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.  

Post PRK Laser Eye Surgery – Day 8

** Post PRK Day 6 - I successfully got my left eye bandage removed with no issues. ^^ 

So its been about a week since I have undergone PRK (Photorefractive keratectomy) surgery. 
Am I happy I did it? Yes! If I were to go back in time, would I still have done it? Yes!  Just a quick recap, the surgery itself was not long, the entire procedure was at most 5 minutes.  I have got both bandages removed already.  Now, I have no pain whatsoever and my vision is much better than day 1.  Things are more clear and I am able to stare at a monitor for a while without getting a headache or needing a rest.  

Today, I went in for my vision check!!  My vision is 20/30, which is really good enough for me but my doc says there are still time for improvement as it heals more and more.  There is still very minor astigmatism but its nothing that will impact my vision.  This vision is already good enough for driving!   **Reminder: If you are Canadian, you have to update your drivers license to indicate you no longer need glasses.

Post PRK Laser Eye Surgery - Day 5

 BANDAGE REMOVAL DAY!!

• Started working from home on Day 4 with screen resolution set to 800x600 @_@
• Last night - no pain, had a good sleep
• Vision -Not yet 20/20. Distant objects are still a bit blurry. Things within 200 meters are very clear
• Pain Level - Minimal to none
• Eye Condition - Dry eyes, more so on the left
• Driving Ability - Cannot drive yet...at least I don't feel I can yet
• Feeling -Still not over the exhilaration of having perfect vision!
• Side Effects - After seeing halos and star bursts on day 3, I have not seen them since. *phew* lets hope it doesn't come back
• Post-Op Day 5 Check Up with Dr. Bonnie 
• Verified eye pressure is normal
• Left Eye still quite dry, better than last week though
• No infections found
• Removed bandage on right eye only as doc wanted to wait one more day for the left eye to heal a bit more
• Right eye - 100% healed
• Left eye - ~95% healed
• Bandage Removal 
• Lots of lubricant drops were applied
• Wait a minute
• Dr. Bonnie used her fingers to remove bandage for me 
•  No pain
• After removal, eyes felt a bit more dry as its more exposed to the air

GIRL QUESTION: 
Can I wear makeup yet???
 NO! Sorry ladies, up until this point, I still cannot wear makeup....This is because it can easily cause infections during the healing period.

Post PRK Laser Eye Surgery - Day 3

DAY 2

• Last night - slept through smoothly without waking up at all, well-rested
• Vision - Good vision for day-to-day activities, haven't checked vision yet
• Pain Level - Medium. Tolerable discomfort. Random moments of striking needle pain but it lasts like one second every time
• Eye Condition
• Eyes still extremely dry
• Irritating, scratchy, grainy - feels like there is a lash in there
• Driving Ability - Cannot drive yet, far vision is still blurry
• Feeling - Still loving the fact that my vision is clear when I wake up every morning
• Side Affects - Just consistent dry eyes

DAY 3

• Last night - Slept through the night without waking up. 
• Vision - Same, lacking acuity but good.
• Pain Level -Same as yesterday
• Eye Condition -Same as yesterday
• Driving Ability -Same as yesterday
• Feeling - Embracing my new and improved life of being glasses free!
• Side Effects - Besides the consistent dry eyes, I SAW HALOS for the first time!  It was new for me and kind of cool.... I noticed it at night while on the road.  All the lights were circles so it made it look like the cars were wearing colored glasses.  I hope this is only temporary. There were minor STAR BURSTS but the halos were more noticeable.
• Post-Op Day 3 Check Up with Dr. Bonnie 
• Verified eye pressure is normal
• Eyes still very dry - Left eye more dry (more Bion tears!)
• No infections found
• Contact bandage still in place
• Right eye - 95% healed (corneal cells grown back)
• Left eye - center still healing ~70%

**Side Note: This may sound crazy... but I have started to like that itchy scratchy feeling now... it a sign that my eyes are healing ^^ 

Can I wear makeup yet???    NO!

Post PRK Laser Eye Surgery - Day 1

LAST NIGHT

• Took a drop of the numbing drops provided in the loot bag prior to bed
• Slept OK.  I woke up 3 times tearing for several minutes before rolling back into bed again.   (1AM, 3AM, 6AM) - I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down and the pain felt was like many needles stabbing in your eyes and it was difficult to blink.
• Reason for Pain - The corneal skin cells are growing back along with the dryness of the eyes

POST-OP DAY 1

• Vision - Not 20/20 and lacking acuity with a bit of a blurred haze, but OK to do everyday activities (much better than not seeing anything); No signs of halos or starbursts
• Feeling - Still exhilarated for having gone through the surgery

PRK Surgery Day

ZAPPING DAY!

