My Experience with PRK Laser Eye Surgery

To correct extreme nearsightedness I had eye surgery. This is my experience with PRK Laser Eye Surgery.

Back in February 2018 I had surgery to correct my vision. I actually shared my excitement and trepidation here. If you scroll in that post, you’ll actually read about the surgery at the very end.

I remember the day in 6th grade that we realized I needed glasses. We were at a deli and I couldn’t read the offerings listed above the counter. No matter how hard I squinted, I just couldn’t read them. Glasses were made and I hated wearing them. In high school I began wearing contacts, and glasses at night. Through the years my vision got worse and worse. I kept asking my eye doctor at the time, if laser surgery was an option, but he said that it wasn’t perfect yet. Life went on and my vision progressively got worse. I was -7.5 in both eyes and couldn’t even see the alarm clock in the morning.

Laser surgery was something I always wanted to do. In January of 2018 my parents asked me if I wanted to do it. They were willing to “gift” the surgery to me, knowing that I would not spend this money on myself.

Meeting with my Eye Doctor

So I made an appointment with my eye doctor, Dr. Strecker in Cohasset. To see if I’d be candidate for Lasik. I was instructed not to wear my contacts for a certain period, before the tests, as they could change the shape of my eye. I wore glasses for the period before the tests. The tests lasted approximately two hours. My pupils were dilated, I was asked to look at all different things, the doctor took measurements.

At the end, he took his glasses off and said, “Yes, you’re a candidate for Lasik surgery.” He looked down at his notes and did a few more calucations and realized that, in fact, my cornea wasn’t thick enough for Lasik and I’d need to do PRK surgery, which had a longer recovery time.

I decided to go ahead with the surgery thinking that it would only be a few more days extra; with Lasik surgery, people can usually drive themselves to their follow up appointment.

I excitedly called my parents and I told what the doctor said – I was a candidate for the surgery. The next day my dad drove over to the eye doctor and paid for the surgery. This was so generous of both my parents.

I think two or three weeks went by and my surgery was scheduled for the morning of February 15, 2018.

What is PRK Laser Eye Surgery?

PRK stands for Photorefractive Keratectomy. This type of laser eye surgery can help if you are nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism. It works best if your eye problem is mild or moderate. All laser vision correction surgeries work by reshaping your cornea, the clear front part of your eye. With PRK, the corneal epithelium is removed and discarded, allowing the cells to regenerate after the surgery. The procedure is distinct from LASIK (laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis), a form of laser eye surgery where a permanent flap is created in the deeper layers of the cornea. This is why the recovery is longer. Everyone’s body is different so doctors can not tell how long it will take the cells to grow back. It can be from 1-3 months.

The Surgery

Leading up to the surgery I didn’t wear my contacts as I didn’t want them to effect the shape of my eyes. I had to use a series of prescription drops up to the day of the surgery.

Luke drove me to the surgery at a medical building. They took more measurements of my eyes; I was given half a valium and a series of eye drops – some were numbing and felt icy cold.

I went into the surgery room where they used a laser to perform the surgery. On the first eye I began to feel the laser which was very uncomfortable, but on on the second eye they gave me more numbing drops. The whole surgery took maybe 10 minutes. They gave me a kit to bring home and instructions for care.

Post-Surgery

I was instructed to keep my eyes closed as much as possible and it would be best for me to go home and sleep as that would help my eyes heal. Luke woke me up for dinner but I then went back to bed. My eyes were very sensitive to light. They gave me goggles, to protect my eyes while sleeping, and protective sunglasses, I needed to wear inside the house. My eyes were so sensitive after that surgery, that even darkened rooms seemed very bright.

Luke drove me to my follow up appointment the next day. It went well, I was instructed to keep my eyes shut and continue using the prescribed drops. Some were for pain and some were for helping the healing process.

My parents came to visit me that day and my dad brought me a whole box of Godiva chocolates. We enjoyed them by the fireplace.

That weekend, I kept my eyes shut as much as possible and I listened to podcasts and audio books. If you have this surgery I highly recommend getting audible as you can’t sit and read, or watch TV. Each morning I got up expecting to open my eyes and SEE.

My vision was still blurry.

My vision was blurry the whole week.

Then I got a call Friday morning (the week after surgery), my mom was in the hospital with my dad. They had to rush him via ambulance because he’d had a heart attack. He was in the ICU. We all went up the car. I still couldn’t drive because I couldn’t see.

I remember walking into his room, tears in my eyes. Seeing my dad in the hospital bed. My vision blurry. Not being able to see him. It’s hard for me to write about my recovery period without crying (as I am right now), as I equate this to my dad being ill in the hospital, going through surgery, and going into hospice.

Over a three week period my mom and I journeyed into Boston to visit my dad. At this point the eye doctor had given me glasses to help me see, my prescription was better than it was, but I didn’t have perfect vision. My father had stent surgery which was successful but got an infection in a cut he had in his foot. We thought he’d be able to come home but ended up passing away on St. Patrick’s Day.

I wrote this post to my dad here.

My recovery period

My recovery period is intertwined with this very painful period of loss. This is why I was unable to write about the surgery until now.

I experienced some halo-ing around lights (especially at night), but that has gone now.

My eyes healed and I was able to see perfectly by July. I’m not sure if the stress of my father’s illness, and passing, made the recovery longer.

I now have 20/10 vision in one eye and 20/30 in the other. It is amazing what the surgery has done for me.

On bright days I find it necessary to wear glasses. I love these Tommy Bahama sunglasses that are polarized.

Now….

I can see the alarm clock.

I can wake up and see the world around me.

I can read road signs and see the leaves on the trees.

My vision is actually better than my husband’s vision 😉

I don’t need to fumble with glasses in the middle of night.

I don’t have to worry about loosing my contacts in the pool.

I don’t have to worry about sand in my contacts at the beach.

All this thanks to my parents. I am grateful for this final gift my dad was able to give to me – the gift of sight.

If you have any questions about the surgery please email me or leave a comment.

If you’re considering this surgery please consult your eye care professional.