3 ms·

And this is why I bit the bullet, and went for the longer healing, but less side effect Lasek[1] (although this applies to PRK as well) It was a "fun" 3 weeks

by keepper 10y ago

And this is why I bit the bullet, and went for the longer healing, but less side effect Lasek[1] (although this applies to PRK as well) It was a "fun" 3 weeks of healing ( versus 1-2 days for lasik ), but PRK based procedures have substantially less of these side effects. edited: to note that i had lasek done. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photorefractive_keratectomy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photorefractive_keratectomy

amenod 10y ago
Difference: http://www.lasereyesurgeryhub.co.uk/lasik-vs-lasek-vs-prk/ http://www.lasereyesurgeryhub.co.uk/lasik-vs-lasek-vs-prk/ EDIT: did you get PRK or Lasek?
- keepper 10y ago
  Yea, I had Lasek ( although from what i understand, there's even quite a bit of variations of what is defined as "lasek"). Local Dr in NYC is a huge proponent of it, and well, went for it. ( he's unfortunately known for his "odd personality traits", but as a doctor, he's top notch... ) re: recovery, I think 3 weeks was the time I felt OK enough, and better than i ever did with contacts/glasses. It definitely was a months long recovery.
  - rosstex 10y ago
    What kind of recovery symptoms did you experience?
    - enjo 10y ago
      The most painful week of my life was the week following PRK. Constant scratching and burning in my eyes. In the end my vision never came in properly. I have halos and slightly blurry vision, but the experience (almost a decade ago) was so painful that I refuse to get it fixed. Hugely regret it.
      - dajohnson89 10y ago
        Is there room for malpractice here?
        enjo 10y ago
        Not really... I knew the risks:)
    - keepper 10y ago
      Well, the first one is they really recommend you don't open your eyes as much as possible for 3-4 days. Coupled with a dark living space and darkest glasses you can as well. It made it so i needed someone helping me do even basic things for those days, and listening to music and podcast kinda gets pretty boring after the first day. The rest of the days were just blurry vision and general "pain". If you've ever wore contacts for too long, it's the burning sensation you get after you take them off, multiplied. After those were mostly gone, then I was pretty sensitive to light, and for the later weeks, I had the problem of my vision being way too sharp, so I had trouble focusing. But I would do it again in a heartbeat!
SEJeff 10y ago
3 weeks for you? Took me maybe 6-7 weeks for all of the weird symptoms from my post-op PRK to go away.
mrfusion 10y ago
Any dryness or minor depth perception issues?
kelnos 10y ago
I ended up getting PRK in August 2015. Recovery was a pain (nearly a week before I could mostly do normal things), but within 3 months I was at 20/15 in both eyes. The halos and "starbursts" around lights have faded somewhat, but are still present, after over a year. I was assured throughout and after the process that they would fade away completely. There's definitely a bit of misinformation around that; not sure if the doctors were deliberately misleading me, or if they were also misled by previous studies that showed a much lower incidence of side-effects. Fortunately the dryness did fade after a month or so, and I don't need to carry around eye drops like so many others do. Overall, though, I'm happy with the result and still glad I did it.
samch 10y ago
About 7 or 8 years ago now, my wife and I did a ton of research into this. She had gotten the go-ahead from her eye doctor to get this treatment (apparently, they want your vision to stabilize before giving the all-clear). We knew about many of the LASIK drawbacks, and she had heard first-hand accounts of the flap coming loose and halos. We decided that PRK was the best option, as it presented the fewest potential side effects. It also helped that she was able to take the time off work for the recovery. Many years on, we still maintain that it was the best money we've spent. Her life without glasses and contacts is so much better, and she doesn't have any long-term side effects to worry about. I really do recommend PRK strongly to anybody who is considering LASIK.
rudolf0 10y ago
I got PRK a year ago. No real issues, 20/20 vision, but the persistent dry eye is annoying. It's really bad in the winter. Artificial tear eye drops help a lot, but sometimes I have to use them twice per day.
- mmmmmchipotle 10y ago
  Ditto, today I'm 1 year to the day after my PRK surgery. The only side effect I had was dry-eye, and man is it a pain. I can't ride my bike without some form of eye protection (sunglasses, or clear goggles). 2-3 times per week I wake up with severely, painfully dry eyes. All that said, it was worth it and I wouldn't go back. Being able to see without glasses/contacts is a huge improvement on quality of life. +1 for PRK over Lasik
  - d23 10y ago
    I have dry eyes now as a result of PRK and part of me wishes I had just stuck with contacts.
    - rudolf0 10y ago
      Part of me wishes the same, but then I remember all the advantages of having no contacts or glasses and I know it's worth it. Carrying around eye drops isn't that much of a hassle, and the dry eye usually is just more uncomfortable than painful. It's only an issue when there's a lot of wind shear.
xaa 10y ago
I had PRK because my cornea was too thin to get LASIK. Yeah, the healing wasn't fun (for me, it was really bad for about 3 days). A few very minor vision artifacts, but by far the most annoying side effect has been dry eyes. I don't know how PRK caused this, but it started right afterwards. If I don't drink a lot of water before bed, I will wake up with dry and highly irritated eyes. Even so, I still consider it worth it. I lost/broke my glasses frequently, and contacts are not very versatile.
peatmoss 10y ago
High five for PRK. One month in, I was 20/15 and had zero perceptible problems. But... I used lubricant eye drops religiously during that month. I went through several bottles, putting drops in my eyes several times an hour. I also took omega 3 supplements, which help tears remain intact over the epithelium longer. I read some studies that suggest omega 3s shorten the reepitheialization period significantly. So, if you're prepared to do some work and take slavish care of your eyes for an extended healing period, I believe you can have great results from PRK. Absolutely no regrets.

