I'm a candidate for PRK and Lasik eye surgery. How to choose? Any experience?

I know someone on the other thread said don't use a coupon , but I did. Got Lasik done for under 2k but don't remember the exact amount. That was about 1996. My girlfriend at the time provided the coupon out of the blue and I went right away. If it's a reputable place why not use a discount if you can get it?

After the surgery I went home and took a nap. When I woke up I could see the clock on my VCR player from all the way across a fairly large bedroom. I had a completely issue free recovery.I did stay away from dust , rubbing my eyes, sweat and whatever else they suggest. The drops burned a little, if I remember correctly.

I had PRK done 9 years ago. I am very active outside and felt it was the right way to go.

I have had friends that had lasik and they had problems with corneal flap not reattaching. That was frightening to me.

I will tell you that for two days my eyes were in pain that I never thought I could endure. I was basically crying fountains of tears. I have never had a problem since.

I had a friend that had lasik one day later no pain and no problems.

It is a difficult decision. I liked that the PRK is a stronger fix for your eyes over time.

Good luck.

It hurts wrote:

I had PRK done 9 years ago. I am very active outside and felt it was the right way to go.

I have had friends that had lasik and they had problems with corneal flap not reattaching. That was frightening to me.

I will tell you that for two days my eyes were in pain that I never thought I could endure. I was basically crying fountains of tears. I have never had a problem since.

I had a friend that had lasik one day later no pain and no problems.

It is a difficult decision. I liked that the PRK is a stronger fix for your eyes over time.

Good luck.

Thank you. Did you take any medicine for the pain?

My spouse did PRK because it was the only option available with her insurance (before we were married). I paid out of pocket for Lasik because my insurance covered neither. After seeing her pain I would NEVER suggest PRK. Pay the extra money for Lasik. You think you may regret it but when you are lying in bed in agony you'll wish you spent the extra thousand.

It hurts wrote:

I had PRK done 9 years ago. I am very active outside and felt it was the right way to go.

I have had friends that had lasik and they had problems with corneal flap not reattaching. That was frightening to me.

I will tell you that for two days my eyes were in pain that I never thought I could endure. I was basically crying fountains of tears. I have never had a problem since.

I had a friend that had lasik one day later no pain and no problems.

It is a difficult decision. I liked that the PRK is a stronger fix for your eyes over time.

Good luck.

Same experience as me. I had PRK 11 years ago when I was 25. I chose it since I do a lot of sports and didn't want to risk having the lasik flap move later.

But, the first few days suck. I basically just stayed in my dark basement taking the eye numbing drops since it was painful. After that first initial painful first days, it's been great. No issues and my vision is still 20/20

Similar experience. I had PRK due to being in military reserves and LASIK was not approved for me. (this has since changed).

I was in pain for several days afterwards and the Dr said that I had about as bad a reaction as he had seen. My eyeballs felt like sandpaper for about 3 or 4 days. I went back to work but had trouble keeping my eyes open but it eventually faded. I was soon at better than 20/20 and about 10 years later still at 20/20.

If I were to do it again I would definitely go with Lasik.

I do need reading glasses now, age 46, and I wish there was a surgery for that.

I had PRK a few years ago. Painful with a long recovery. Worth it to me.

Thanks all. Any more feedback?

fasdfsda9 wrote:

Thanks all. Any more feedback?

Had PRK about 16 years ago.

My eyes are very sensitive to sunlight now, painful if I accidentally rub my eye, and my vision deteriorated such that I need glasses. Would not recommend.

My sister had LASIK and she loves it.

I thought modern PRK had less risks than Lasik because there is no flap.

I had eye surgery to correct fairly mild near sightedness (I don't remember my numbers) three years ago and did a lot of research on both. PRK and Lasik both do the same thing, the only difference is how they access the cornea. In Lasik they cut a flap, fold it back, reshape the cornea, and put the flap back over the eye. In PRK they just grind everything off, reshape the cornea, and let it all grow back. I ended up going with LASIK and have had 20/15 vision for the past three years with no adverse effects. Here are my thoughts.