Today is the day!! A few days ago, I had a mid-term so I couldn't really get to rest my eyes.  However, as said in my previous post, I was suffering from super dry eyes a month and a half prior to this day, which may have delayed my procedure.  But luckily, I was able to recover from it using various methods stated in that post.  If you have the same problem, check it out!

Pre-op Tips

• Rest your eyes, sleep at least 8 hour prior to surgery
• Drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated
• No contacts 14 days before surgery (they say 7 but I think 14 is better)
• No makeup/cream prior to surgery
• Get someone to drive you to the surgery!!

Last night's feelings: CALM and OPTIMISTIC thoughts

Laser Eye Surgery Decision and Dry Eye Situation!

Laser Eye Surgery Decision 

In October 2012, I officially became a permanent full time employee at my job.  This was a good sign for me as it meant a stable income to support such a big procedure and I would have paid days off for recovery. Which is great! Since the holidays were approaching, I made this a To-Do item for 2013!

After going through 3 consultations, I sat down and did a process of elimination and decided that I did not need to go to anymore consultations. Three seemed like a good number already and I think I have information to make my decision.

Third Consultation: TLC Laser Eye Centers

My Third Consultation: TLC Laser Eye Centers (Late March 2012) 

Like previous consultations, my eye measurements were taken and maps were printed.  A technician took me into a room to get all of that performed.  Then I was leaded into a room to speak to one of the surgeons. (I liked how I got to speak to surgeons).  I told him about my previous 2 consultations and he said the following:

• You are not a candidate for LASIK (one point that was the same across all three)
• You are a candidate for PRK (yes!) but its a one time deal and no retreatments can be done due to my limited corneal thickness (boo!)
• ICL would be too risky for you (WHOPEE!)

Second Consultation: Bochner Eye Institute

My Second Consultation: Bochner Eye Institute (March 16 2012) 

A week after my consultation with Herzig, I wanted a second opinion.  So, I made a visit to my optometrist while I got my vision checked.  My optometrist, Dr. Bonnie Wan is a super nice, helpful, informative and caring optometrist.  I told her I was thinking of getting laser eye surgery and what she thought.  She said good things about it and also the risks and after-effects of it.  She recommended 2 places to me that she has had good reviews back from other patients, Bochner and TLC.  With this tip, I went ahead to book my second and third consultation.

Types of Corrective Eye Surgeries

Before proceeding to my other consultations experiences, below is a quick explanation of the different kinds of corrective eye surgeries.

LASIK

(Description below taken from Wikipedia.)

LASIK, stands for Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis, is the most common type of corrective eye surgeries, and also the most well known kind. It is commonly referred to as, laser eye surgery.  It is a type of refractive surgery to correct myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism.

Basically, LASIK is performed by creating a corneal flap using a Wavefront-guided laser (Intralase) and then laser treatment is performed under this flap to reshape the eye's cornea to improve visual acuity.  When the laser treatment is completed, the flap is repositioned. No bandage is needed as the flap will remain in position by natural adhesion until its completely healed.

PRK

(Description below taken from: http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/prk.htm)

First Consultation: Herzig Eye Institute

After landing a steady job in a well-established corporation, having completed my undergraduate degree, and making a decent salary, I decided its time to get this item off my bucket list. First off, going for a consultation.  I started googling online for well known laser eye clinics and vision care centres in Toronto.  The first five results returned were (in no chronological order): Herzig, Bochner, Lasik MD, TLC, Yonge and Eglinton.

Lasik MD immediately range a bell since I have heard so many commercials on the radio from them. Makes me wonder...is it really that cheap? I started to read up a lot of reviews on it, they were about 50/50 positive vs. negative feedbacks. So, I decided to put Lasik MD on my wait list.

Then, I went ahead to book some consultations... since they were all FREE anyways!

My First Consultation: Herzig Eye Institute (February 2012) 

PRK Journey Intro

My PRK Laser Eye Surgery Journey!!

Hi all!

So... I recently went in for my Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) laser eye surgery!!! 

Scary yet super exciting! 

My prescription as reference:

Right (OD): -6.25 with -1.75 astigmatism

Left (OS):  -6.00 with -2.75 astigmatism'

I personally made my decision based on very thorough research, reading numerous blogs,
and countless reviews! I find the blogs the most helpful and thus prompted me to share my
experience with everyone and hopefully, I can help many others whose planning to undergo this procedure.

I am beginning to write this journey in retrospect as today is the 4th day after I had the surgery,
So, please bare with me if there are grammatical errors and typos... my deepest apologies!!