Post PRK Laser Eye Surgery – 3 Months

Hi all, apologies for the delay.  It has actually been  a month ago that I went in for my 3 month post-operative check-up.  About 5 weeks ago, I accidentally "stabbed" myself my left eye with my nails..... yes, not very smart... Don't ask me how I managed to do that... its embarrassing to say, I just did....

Anyway, I often do poke myself in the eye and usually it recovers with some eye drops and overnight.  But not this time...  I went to bed with that mindset.. when I woke up the next day, I could barely open my left eye.  It was bloodshot red and tears just kept rolling down my eyes.  My eyes were burning and stinging when I tried to keep it open.  It was more painful than the actual PRK recovery... really!

I was fortunate enough to reach my eye doctor on her day off and she immediately met up with me to check up on it.   It was pretty bad, she said I pretty much scratched off quite a bit of my cornea and now its trying to heal... She thought of putting on those clear non-prescriptive contacts I had as a bandage from the PRK, but we were concert bacteria may get trapped and cause an infection.  I was advised to sleep all day, keep my eyes closed, apply Flarex anti-biotic drop a few times a day, and consistently apply the Bion-Tears.  That was exactly what I did.  By night,my eyes were still burning but not as bad as the morning.   I had to moved all my meetings that day to the next day which meant I couldn't miss work two days in a row.  The next day, my eye was pretty much a lot better and mildly pink with hardly any burning.  *Phew*  2 days after the incident, I went back to get it checked and it was pretty much healed.

It was a few days prior to my actual 3 months, so we did the post-op 3 month check-up on the same day.  Eyes were looking healthy with minor dryness (expected) and vision have not deterred from the initial assessment.  I still have minor 0.5 astigmatism in each eye and near-sightednesses, however, with both eyes together, I am pretty  much 20/20.  Woot Woot!!

Astonishing Alberta Part 2: Hoodoos, Dumheller

Continuing from Part 1, Tyrell Museum, I drove to visit Hoodoos, around 30 minutes drive.  I was told by my local friend that its a "must see" attraction.  

Below is the gorgeous scenery and weather on the drivve there.

Astonishing Alberta Part 1: Drumheller

Capturing the great valleys of Drumheller

Late April - early May 2012, I made a short trip to Calgary, AB to visit a friend. It was my second time in the city followed by my first in 2005, which I have close to zero recollection of except the 50+ hours of Greyhound bus ride from Toronto.  If you are a city girl, Calgary may not be the city for you.  BUt if you are a country and nature lover, you would definitely fall in love! 

I had a weekend car rental so my friend recommended a town called Drumheller to me.  To my surprise, I went there on the perfect day with the perfect sunny weather any traveler could ask for! 

The view driving from Calgary to Drumheller

PRK Surgery Questions (FAQ) and Recovery

Links to my PRK journey:

My Consultations:

• First Consultation: Herzig Eye Institute
• Second Consultation: Bochner Eye Institute
• Third Consultation: TLC Laser Eye Centers
• Laser Eye Surgery Decision and Dry Eye Situation!

PRK Recovery

• PRK Surgery Day
• Post PRK Laser Eye Surgery - Day 1
• Post PRK Laser Eye Surgery - Day 3
• Post PRK Laser Eye Surgery - Day 5
• Post PRK Laser Eye Surgery – Day 8 
• Post PRK Laser Eye Surgery - 1 Month

Below are common questions that may cross your mind, and hopefully my answers are helpful ^^

1. Is PRK safe?
PRK is a very safe procedure and like every surgery, there are risks.  Everyone's reaction to the procedure differs but there has been no reports of lost in vision as a result of this procedure.  Though there are risks of infections, increased eye pressure, dry eyes, and such, they won't cause blindness.  Most importantly, it has been FDA approved! That alone should be reassuring.  Although there is no exact list defining the number of complications for post-operation, studies suggest that the incidence of minor difficulties such as dry eyes and glares is ~3-5%. 

Post PRK Laser Eye Surgery – 1 Month

So its been 1 month since I had the PRK laser eye surgery to correct my vision.  The first 2 weeks, there were noticeable progress in my vision, but in the last 2 weeks, the progress is so minimal that I do not even notice myself.  I went in for my post-op 1 month check up with my opthamatologist.  Everything looks good, no infections and same dry eye situation I have had my entire life.  It is less dry than before but it does not mean I can stop using the drops.  I am pretty sure I just have to live with it.  My vision has improved since the 2 week checkpoint, it is now at 20/25.  One line improvement on the vision chart! Whohoo!!

Honestly, I have noticed that it is purely the dryness of the eyes that impeding the acuity of my vision.  When I apply drops, things are super clear for like 5-10 minutes.  But i mean, the difference is so minimal that it doesn't really bother me.