1. Lasik is $4k. PRK is $3k.

Cost wasn't a factor for me (military funded). I would say a grand is worth Lasik's quicker recovery time, especially if you have to take unpaid time off of work.

2. Doc says medical outcomes after 6 months are nearly identical.

I was told the same thing and my research confirmed it

3. PRK takes longer to recover from. Sometime your final vision isn't "set" until a few months after the surgery. Lasik recovery is very quick.

I have very, very sensitive eyes. Even swimming in a chlorinated pool will leave me hurting for the rest of the day. Contacts irritated them so bad I could only use glasses. So, I was hurting pretty bad the day I had Lasik. Super photo sensitive and all around pretty emotionally drained because I was a nervous wreck before the procedure. I remember being able to read the exit sign in my hotel hallway a few hours after the procedure though and realizing that, despite the sensitivity, my vision was now perfect. The next day I felt much better but I still had to wear sunglasses outside. By day three I felt 100% but was still a bit sensitive to sunlight. I wore sunglasses outside for about a month but it was summer in Florida so most people have to wear sun glasses outside. I did deal with dry eyes for about a year and a half. If I slept under a fan my eyes would hurt in the morning.

4. I've read online stories that PRK recovery in the few days after can be fairly painful with lots of eye burning and extreme sensitivity to light.

My college room mate had PRK and didn't leave our completely dark room for a week. He said it was super painful and even the dim light from my alarm clock bothered him. He had to wear dark glasses for at least a few months. I will say that wearing dark glasses got him out of certain events (formations, drill, etc) so he may have been milking it a bit. All in all, I would say my recovery was much easier than his.

5. Lasik creates a corneal flap that might never truly heal. This could cause future problems if you're involved in very active sports. I only run and hike, so I assume this isn't an issue (I will ask the doc about this during my next meeting).

Yes, my understanding is that there is still a risk. Lasik is a disqualifying factor some military jobs and schools but I had heard that some of those restrictions have been lifted. I haven't really looked into it though. My doctor said that 'having the flap knock lose' was mostly fear lingering from the early days of Lasik and doesn't really happen. He compared the flap to a man hole cover. The original procedure just laid it over the hole and hoped it stayed on right. Now they weld that bad boy in place. I have had some pretty bad whip outs surfing where water got slammed into my face/eyes and had no issues. I've been punched in the face (boxing) plenty of times and had no issues. I've been deployed to super dusty and dry locations and had no issues. I wouldn't worry about it.

6. PRK might require a week or so off of work.

Yup, most likely. And you'll be uncomfortable for quite a while. And you'll need to wear sunglasses (even inside) for a while so if you have a job that requires you to not look like an idiot you might want to lean towards Lasik.

The biggest deciding factor for me was the less invasive procedure and the shorter recovery time. I think I made the right call and don't regret a thing. Also, now I get to tell people that I have been enhanced by the US Government.

PRK when I had mine too. The recovery sucks, but it's a much better outcome once all is said and done. You'll lose about two days of your life completely (well besides laying down listening to the radio) but after that your vision will be better than before and will continually get better.

I've always been (and still am) very active so like others I didn't want the flap. At the time I was a boxer and an MMA fighter so lasik was never a real option for me because that flap would certainly have gotten knocked open.

I had lasik one year ago. The first month wasn't painful, but my eyes didn't fully adjust until around 45 days after surgery. One eye would be blurry while the other was sharp; moments of stunning clarity followed by blurriness; and hazy lights at night were my biggest obstacles. Since then the only issue has been dryness, which isn't a problem, as I have a prescription for systane eye drops.

My situation is a bit different, as I have tricare and everything was covered in full. As far as the flap, I've never had an issue. This is coming from a guy who jumps from planes, does field exercises, does challenging pt (not Army prt bs), and also runs/lifts regularly. My surgeon said in all his years he's had 3 patients who needed corneal flap reattachment. I liked those odds, went that direction and have reaped the benefits since then.