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My PRK So Far

MPH

Well-Known Member
Mxracer posted some fantastic info on the whole PRK process, so I figured that I’d follow up with a rundown of what I’ve experienced up to this point (9 days post-op). Sorry if this gets a little long, but I’m trying to go into considerable detail for those who wish to know. As I continue living I'll keep you updated.


Pre-op vision was apprx. 20/150. I had the operation done in San Diego where I’d be able to have my family take care of me during the three days following. I was instructed to wear glasses in lieu of contacts for two weeks prior to the surgery.

Depending on how things iron out I’ll gladly give a referral or recommendation to avoid to anyone in the area. There was actually a gent from Texas who was about 7 days behind me on his timeline at my doctor the day of my final checkup. If you’re lurking the boards feel free to chime in. If anyone would like other relevant general info PM me, and I’ll post it up.

Final note: Apologies for any grammatical or spelling errors existent in this first draft. I tried to hammer out as much as possible as quickly as possible and had minimum time to proofread. I’ll try to clean things up as I add more info. Also coming is a description of the screening and pre-op events.



OPERATION DAY:
I had a light meal that morning as instructed and was 15 minutes early for my 9:30 appointment. I spent this time polishing off all of the informed consent paperwork. Once that was over, they confirmed payment details and then hit me with the drugs: A dose of Lyrica and Niravam.

I was then led into the pre-op area where they decided to hit me with an extra Niravam (and there was much rejoicing). They then proceeded to outfit me with a hairnet as well as some medical booties. Apparently they don’t make them in my size, so they had to use hairnets on my feet. They rubbed my eyes up with iodine and hit me with various drops. I can’t recall the specific drops as things started moving significantly faster after the second Niravam kicked in. My left eye was covered up and I was sent to a waiting room just outside the operating room.

After another couple of minutes I was ushered into the operating room and instructed to lie down on what looks like a fully reclined dentist’s chair. At this point it was about 10:05. The doctor who would be conducting the surgery (henceforth Dr. F) had me hammer off some basic info to make sure they weren’t cutting off the wrong leg as it were. Doc F. asked me to state my name, type of procedure being done, which eyes, and finally the date.

Things started moving quickly at this point. I was asked to continue looking straight ahead at the flashing red light from the laser which had been moved over me. I didn’t see much in terms of the tools used to remove the upper layer of the cornea other than what moved directly in front of my eyes. Sorry guys, but she told me to look straight, and I wasn’t going to screw it up as a result of my curiosity in what tools she was using. I have a memory of what looked like a miniature spatula passing over me later when she worked on my left eye, but that’s about all I can remember. It felt like my eyes were taped open with something between packing tape and wax paper, however I was looking forward. Things went blurry for second of two and I felt some pressure on my eye. I distinctly remember the position of the red light shifting and my eye almost following it before I realized it would probably be best to just not move my eye. After a moment things snapped back into place and returned to their normal level of blurriness. She once again asked me to just focus on the flashing red light.

I cannot specifically recall if she gave me an “I’m going to zap your eye now”, warning or if I figured it out on my own at that point. :icon_wink After several more seconds of focusing on the light the laser came on. I don’t know how to describe what it looked like as the laser hit me without actually drawing it, but try to imagine a blue translucent prop with two rectangular blades rotating at about 60 RPM.

Maybe I just had aviation on the mind.

In any event, while the laser spins there is an electric crackling sound and a distinct smell of burning hair. I was hit for somewhere between 5-12 seconds with the laser after which I was counting scratches on the laser housing. I had the same “holy shit” reaction of Mxracer. I don’t know if I actually said the words, but I was sure thinking it. The left eye happened just as fast and exactly the same. After it was done I started looking at the ceiling and giggling (I blame the drugs). I was asked to sit up and read the clock on the wall (which I wouldn’t have been able to do before). It was 10:16. I looked at the observation area where my parents were waiting and I could see their faces. Seeing things with your own eyes for the first time is an almost spiritual experience.

They handed me a pair of sunglasses and sent me on my way. I had taken a sweatshirt along to cover my eyes with as it was an incredibly sunny day out, so the ride home was hot with that wrapped around my head. I got up to my room and fell asleep. The folks woke me up regularly to follow the eye drop/drugging instructions and I was essentially pain and discomfort free all day.

