Well. I did it. I decided to get PRK! 👀
I had LASIK about 15 years ago and it was amazing. My vision was perfect for so long. Then I had kids and my eyes were like “surprise, we are not done changing.” My right eye especially was starting to bug me and was back to wearing glasses 100% of the time. What I did not realize is that PRK after LASIK is very common. I had my normal yearly check up and my doctor mentioned that I probably would be a good candidate and gave me a recommendation on where to go. So when I went to OVO Lasik Center for a quick check on a Tuesday, I did not expect to walk out scheduled for surgery that Friday. Wild… especially since I payed for new glasses too, not realizing I would be on the journey to getting my eyeballs fixed so soon.
My left eye sat around 20/30 and my right eye around 20/40. My right eye is also my dominant eye. So they suggested that fixing just the right eye should get me back to really good vision overall.
Here is how it has gone so far.
Day 0: Friday Surgery
Surgery was at 2 pm. It did not hurt at all. The smell of an eyeball getting zapped is a little gross. It lasted maybe 6 seconds. So fast. I had asked the doctor beforehand what happened if my eye moved, he assured me the lasers trace and move faster than any eye could move.. technology is so cool.
I went home, put on my fancy plastic eye guard and was asleep by 6:30 pm. Woke up at 4:30 am feeling great. I kept the eye guard on because I do not trust myself at night.
Day 1: Saturday
Still no pain. It felt like I had a contact in that was just a little annoying. Since I could not see any better, part of me wondered if they even did anything to my eye. Still no light sensitivity either.
By bedtime it felt a little dry and slightly annoying but I slept fine with the guard again.
At my check up that morning I could barely see 20/80 which sounds terrible. The doctor said it looked exactly how it should at this stage. I am trusting the process… impatiently
Day 2: Sunday
Still cannot see anything out of the right eye. No pain. No light sensitivity. I even went for a run and felt completely normal. The cold air probably helped. Honestly my left eye is more tired than anything because it is carrying the full workload right now. End of the day always feels a little more watery and annoying but still very manageable.
Day 3: Monday
I had a super real dream that I rubbed my eye in my sleep and the bandage contact fell out. I woke up ready to call OVO in a panic. Turns out it is still totally in there. My eye feels great. Still cannot see. It is less dry which is nice.
Day 4: Tuesday
I think I might be seeing a tiny bit better today. It is still hazy but feels closer to how I was pre surgery. It feels great in the morning. I am still doing steroid drops three times a day and then artificial tears every few hours. The drops really help keep things comfortable.
Day 5: Wednesday
At this point I am questioning whether anything even happened to my eye because it feels wonderful. It is definitely still not clear but I think it is improving. I am very excited for Friday when the bandage contact comes out. That is supposed to be the moment where vision starts to noticeably improve.
Where I Am Now
No pain. No light sensitivity. A whole lot of blur. And a very tired left eye. PRK takes longer to show results compared to LASIK but the end result is supposed to be worth it…. I’m not a patient person, and I knew this going in, but booooft, I’m ready to see again.
So for now I am living with the small progress each day and hoping that in a few more days my right eye will start carrying its weight again. I will keep sharing updates as I can actually see them. 😆