PRK Surgery Recovery Experience: My Positive Journey
Hi everyone! I’m 24 years old and had worn glasses since I was 10. My prescription was -6.75 in my right eye and -5.25 in my left. My doctor recommended PRK and mentioned my right eye might retain a slight residual prescription (~-0.25) due to how high it was.
Timeline & Recovery Process:
Day 1 (Surgery Day):
Experience: Woke up like a normal day and
went to the hospital. The procedure itself was completely painless, and my vision immediately felt improved compared to being without glasses.
Aftercare: Received sunglasses and 3 daily eye drops, then rested in a dark room.
Night: Experiencing a burning sensation (5–6/10 pain) that woke me up from sleep.
Day 2:
Morning: Woke up with the pain completely gone. Continued the eye drop regimen.
Follow-up: Had a doctor's appointment. The surgeon noticed something trapped under the right bandage contact lens, so he replaced it and rescheduled me for 4 days later.
Symptoms: Light sensitivity, ghosting, and fatigue (slept a lot).
Night: The burning sensation returned during sleep.
Day 3:
Morning: Woke up painless once again.
Symptoms: Light sensitivity continued, but baseline vision was noticeably better than before surgery.
Days 4 : Contact Lens Removal
Night Discomfort: Every time I slept, I felt like my upper eyelids were flipped. Blinking to reset them caused a sharp sensation—likely due to dryness interaction with the contact lenses.
Follow-up Appointment: The doctor removed the contact lenses. He saw something in my right eye's healing progress that concerned him enough to bring me back again in 4 days instead of waiting a full month.
Vision: Left eye was improving rapidly (despite some ghosting), while the right eye was progressing much slower, which caused me some anxiety.
Post-Contact Lens Removal (Days 8 to 14):
Relief: Removing the lenses immediately ended the night eyelid friction and pain, though sleep quality remained a bit restless overall.
Progress: Pain and light sensitivity fully cleared up.
Doctor Update: At the next appointment, the doctor looked at my right eye and said "Oh, thank God!" He explained he had been worried about something he saw during the previous checkup—which is why he had me come back so soon rather than waiting a month. The issue had cleared up completely, and he updated my drop schedule.
Day 21 (Present Day):
Current Status: No pain, no lingering dryness, and zero light sensitivity.
Vision Quality: Overall vision feels at about 85%—it just needs a bit more final sharpness to hit 100%.
Key Things I Remember During Recovery
Showering & Screen Time: At the appointment where my lenses were removed, my doctor cleared me to resume showering normally and looking at screens, provided I exercised caution.
The "Ah-Ha" Moment: Looking at outdoor scenery, parks, trees, and flowers now looks richer and more vibrant than it ever did, even with glasses. That visual clarity made me realize I made the absolute right choice.
Final Thoughts:
I have zero regrets getting PRK. If you're anxious about the healing timeline or temporary complications, just stick closely to your drop routine, listen to your doctor, and trust the process!
And Sorry I Use Ai to summrize for me because my grammer in English bad