Did you know that there are different types of lasik surgery? I only knew of the traditional "flap" Lasik surgery. Where they lift a flap of your cornea do the lasers and put it back in place. Benefit: Can see the next day, super fast recover! That's what I wanted. But, it's not what happened or what I qualified for.
If you're thinking about lasik most centers will give you a free consultation to see if you are eligible for lasik and what kind. So if you have any questions about it, check with your local center. I'll be giving the info how I understand it. Oh and where did I go? I personally went through TLC Laser Eye Centers.
From what I was told is that everyone qualifies for PRK but not everyone qualifies for the flap lasik. The flap lasik requires a specific depth of the cornea in order to work correctly. If you don't have that they can't do a flap. But PRK is different. PRK is more invasive and has a longer recovery time, and longer time to see clearly. "The protective surface layer (epithelium, which is too soft to hold the laser correction, is removed. The epithelium will regrow within five days after the procedure."* So, the way I understood it was part of the cornea was actually shaved off to do the procedure, then a clear contact lene like bandage is then applied to the eye to protect it while the cornea grows back. Sounds so horrible but, the eye is numbed prior to the procedure, and the lids are held open so there is no chance of blinking during the procedure.
What makes it challenging is that you are "legally blind" until the contact lens is removed 4-5 days later. And then, it's not all clear. PRK requires a longer "clarity of sight" time and clarity can take 4-6 months. I'm now almost 1 week out from surgery and yes i'm seeing without my glasses, but it's cloudy, like my contacts were in far too long. and still a little blurry on my distance surgery.
In the end, the results of PRK are just as good as traditional lasik, it just takes a little longer to get there. Day 2 and 3 after my surgery were the absolute worst pain wise. It was more of a sand in the eyes burning that's couldn't be fixed. I did a lot of sleeping during those days. I'll post another update as I get further along, but if you are considering lasik, get a consult. Get educated. Reach out to me and I'm happy to answer any questions of how my procedure was and how recovery is going.
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