Anyone have experience with either? I hear PRK is better because they don't add any flaps in your eye, which lessens the risk of future infection. But I have no idea. I really want to do one of the above. My vision is getting worse, have to get new prescription lens every year, seems like.
Depends. Lasik cuts open a flap, laser in eye, close flap. Eye forms a ok seal where the cut is, but it can open up if you have a lot of pressure blowing into your eyes. If your eye is really dry, it could also get stuck on your eye lid and rip open from that. Positives is that it's a quick recovery and you won't lose as much of the tear nerves. Prk complete wipes off that outer layer and you wait for it to grow back. It takes a very long time, 6-9? months for it to fully heal and you'll lose the ability to produce tears for awhile. You'll also be in a lot of pain for awhile. Maybe this doesn't happen to everyone, but for most people it does. Pros is that your eye should grow back to how it used to be and you don't have to worry about anything except the dry eyes. For either case, take a week off from work and don't read/play video games/watch tv, anything that makes you focus your vision. Just sleep and let your eyes heal as much as possible. You won't be able to see anyways and trying to focus on doing stuff will negatively effect the healing process. When you wake up, gently rub your eyes with a moist towel for 2-3 minutes. This will help the tear glands? come back sooner.
Check if you're eligible first If you have astigmatism or keratoconus, you'll probably not be eligible
First, it depends on your prescription. PRK can operate between +4.00 to -5.00. LASIK can operate from +5.00 to -12.00. Depends on how much corneal thickness you have to operate on. If you fall between PRK's parameters, I'd recommend that. No surgical incision, less long term side effects, more short term pain. If you go this route, they'd most likely do LASEK which is similar except better recovery time. LASIK is good for people with stronger prescriptions. The flap can reopen albeit rarely, there's potential for more complications and more dryness. Consultations at LASIK centers are typically free to see whether you're a candidate for refractive surgery and for what type. If you're interested, get a consultation and find out your results.
Ya. It felt less invasive and more permanent. My eyes were -8 or so with astigmatism in the left. The left eye is still 20/20..I think it was 20/15 a few months after surgery in 2010. The right eye was slightly under-corrected. I am debating whether to get it re-corrected. Maybe if it gets worse. My sister had a really good experience with her VCL surgery. They put a contact or something under your cornea...and the results are more predictable than lasik or prk.
I did LASIK almost exactly a month ago, on 6/24. During and immediately after the procedure I had extremely dry eyes, but after taking the long nap my eyes were almost back to normal that same day. They are sensitive for a couple of weeks and you can instinctively tell to be careful around them. By now though they are completely normal, like I never had the surgery. I even have 20/15 vision now.
Pretty much this. I also have astigmatism. Procedure was super quick and painless. After your free consultation, your doctor should tell you which is the better option. No regrets; I think it's been a year since I've gotten LASIK.
