My PRK after RK experience

I decided to post my experience with this surgery. I am 47 years old and I had my RK surgery when I was 20. I did fine until I turned 40. Since then the combination of presbyopia and other signs of RK regression have plagued my life for the last 7 years.

Signs of RK regression:

- Light starburst
- Eyesight fluctuation: I had to wait about 1 hour every morning before my eyes would be ready to work on front of the computer every day.
- Ghosting also called after image effect. Starts as an outline that almost turns into double vision at its worse
- Halos
- Hyperopia: not able to see close and far.

Pre-op research and alternatives

I tried glasses but because of the fluctuation of eyesight it was difficult to pinpoint the exact prescription.  My eyes have never handled contact lenses very well. They get very irritated.

From 11/2015 until 11/2016 my eyes have been checked a different times of the day to try to come up with a right prescription for my refractive correction surgery.

Finally, I decided to operate my eyes starting with my worse one, the left eye. Due to my job responsibilities plus the increased risk of having a previous RK surgery I had to do it this way. There is already a planned date for the right eye surgery on 01/12/2017 but it will depend on how it goes with my left eye. I need to make sure  I can see out of my left eye well enough to work and drive. I also ordered glasses online here: http://www.zennioptical.com/    . I planned to have the left eye lens without prescription and the the right with it, to be able to cope with driving.


I plan to post my journey on this blog to help other people with similar conditions. Sticking to the facts as possible is my objective. I am very positive but realist at the same time. I had already learned some things in just 11 days after surgery.  Surgery date: 12/08/2016

I am not sure if this surgery is going to correct all of my sight problems, but because of my age I thought is worth the risk. The worst possible scenario I foresee is that I might need glasses and if that's the case, there might be a better chance to correct it with a set prescription. My main issue are those ghosting and halo effects.

I highly recommend this video for post-RK care. Much better than instructions provided by majority of doctors..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMUp0wcJKLk

Excellent read to help make a decision about PRK or LASIK

http://www.isthisyourhomework.com/lasik-vs-prk-what-the-lasik-doctor-doesnt-tell-you/

https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/prk-feeling-better-healing-faster

https://get2knowabhi.wordpress.com/my-prk-experience/