. So it was exactly as it used to be-ish seeing nearsighted again. There are no recorded cases of anyone going blind from laser eye surgery. My distance vision is seems to be ok. THANK GOD FOR THAT ONE! Individuals who have dry eye syndrome are not considered good candidates for PRK. Worst decision I ever made was to have PRK surgery and to believe the 10 recovery crap! My vision at computer screen distance is very unclear (blurry and double vision) 18 days after my PRK surgery. 92% of PRK patients get 20/40 vision or better. I (so far) have not been so lucky. I probably spend about the same amount in dry eye drops as I would in contact solution ( the point was to save money over time with not having to buy all these extra things). Fortunately this heals up. Drugs didnt seem to help much. I wish I read this before my surgery. The only time I have issues now is when driving. Finally 2 yrs later I started to really notice myself squinting to see things far away and got to the point I wouldnt drive At all at night. I hope this helps and is a little bit of encouragement. For most people, vision remains blurred while your eye adjusts to the new implant. LASIK has little downtime with only a day or so for recovery whereas PRK is much longer. I had PRK done 3 weeks ago for severe myopia and have now the same problems as you mentioned: severe and debilitating photosensitivity that results in unability to look straight forward or upward, unability to drive or to watch TV and difficulty to use the computer How long did your photosensitivity last ? My distance vision is not great either. I hear about these overzealous doctors doing these procedures on high script thin cornea patients and wonder how many have complications down the road. I am into Day 11 after PRK surgery. Because it will keep you from having reading glasses until older age! This generally occurs after one week. This is VITAL to your recovery. surgery was quick and painless. Most importantly, if you decide to go for PRK over LASIK, be mentally prepared to deal with the possibility of dealing with a longer recovery time that may even stretch till 9 to 12 months in the worst case scenario. 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