PRK Recovery Question

[atflor]

I had PRK about 5 1/2 weeks ago. My vision has been fluctuating between 20/15 and 20/20. Starting about a week ago my left eye began to become quite blurry...20/30. It hasn't gotten much better and I notice that if I squint it does become better. That makes me think it is a refractive error and not a cornea regrowth issue.

Has anyone experienced fluctuating vision more than 5 weeks after their surgery? If so, what did it finally settle at? Should I be concerned that the surgery wasn't as successful as I thought?

My surgeon is on vacation until after the new year and I'm a bit concerned. Thanks.

 

[AppleCello]

I had PRK about 5 1/2 weeks ago. My vision has been fluctuating between 20/15 and 20/20. Starting about a week ago my left eye began to become quite blurry...20/30. It hasn't gotten much better and I notice that if I squint it does become better. That makes me think it is a refractive error and not a cornea regrowth issue.

Has anyone experienced fluctuating vision more than 5 weeks after their surgery? If so, what did it finally settle at? Should I be concerned that the surgery wasn't as successful as I thought?

My surgeon is on vacation until after the new year and I'm a bit concerned. Thanks.

I wouldn't worry about it. Mine got worse at about the same time post-op. As the remaining gaps of the corneal surface finally are ready to fill in, it will be blurry again. Its like a spider web, or maybe swiss cheese, and that messes with the way the light refracts through it.

That said, if you think there is an urgent problem, have the doctor paged or have his office refer you to a specialist in the meantime.

 

[joboy_2.0]

the "pinhole" effect you experience by squinting is going to make vision better, no matter what the problem really is. You could have astigmatism, myopia or a fork in your eye. By narrowing the beam of incoming light, less light is scattered on your retina (by a refractive error or an uneven surface of cornea that is healing) and your vision is temporarily increased. This is also why people's vision tends to be better during the day but blurrier at night.

 

[pourts]

the "pinhole" effect you experience by squinting is going to make vision better, no matter what the problem really is. You could have astigmatism, myopia or a fork in your eye. By narrowing the beam of incoming light, less light is scattered on your retina (by a refractive error or an uneven surface of cornea that is healing) and your vision is temporarily increased. This is also why people's vision tends to be better during the day but blurrier at night.

Dude, you need to post less.
.......

My perscription was only -2.0 and -2.25 before surgery. My vision finally leveled out at about 10 weeks or so. I was pretty anxious for 2 months after my surgery as I crept from 20/40 to 20/25, and finally to (barely) 20/20.

Everyone right now is probably telling you to just chill and wait it out (surgeon especially), and that is exactly what you should do. It is also the only thing you really can do. No surgeon would operate again until at least 3 months after the first surgery; it wouldn't be responsible. Also, make sure you use the artificial tears constantly for about 3 months or so, and whatever else the doc says.

 

[zippy]

This is also why people's vision tends to be better during the day but blurrier at night.

Or it could have something to do with the differences between rods and cones...

 

[joboy_2.0]

Or it could have something to do with the differences between rods and cones...

Well it goes a bit beyond 8th grade science class. Rods and cones work in conjunction in a number of different lighting conditions. The center of your field of view is virtually all cones, so if you can see directly, you are using cones. If you have to use averted vision (as in looking at faint objects through a telescope) you are JUST using rods. Rods are less effective at sharp vision while rods are effective at sharp vision but not sensitive to light.

Don't believe the pinhole effect? Well poke a hole in a sheet of paper with a pencil tip and look through it at something that uncorrected is blurry. If you have 20/15 vision, then I guess you're SOL.:icon_tong

 

[Slammer2]

Don't believe the pinhole effect? Well poke a hole in a sheet of paper with a pencil tip and look through it at something that uncorrected is blurry. If you have 20/15 vision, then I guess you're SOL.:icon_tong

I hear that if you poke the hole in the paper while holding it up to your eye, you get better results.