by keepper 10y ago

amenod 10y ago

Difference: http://www.lasereyesurgeryhub.co.uk/lasik-vs-lasek-vs-prk/ http://www.lasereyesurgeryhub.co.uk/lasik-vs-lasek-vs-prk/ EDIT: did you get PRK or Lasek?

keepper 10y ago
Yea, I had Lasek ( although from what i understand, there's even quite a bit of variations of what is defined as "lasek"). Local Dr in NYC is a huge proponent of it, and well, went for it. ( he's unfortunately known for his "odd personality traits", but as a doctor, he's top notch... ) re: recovery, I think 3 weeks was the time I felt OK enough, and better than i ever did with contacts/glasses. It definitely was a months long recovery.
- rosstex 10y ago
  What kind of recovery symptoms did you experience?
  - enjo 10y ago
    The most painful week of my life was the week following PRK. Constant scratching and burning in my eyes. In the end my vision never came in properly. I have halos and slightly blurry vision, but the experience (almost a decade ago) was so painful that I refuse to get it fixed. Hugely regret it.
    - dajohnson89 10y ago
      Is there room for malpractice here?
      - enjo 10y ago
        Not really... I knew the risks:)
  - keepper 10y ago
    Well, the first one is they really recommend you don't open your eyes as much as possible for 3-4 days. Coupled with a dark living space and darkest glasses you can as well. It made it so i needed someone helping me do even basic things for those days, and listening to music and podcast kinda gets pretty boring after the first day. The rest of the days were just blurry vision and general "pain". If you've ever wore contacts for too long, it's the burning sensation you get after you take them off, multiplied. After those were mostly gone, then I was pretty sensitive to light, and for the later weeks, I had the problem of my vision being way too sharp, so I had trouble focusing. But I would do it again in a heartbeat!

SEJeff 10y ago

3 weeks for you? Took me maybe 6-7 weeks for all of the weird symptoms from my post-op PRK to go away.

mrfusion 10y ago

Any dryness or minor depth perception issues?

kelnos 10y ago

I ended up getting PRK in August 2015. Recovery was a pain (nearly a week before I could mostly do normal things), but within 3 months I was at 20/15 in both eyes. The halos and "starbursts" around lights have faded somewhat, but are still present, after over a year. I was assured throughout and after the process that they would fade away completely. There's definitely a bit of misinformation around that; not sure if the doctors were deliberately misleading me, or if they were also misled by previous studies that showed a much lower incidence of side-effects. Fortunately the dryness did fade after a month or so, and I don't need to carry around eye drops like so many others do. Overall, though, I'm happy with the result and still glad I did it.

samch 10y ago

About 7 or 8 years ago now, my wife and I did a ton of research into this. She had gotten the go-ahead from her eye doctor to get this treatment (apparently, they want your vision to stabilize before giving the all-clear). We knew about many of the LASIK drawbacks, and she had heard first-hand accounts of the flap coming loose and halos. We decided that PRK was the best option, as it presented the fewest potential side effects. It also helped that she was able to take the time off work for the recovery. Many years on, we still maintain that it was the best money we've spent. Her life without glasses and contacts is so much better, and she doesn't have any long-term side effects to worry about. I really do recommend PRK strongly to anybody who is considering LASIK.

rudolf0 10y ago

I got PRK a year ago. No real issues, 20/20 vision, but the persistent dry eye is annoying. It's really bad in the winter. Artificial tear eye drops help a lot, but sometimes I have to use them twice per day.

mmmmmchipotle 10y ago
Ditto, today I'm 1 year to the day after my PRK surgery. The only side effect I had was dry-eye, and man is it a pain. I can't ride my bike without some form of eye protection (sunglasses, or clear goggles). 2-3 times per week I wake up with severely, painfully dry eyes. All that said, it was worth it and I wouldn't go back. Being able to see without glasses/contacts is a huge improvement on quality of life. +1 for PRK over Lasik
- d23 10y ago
  I have dry eyes now as a result of PRK and part of me wishes I had just stuck with contacts.
  - rudolf0 10y ago
    Part of me wishes the same, but then I remember all the advantages of having no contacts or glasses and I know it's worth it. Carrying around eye drops isn't that much of a hassle, and the dry eye usually is just more uncomfortable than painful. It's only an issue when there's a lot of wind shear.

xaa 10y ago

I had PRK because my cornea was too thin to get LASIK. Yeah, the healing wasn't fun (for me, it was really bad for about 3 days). A few very minor vision artifacts, but by far the most annoying side effect has been dry eyes. I don't know how PRK caused this, but it started right afterwards. If I don't drink a lot of water before bed, I will wake up with dry and highly irritated eyes. Even so, I still consider it worth it. I lost/broke my glasses frequently, and contacts are not very versatile.

peatmoss 10y ago

High five for PRK. One month in, I was 20/15 and had zero perceptible problems. But... I used lubricant eye drops religiously during that month. I went through several bottles, putting drops in my eyes several times an hour. I also took omega 3 supplements, which help tears remain intact over the epithelium longer. I read some studies that suggest omega 3s shorten the reepitheialization period significantly. So, if you're prepared to do some work and take slavish care of your eyes for an extended healing period, I believe you can have great results from PRK. Absolutely no regrets.