Hello everyone! I wanted to make an informative post about my recent PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) eye surgery that was done on Saturday September 17th, and give some pointers for anyone who is interested in this or Lasik Surgery.
First off, to say my vision was bad is pretty much the understatement of the century. By the time I had my first vision test at 11 I was unable to read anything on the vision chart. It has progressed on the down side for the past 20 years eventually stabilizing at -6.75 and -7.00. I've been wearing contacts since the beginning and I hate wearing glasses for anything but the most basic of functions (always fogging up or falling off my face
). My eyes tested at around 20/700 which put anything past 2 inches from my face into oblivion. If I was wearing just my glasses and I put them on the table they would disappear until I moved within that 2 inch range.
PRK can correct farsightedness as well as astigmatism for those that are interested in that.
Options:
Right now the main 3 types of correction include PRK, Lasik, and ICL (Implantable contact lense). The price has come down considerably on all three but ICL is the most expensive option. I was able to have PRK done for $900 an eye with a groupon discount + $900 of add-ons which included the lifetime warranty, and punctal plugs (to help with dry eyes). $2700 total for PRK with the discount. ICL was going to run upwards of $2500 an eye, but from what I've been told is very state of the art. Lasik runs the same price as PRK.
Groupon discount > https://www.groupon.com/deals/the-lasik-vision-institute-63-tulsa
During my procedure they placed a small metal ring around my iris and added an alcohol solution which softened up the outermost layer of tissue. It was removed and the laser went to work. After the laser has done the corrections the surgeon places a contact lense a lot like a clear band-aid over your eye to help aid in the healing process. Although the healing process and results take longer to obtain, the end result is that you can continue to engage in physical activities like martial arts or flying a jet without the worry of detaching a flap of tissue.
Surgery Day/Day One: Saturday 17th
The surgery itself only takes about 5 minutes for both eyes and other than being a bit nervous everything went well. Imagine your vision improving at least 100x over in a matter of minutes. That's how it starts. Everything wasn't perfect but for the first time in over 20 years I could see 20/50 with my own eyes. You are told to go home and rest for obvious reasons, at least with PRK the worst is yet to come. They give you some cool shades to wear whenever you're outside to protect from the UV rays and they send you out the door. My first follow up appointment is 6 days post surgery (tomorrow the 22nd).
At first I the light outside didn't bother me but within 10 minutes of the 60 minute ride home my sensitivity to light really kicked in. There's a good reason why they tell you, you can't drive yourself home. Even with my eyes closed, sunglasses on, and a hoodie over my head, my eyes teared for the first hour. After we got home I took a couple hour nap and woke up in good shape. I still had a lot of sensitivity but it wasn't as bad as right out of surgery.
Day Two: Sunday 18th
Sunday was a lot like Saturday in that my vision was clear but not perfect. I had to wear a set of goggles to sleep in as they warn against rubbing your eyes. Bad things can happen, so don't do it! I have been on 3 different medicated drops and some natural tears with no preservatives. Usually taking the rounds every 4 hours. This will continue for a couple of weeks.
Day Three: Monday 19th
Day three is the day that most people regret their decision. For whatever reason, it takes this long for the healing process to really take affect. If you would have asked me if the surgery was worth it during any of the 14 hours of agony I would have told you absolutely not. If you have a stash of strong narcotics it would be best used on this day and attempt to sleep it out
. Here's why it was so bad for me; I woke up with vision that was just crappy going from 20/50 to 20/100 is a big disappointment but I knew it would happen and the surgeon will tell you it gets worse before it gets better. Then I started seeing double, not just a little double but like double vision tiled at 30 degrees. Once the migraine behind my eyeballs set in, it was all down hill from there. Luckily I took the day off from work and I anticipated that it would be bad so I slept and cried it out
. Whenever life sucks, I just tell myself, "In time this too will pass, its only temporary." Today was the only day that I really had pain in my eyes.
Day Four: Tuesday 20th
I went back to work today. I had an early class to teach at 7am so I left the house in the dark at 6am and headed out. It took exactly one car with lights to convince me that I would kill myself or someone else if I drove like this so I parked the car at work and headed into my office. With all the lights off and the computer monitor turned down I was able to squint out an email with sunglasses on. Obviously light sensitivity stays around for a couple of days as well as star bursts from light sources. By the end of the day things were better, but my double vision came back in my right eye at the end of the day. I hit the bed early.
Day Five: Wednesday 21st
Much like day four without the sensitivity to light
Day Six: Thursday 22nd
When I woke up today the fog that remained in my right eye was gone, no issues with lights, and things were slightly more in focus. I was able to read at 20/60 according to a vision chart I picked up on the internet so that made me feel a little better. I'll be headed to the doctor's office tomorrow afternoon to remove the contact band-aids so that's also a plus.
After Thoughts:
So its been almost a week, and other than that one "bad" day I've noticed things are getting a little better every day. It can take several weeks for everything to focus in and get to 20/20 or better (here's hoping) so I'm definitely excited to see what everything looks like for the SFO trip at the end of October. If you're like I was and completely screwed if anything happened to a contact or if you lost your glasses I would definitely look at getting a consultation (it's free!). There are a lot of facilities that do the surgeries now. My advice is do your due diligence and research the doctors and their facilities. Look for discounts through vision insurance or groupon. I saved more from that coupon through Groupon than my insurance would help with. This is definitely a life changing experience, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Especially with riding a motorcycle, contacts can get dried out and cause a lot of discomfort. Glasses fog and if you're like me they weren't an option (one bit of vibration and everything was way out of focus). This was the best solution for me, and I look forward to many care free years of riding going forward.
