Some medical experts believe and say that well-informed patient is one of the keys for the best possible outcomes after any surgery. In the same way, when the patient is informed more about the PRK procedure, recovery and outcomes, the results can be better and optimal.
Recovery & Clear Vision After PRK Procedure
After the PRK procedure, healing is happened in two phases. First phase is the period where epithelium healing is happened. It takes about 3 to 5 days immediately after the surgery and these days, the patient experiences blurry vision and feels uncomfortable with the contact lens bandage. And the phase two starts, after epithelium healing begins. Vision still looks blurry and discomfort gets minimized during this phase.
Second phase is the period, where clear and good vision start experiencing by the patient, though vision is a bit blurry. The vision clears up gradually, while this recovery phases progresses.
After a month of the surgery, a gradual improvement will be noticed, while fluctuations in the vision are common, during the first 2 to 3 weeks. These fluctuations are more prominent with higher corrections. The eyesight keeps improving and finally reaches a state of stable vision. The total time to reach this stability of vision varies from one patient to another. When the patient reacts well for the surgery, the stability of vision can be achieved in just a few weeks and it may take 3 to 6 months for others.
As the healing is progressing, discomfort is gradually disappeared and slowly one feels better and more comfortable to look at near and farer distances. Sometimes a thin pair of glasses can be useful, for driving during nights and other critical distance vision activities. Unless correction procedure for monovision gets done, PRK patients above 45 years of age may need reading glasses for reading activity.
Minimizing Discomfort
Epithelium is like a clear skin in the eye and when this is removed from the cornea, discomfort is common. Mild to moderate discomfort is possible, while the epithelium keeps healing. Usually, patients report that they feel like there is small grain of sand within the eyes. Fortunately, contact lens can increase comfort levels, as it would be like a bandage over the eye. Mild pain and discomfort can be well managed with the prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent consisting eye drops. Including the eye drops, pain relievers are also prescribed and are used by the patients, only when needed.
So, PRK vision takes considerably longer time to achieve clearer vision. However, the results are much better after the complete recovery period. Though it takes more time to recovery completely, the patient can resume to the normal activities by maximum of one week after the surgery.