Note: Something that jumps out at me was the constant feedback and reassurance I was receiving from Dr.F throughout the procedure. As lame as it may sound, it is extremely comforting to have someone letting you know you’re doing okay throughout the entire ordeal. She gets major points in my book for that.

Day 2:
I had a 9:30 follow-up appointment today. I awoke with severe pain/discomfort in my right eye. I ended up being about five minutes late for the appointment, and was extremely irritable and light sensitive at this point. I was led into the exam room where a doctor (Dr. C.) had to pry my eyes open as I was unable to open them. Pulling my eyes open resulted in a ton of fluid rushing out of my eye. After shining the slit lamp in my eye she revealed that the right contact had folded over itself causing the pain. She adjusted it and said that otherwise the healing looked like it was going normally. She also stated that I shouldn’t need any more Vicodin and to minimize the use of the numbing drops. We booked an appointment for Monday when they would remove my contacts.

Her adjusting of the contacts reduced the pain significantly but there was still a good amount of the foreign object sensation of my left and right eye. When I arrived home I ate, did the eye drop dance and passed out for 11 hours.

I woke up again at about 2100 and the contact felt like it had again folded over itself. In fact it felt like the contact was drifting into the upper area of my eye. Anyone who has worn contacts, know what this feels like. I figured the contact was on its way out and blinking would cause it to fall out eventually. At this point my left eye continued to have the “grain of sand” feeling and the right eye was pain free but was in extreme discomfort as a result of the state of my contact. I tried to sleep but was unable to do so. I wandered into the kitchen and hit myself with the numbing drops, but no dice. The contact was still extremely irritating. I spent the next 12 hours unable to sleep as a result of the irritation. Typically I would have just poked around my eye until I was able to wedge the thing out but considering I was just over 36 hours post surgery I elected against it. I spent an hour fortifying my room with trash bags, which work remarkably well if you don’t mind being a little hillbilly.

Day 3:
Put a call into the doctor’s office at about 7:30 WRT the right contact. Dr. F. called back in an hour and told me to come in at 9:30. Awesome. I hustled (as much as one can hustle in the passenger seat) over to the office and discovered it was locked. At 9:30 Dr. F. rolled up in her car. She had come in on her day off to make sure everything was okay with me. I was extremely impressed and grateful. She pulled the eyes open and shined the slit lamp on both eyes. She said both contacts looked like the were seated just fine and the healing was coming along fast. She also revealed the discomfort in the right eye was a result of a mucus build up on the inside of the contact. She moved the contact just a hair and that reduced the discomfort significantly. Combined with repeated blinking the discomfort was again replaced with the “gain of sand” feeling.

I felt like an ass for having her come in on her day off over a mucus buildup on my eye. She was extremely gracious about it however and didn’t seem to mind.

My light sensitivity at this point was way down I could function essentially anywhere but outside, however I continued wearing sunglasses for comfort. Arriving home I passed out for several hours. Woke up for an eye drops cycle, and family ordered pizza. I sat in the living room and listened to some TV (Ghostbusters). I could only hack 3-7 seconds of looking at the tube at a time. Drugs, drops, and sleep.

Day 4:
I can’t explain the relief that comes with the anticipation of pulling off 3 day old contacts with mucus on the inside of them… On arriving at the office I took a quick eye exam. 20/25 left 20/30 right. (Dr. L) checked me with the slit lamp and announced it was time for the contacts to go.

By all means don’t let me stop you.

After he pulled out the contacts my vision actually got worse. He said such fluctuations were normal and to expect the vision to get better and worse over the next two weeks. I still had some foreign object sensation in my left eye, but was surprised to feel no dryness or other irritation. My vision felt like it was fluctuating/improving throughout the day. Still some light sensitivity to bright lights. I had 10 unread text messages that I wanted to read but the led on my phone was too bright. It was bright and sunny all four days so far, so no venturing outside for extended periods. I was able to handle well lit rooms without the aid of sunglasses now.

At this point I started writing down everything I could remember on a notepad so if the past/present tense starts to get messy in this post, I apologize.

Day 5:
My light sensitivity is almost completely gone at this point. It is only noticeable when going from extreme dark to light environments. I also managed to drive a short distance today to go pick up lunch.

