LASEK(not Lasik)/PRK recovery

[mayoplane]

Sorry duplicate from other forum, trying to get as much info on the subject.


Hi guys. Please help me figure out what the recovery process is going to be like for Lasek. (not lasik, LASEK) or PRK. Personal experience and stories are appreciated.

1. How long did it take for you to have a good enough vision to fly? Did it take a long time for you to have 20/20 or better?

2. Was your night vision affected in the beginning?

I work as an airline pilot and need to decide when I will get this done. Thank you so much for your help and fly safe.

 

[Riper Snifle]

I got PRK done two years ago. The first four days of recovery suck, it is like having sand in your eyes but you can't rub your eyes or you will damage them. You will live from one half hour to the next waiting to put in your eye drops which is your only relief. It is very important to remain in a bacteria free environment during this time (no pet hair or cigarette smoke floating around,etc.). My doctor told me they only had a problem with one patient having vision loss after the operation and that was because he went home and cleaned out his horse stalls. After the four days the protective eye contacts are taken out and you feel worlds better. Your vision isn't better yet though. You will spend the next couple weeks going in for eye exams where your vision will get better at each eye exam ( I found that experience to be a lot of fun). I would say by the end of the first month your vision will be up to snuff, but the doctors have a 3-6 month waiting period to see if there is any relapse. You shouldn't have too much trouble with the surgery, but I would say that you shouldn't rush the recovery, just take it easy and allow yourself to heal, it will pay off. Hope that helps.

 

[TheBubba]

Agree with Riper on that. I hat PRK done about 2 yrs ago as well.

Took me about 8 mos (but only cuz some idiot decided it would be prudent to throw salad dressing packets around, and one hit me in the eye 2 weeks after my surgery).

The biggest thing I had to worry about was how, for a while, everytime I'd blink, my eyes would open with a new focal point. Kinda threw my balance off. Only lasted for a month. You'll be light sensitive for a while (buy yourself a good pair of shades). The dry eye sucks. Dunno about you Riper, but I still get it a little and use the refresh drops.

My night vision and depth perceprtion are better than before PRK...
Night vision was a bit squirrelly during the fist 2 months for me, but like I said... I got hit in the eye 2 weeks after I got lasered. But after that healed up, my night vision got pretty sharp.

As far as getting the surgery... if you're 20/40 or better, I don't think alot of doctors will give it. Not sure about that tho... I know that Navy won't pay for it if your 20/40 or better (at least that's what "they" told us...)

 

[FlyingBeagle]

I had a rough and painful recovery (and surgery). I was able to function again in about 4 or 5 days, but it was probably 2 weeks before i was back to reading. I went from 20/40 with a 1.25 diopter astigmatism. The surgery brought me down to 20/10 with no astigmatism. However, when I went through NAMI they told me I was 20/30. I'm hoping it was just a bad day and that my eyes aren't getting worse.
I had/have problms with dry eye, but the worst thing is called reccurent corneal errosion. Not everyone gets it, but it happened to me maybe 5 times. What I understand happens is that the cells of the epithelial don't adhere properly to your eye when they are healing, and dry eye during sleep causes your eye lid to stick to the surface of your eye. When you wake up in the morning and open your eye, it tears this epithelial layer. The more it happens, the more likely it is to continue, but I got special steroid drops and I haven't had it for 7 months. If you can't figure it out, this hurts like all hell and is a great way to start the day. I wish I knew exactly what made it happen, but I'm going to guess it might have had something to do with not using drops enough or my dorm being too dry. Like I said, not everyone gets it, but I'd ask my doctor about it.
I never had problems with night vision. The best part was my girlfriend playing full time nurse. I didn't have to do anything for myself for days

 

[TheBubba]

and dry eye during sleep causes your eye lid to stick to the surface of your eye. When you wake up in the morning and open your eye, it tears this epithelial layer. The more it happens, the more likely it is to continue, but I got special steroid drops and I haven't had it for 7 months. If you can't figure it out, this hurts like all hell and is a great way to start the day.

Yeah... I've had that a few times (including yesterday morning).

I got a small humidifier for my dorm when I was at school and it completely stopped. Only happened twice since graduating, and both times the heat was on and the apt. air was pretty dry.

Time to buy a humidifier...

 

[FlyingBeagle]

just to clarify, I used the special drops for a month or so, and then got off of them. The whole idea was to help give the eye time to heal to the point where I wouldn't need anything else. So don't worry about being on them forever, although its always good to have a bottle of thera tears nearby.

 

[TheBubba]

With PRK.. you are awake. They give you eye drops that make your eye completely numb for a couple hours.

 

[FlyingBeagle]

completely numb, i don't know about that. . .

 

[joeyF-18]

Can U get PRK for near vision and still fly?

 

[HalfBreed]

Yeah, my eyes were certainly numb. If they hadn't been I would have screamed my head off. But most people do report that they can smell a burning smell . . .

Everything everyone has written above is what most people experience. A small percentage (like me) actually experience little to no pain. The night after my surgery I couldn't open my eyes because it felt like there was a piece of sand in it. But it didn't hurt, it was just annoying having to fight my eyelids to put in the eyedrops. By the next night (30 hours after surgery or so) I was reading and watching TV. Most people are very sensitive to light, so much so that it hurts, but I didn't experience any of that.

PRK corrected my vision to 20/20 and I have yet to regret it. The only side effect seems to be that my eyes are more sensitive to things like smoke. My roommate had one of the really bad side effects, scarring. He had to go back and have PRK again on one eye to correct it, but since then he has had no more problems and got a waiver to be a pilot.

 

[FlyingBeagle]

He had to go back and have PRK again on one eye to correct it, but since then he has had no more problems and got a waiver to be a pilot.

No shit? I have no kidding had nightmares about that kind of scenario!

 

[ItsTurboTime]

No shit? I have no kidding had nightmares about that kind of scenario!

getting a waiver and a flight contract?:icon_tong

 

[FlyingBeagle]

Yeh, PRK probably wouldn't have hurt if I too had made an 8/8/8 65 on my ASTB.