Here's a video that was most like my surgery. You are awake during but it is really quick and they numb your eyes prior to messing around with them. I've heard that most people have an aversion to people touching their eyes or anything in their eyes. You don't have to worry about moving or blinking during surgery. If anyone has any questions or comments about PRK or Lasik please add it to the discussion.
This is NOT my eye >
First off, to say my vision was bad is pretty much the understatement of the century. By the time I had my first vision test at 11 I was unable to read anything on the vision chart. It has progressed on the down side for the past 20 years eventually stabilizing at -6.75 and -7.00. I've been wearing contacts since the beginning and I hate wearing glasses for anything but the most basic of functions (always fogging up or falling off my face
PRK can correct farsightedness as well as astigmatism for those that are interested in that.
Options:
Right now the main 3 types of correction include PRK, Lasik, and ICL (Implantable contact lense). The price has come down considerably on all three but ICL is the most expensive option. I was able to have PRK done for $900 an eye with a groupon discount + $900 of add-ons which included the lifetime warranty, and punctal plugs (to help with dry eyes). $2700 total for PRK with the discount. ICL was going to run upwards of $2500 an eye, but from what I've been told is very state of the art. Lasik runs the same price as PRK.
Groupon discount > https://www.groupon.com/deals/the-lasik-vision-institute-63-tulsa
During my procedure they placed a small metal ring around my iris and added an alcohol solution which softened up the outermost layer of tissue. It was removed and the laser went to work. After the laser has done the corrections the surgeon places a contact lense a lot like a clear band-aid over your eye to help aid in the healing process. Although the healing process and results take longer to obtain, the end result is that you can continue to engage in physical activities like martial arts or flying a jet without the worry of detaching a flap of tissue.
Surgery Day/Day One: Saturday 17th
The surgery itself only takes about 5 minutes for both eyes and other than being a bit nervous everything went well. Imagine your vision improving at least 100x over in a matter of minutes. That's how it starts. Everything wasn't perfect but for the first time in over 20 years I could see 20/50 with my own eyes. You are told to go home and rest for obvious reasons, at least with PRK the worst is yet to come. They give you some cool shades to wear whenever you're outside to protect from the UV rays and they send you out the door. My first follow up appointment is 6 days post surgery (tomorrow the 22nd).
At first I the light outside didn't bother me but within 10 minutes of the 60 minute ride home my sensitivity to light really kicked in. There's a good reason why they tell you, you can't drive yourself home. Even with my eyes closed, sunglasses on, and a hoodie over my head, my eyes teared for the first hour. After we got home I took a couple hour nap and woke up in good shape. I still had a lot of sensitivity but it wasn't as bad as right out of surgery.
Day Two: Sunday 18th
Sunday was a lot like Saturday in that my vision was clear but not perfect. I had to wear a set of goggles to sleep in as they warn against rubbing your eyes. Bad things can happen, so don't do it! I have been on 3 different medicated drops and some natural tears with no preservatives. Usually taking the rounds every 4 hours. This will continue for a couple of weeks.
Day Three: Monday 19th
Day three is the day that most people regret their decision. For whatever reason, it takes this long for the healing process to really take affect. If you would have asked me if the surgery was worth it during any of the 14 hours of agony I would have told you absolutely not. If you have a stash of strong narcotics it would be best used on this day and attempt to sleep it out
Day Four: Tuesday 20th
I went back to work today. I had an early class to teach at 7am so I left the house in the dark at 6am and headed out. It took exactly one car with lights to convince me that I would kill myself or someone else if I drove like this so I parked the car at work and headed into my office. With all the lights off and the computer monitor turned down I was able to squint out an email with sunglasses on. Obviously light sensitivity stays around for a couple of days as well as star bursts from light sources. By the end of the day things were better, but my double vision came back in my right eye at the end of the day. I hit the bed early.
Day Five: Wednesday 21st
Much like day four without the sensitivity to light
Day Six: Thursday 22nd
When I woke up today the fog that remained in my right eye was gone, no issues with lights, and things were slightly more in focus. I was able to read at 20/60 according to a vision chart I picked up on the internet so that made me feel a little better. I'll be headed to the doctor's office tomorrow afternoon to remove the contact band-aids so that's also a plus.
After Thoughts:
So its been almost a week, and other than that one "bad" day I've noticed things are getting a little better every day. It can take several weeks for everything to focus in and get to 20/20 or better (here's hoping) so I'm definitely excited to see what everything looks like for the SFO trip at the end of October. If you're like I was and completely screwed if anything happened to a contact or if you lost your glasses I would definitely look at getting a consultation (it's free!). There are a lot of facilities that do the surgeries now. My advice is do your due diligence and research the doctors and their facilities. Look for discounts through vision insurance or groupon. I saved more from that coupon through Groupon than my insurance would help with. This is definitely a life changing experience, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Especially with riding a motorcycle, contacts can get dried out and cause a lot of discomfort. Glasses fog and if you're like me they weren't an option (one bit of vibration and everything was way out of focus). This was the best solution for me, and I look forward to many care free years of riding going forward.
Here's a video that was most like my surgery. You are awake during but it is really quick and they numb your eyes prior to messing around with them. I've heard that most people have an aversion to people touching their eyes or anything in their eyes. You don't have to worry about moving or blinking during surgery. If anyone has any questions or comments about PRK or Lasik please add it to the discussion.
This is NOT my eye >
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