Day 6:
Drove from San Diego to OC today without any problems, light sensitivity is completely gone however I did notice the reflection of the lane dividers in my rear view mirror, something I had never seen before. Late at night things started getting extremely blurry.

Day 7:
I realized today that the blurriness in the right eye is a result of double vision in that eye. Only noticeable with text where I can see clear definition between background and foreground. Second image appears as fainter version displaced slightly to the left and below the actual image. This is particularly troubling when I try to read, as my right eye is my dominate eye. It makes letters and words bleed together so that it looks like a foreign alphabet. I’m more than slightly concerned. Vision is otherwise excellent.

Day 8&9:
“Ghosting” is still occurring in my right eye. I’m extremely concerned this may be permanent. I’m anxious to see the doctor on Monday.
 

Slammer2

SNFO Advanced, VT-86 T-39G/N
Contributor
Good post. I'll probably get the procedure one day so its nice to be able to read about other people's experiences. Definately keep writing!
 

Python

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Day 8&9:
“Ghosting” is still occurring in my right eye. I’m extremely concerned this may be permanent. I’m anxious to see the doctor on Monday.

I wrote several threads about how scared I was that ghosting was permanent. I had it pretty bad in both eyes. My doctor said I should stop worrying because that usually goes away by 3 months. Well 3 months later, ghosting was gone. It had occured almost overnight. I also had PMed some others on this forum concerned with their ghosting. They said it didn't last as long but it was also an overnight experience when it went away. I know how scary and frustrating that is but believe me it will go away.
 

BACONATOR

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
This is probably the funniest/best post-op writup of PRK. Rep. And thanks for the insight for those of us yet to be zapped. I will probably do this one day.
 

MPH

Well-Known Member
My doctor said I should stop worrying because that usually goes away by 3 months. Well 3 months later, ghosting was gone. It had occured almost overnight. I know how scary and frustrating that is but believe me it will go away.

When I first realized what the problem was I started searching for anything on double vision post PRK. There were literally hundreds of posts about people who had the ghosting, some as late as 7 months post op. Of course 90% of the people never posted once they hit their 6 month recovery point (presumably because it cleared up), its still nerve wracking thinking you're going to be in that 2% with problems.

It's good to hear from someone who was in the same boat as I.
 

Teflonjohn01

New Member
None
The Navy did my PRK a little over 5 years ago. I was 20/200 before the surgery and 20/15 ever since. My "ghosting" lasted about 30 days or so, but the light sensitivity has persisted to this day. It's not really bad, but I do have a hard time in the San Diego sun if I forget my shades.
 

MPH

Well-Known Member
Update:
Looks like I started a bit of a trend eh? I'm glad. The more stories we have on these boards wrt PRK, the more prepared the folks who plan to get it will be. Larger sample size and all that. Once again, a tip of the hat to mxracer who led the way.

It also appears that I can't edit the original post. Once I’m all healed up and there’s nothing more to add I’ll beg a mod to edit my post up so that it’s a single continuous work of art, and includes the pre-op info mentioned previously. I might just add it to another post temporarily in order to provide the info in the interim.

Expect more updates in a week or so. Unless nothing important happens.

As before, I apologize for any spelling/grammatical errors contained herein. I continue to make these posts at odd hours, and I graduated from a public high school. In California.

It's a miracle I can read and write English.

Day 10:
Drove back down to San Diego. Nothing otherwise to note.

Day 11:
Appointment was at 1015 today, I was taken to the “balloon device” where they checked both eyes before being led into the exam room. I sat down and waited for Doc L. When he came in he asked how everything was and I brought up the “double vision”, he seemed a little concerned at first and wanted to make sure it wasn’t double vision but rather the “ghosting”. He seemed relieved when I explained what I saw, and stated that it was a semi-regular part of the healing process (I knew that but it was good to hear anyway). He took a look at me under the slit lamp and then looked at the results of the balloon test. Apparently the ghosting is a result of the healing of the pre-existing astigmatism in my right eye. The astigmatism is causing the light to scatter when it hits my eye and creating the second dimmer focal point. I’m now 20/20 in both eyes, and am picking out letters in the 20/15 line. He said I’m still healing quickly (I think they say this no matter what) and that it is time to quit taking the anti-biotic drops. I am supposed to continue the ‘roid regiment at a rate of four per day, and he also recommended increasing the use of the lubricating drops as the ghosting was likely exacerbated by the slight dryness he saw. My next appointment is in 20 days or so.

