PRK Post-op

Day 1 (since the pre-surgery post was so long, I will start a new post for the post-surgery updates)

I’d forgotten what it was like to wear sunglasses in dark room while typing on the computer. All of the snow on the ground reflecting sun outside isn’t helping either. My eye is fairly sensitive right now to light, this usually take a few days to clear up.

The surgery went off without a hitch. I recall looking up at a device with a green dot in the center, 4 groups of 12 white lights in the corners and two orange lights on the lateral sides. The ophthalmologist spent several minutes using a ringed spatula to remove my corneal epithelium. The actual red laser seemed to only take 5 seconds. Mitomycin-c required about a minute. More smoothing of the cornea, and then the contact was laid down. Spacers were removed and I was on my way.

If you wear glasses and are only getting one eye done at a time, try to get a prescription for a blank lens the week before. You can also ask to have a demo lens used if you are ok with that. Walking around wearing glasses with one lens is a sure fire way to be classified as strange. Then again, for some people it might be a good conversation starter.

I only stayed up for one hour this time to eat some food and then I took a three hour nap. Currently, my eye feels a little irritated. I’m trying to apply artifical tear drops every two hours in between my other drops since it’s winter here, and the air is very dry. Vitamin C 1000mg a day has also been recommended.

My eye is slightly puffy right now with a mild subconjunctival hemorrhage, not too bad for having a spacer and clamp to hold my eye open earlier. I can actually make out what is on the computer screen right now, but there is a slight shadow effect and my eye throbs at times. Also, I may not have mentioned this earlier, but your vision will seem very good one day and not so good the next. It’s a gradual process as the eye heals and can take months until your vision reaches its final resting place. For now, eye drops and more eye drops, then off for my one day follow-up appointment tomorrow. Hopefully, my eye won’t start tearing too much till tomorrow night.