My buddy from West Point mentioned previously was back in town for awhile, so while we were both in San Diego we decided to go shooting… with my ghosting right eye. Did I mention I am right handed and right eye dominate? Shooting while looking down two different sites has to have been one of the most confusing things I have ever done.

We tried to hit the police range, but found out they had changed their hours to Wed-Sun. We hit another range in the area, which I don’t particularly care for due to the quality of some of the customers. Being a “police range” tends to dissuade some of the more undesirable (unsafe, unstable, unwashed) types.

I think it’s important to note that in no way was my condition anything that would cause any potential danger to those around me, all 100 rounds fired found paper.

Just for inquiring minds: I was shooting my Colt Python and he was shooting some Springfield subcompact Glock clone in 9mm. He was a little upset with his performance (he’s generally a rife guy anyway) and revealed he needed some instruction for a case of the yips he had developed while shooting his .300 magnum.

Drove back to Orange.
 
my experience on day 1

hi All - Thanks for everyones input. I had PRK this morning and its going very well. I had slight discomfort when I got home, about an hour after surgery, but took a vicodine and slept for three hours. I'm now wide awake with very slight discomfort, if any at all. I can see pretty well, a little blurry, and light isn't bothering me too much. Sounds like Day 2 will be a tough one. If anyone is interested I can update as well - feel free to mail me. The whole process wasn't bad at all - I was extremely nervous but the doctor I had has done a ton of navy seals and made me feel at ease. I'd recommend Dr. Cullom in the Norfolk VA area to anyone! I did smell that burning sensation from the laser but besides that, it was a pretty easy procedure. I'm glad I decided to have it done- now I've just got to wait three months until I can officially apply :eek:)
 

eddie

Working Plan B
Contributor
Everyone just keep in mind, MILEAGE WILL VARY!

Feel free to read as many accounts as you would like before you go under the knife, and I think it's great for people to post them. But, to be quite honest, once you've had the surgery, I would refrain from reading anything on recovery until at least your one month post-op.
 

eddie

Working Plan B
Contributor
hi All - Thanks for everyones input. I had PRK this morning and its going very well. I had slight discomfort when I got home, about an hour after surgery, but took a vicodine and slept for three hours. I'm now wide awake with very slight discomfort, if any at all. I can see pretty well, a little blurry, and light isn't bothering me too much. Sounds like Day 2 will be a tough one. If anyone is interested I can update as well - feel free to mail me. The whole process wasn't bad at all - I was extremely nervous but the doctor I had has done a ton of navy seals and made me feel at ease. I'd recommend Dr. Cullom in the Norfolk VA area to anyone! I did smell that burning sensation from the laser but besides that, it was a pretty easy procedure. I'm glad I decided to have it done- now I've just got to wait three months until I can officially apply :eek:)

Go back to sleep.
 

MPH

Well-Known Member
Everyone just keep in mind, MILEAGE WILL VARY!

This goes without saying. The reason I and others have posted up our experiences is to give people an idea of how different each individuals experience and healing process can be.

But, to be quite honest, once you've had the surgery, I would refrain from reading anything on recovery until at least your one month post-op.
I disagree.

I was sure happy to hear from Python, who referenced his problems with ghosting post-op. The first thing I did was look up his posts WRT ghosting and it certainly helped reassure me. Obviously I still mentioned the ghosting to my doctor, but it's good to know others have been where you are.
 

MPH

Well-Known Member
4 months and one day post-op. School is keeping me busy, sorry for the lack of updates.

The one month checkup went well, but I still had some slight ghosting issues at that time. Obviously, it is a normal side effect of the surgery and it wasn't as bad as it was the week after the surgery. Going to two Flarex (steroid drops) per day.

Three months post-op checkup was great. At about the two month point the ghosting disappeared except for night driving. Now at three months, it is gone completely. No more 'roids either, which is nice. Those tiny bottles get seriously expensive. I'm now officially 20/15 in both eyes and picking letters off the 20/10 line.

We've had some pretty bad Santa Ana Winds this week, and I've been using the lubricating drops for the first time since immediately post surgery. I'm actually extremely surprised with the lack of maintenance required by my eyes to keep them moist.

More updates another day.
 
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