PRK is the original LASIK, before LASIK was conceived.
That bolded bit? That's why it took me five years to find the balls to do it, and almost six months after I broke my decent glasses and had to make do with my shitty pair which never got me laid. Here's one account of the pain:
Other accounts I'd read said things like "All I could do was sit in my room with the lights off, tears streaming down my face from the pain, with any tiny bit of light pricking me like a needle in the retina and starting the pain cycle afresh" and so on. Plus of course the fear of everything not going right and ending up blind.
Well, today is my 5th day after the procedure. I still can't see so well, but I can see well enough to drive -- slowly -- if I need to. My left eye is worse, it basically is completely blurred but my right eye is compensating like a champ. I keep wanting to pick up my glasses and put them on, but it doesn't help the blurriness at all (which I'm glad for)
By far the worst days for me were the hours immediately following the surgery and the 2nd and 3rd days. I was given nothing stronger than an ibuprofen (Advil) and eye drops. Plus one of the drops was an antibiotic, which meant no alcohol.
It was a really interesting experience, because you know that not only is the recovery time really long (8-12 weeks to full recovery) but that its just a better surgery for snyone who can afford the pain and time required to heal. I was recommended against LASIK because my eyes are on the dry side, which is also the reason I hated contacts.
Benefits of PRK:
1. No flap to dlslodge. I want to lead an ative lifestyle, and after shelling out for the operation, the last thing I want to do is baby my eyes for the rest of my life.
2. No dry eyes.
3. The eye grows back as it was, structurally intact. This appeals to me for some reason.
4. You can still wear contacts. I know that colored contacts are gay, but I've always wanted to try out a pair to see what kind of reactions I get. Plus the Nike sports contact lenses are awesome.
I got my surgery done in the third world (India) because I had to be here anyway, and it cost me about $600 all in. A good pair of glasses (not Prada or whatever) would cost me about $100, for reference.
Ask away!
Quote:Quote:
Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and Laser-Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratectomy (or Laser Epithelial Keratomileusis[1]) (LASEK) are laser eye surgery procedures intended to correct a person's vision, reducing dependency on glasses or contact lenses.
LASEK and PRK permanently change the shape of the anterior central cornea using an excimer laser to ablate (remove by vaporization) a small amount of tissue from the corneal stroma at the front of the eye, just under the corneal epithelium. The outer layer of the cornea is removed prior to the ablation.
That bolded bit? That's why it took me five years to find the balls to do it, and almost six months after I broke my decent glasses and had to make do with my shitty pair which never got me laid. Here's one account of the pain:
Quote:Quote:
Around 3 AM, I awoke to excruciating pain; it felt like a tiny troll stabbing my right eye with one of those margarita swords. The left eye decided to join in with some general burning.
Other accounts I'd read said things like "All I could do was sit in my room with the lights off, tears streaming down my face from the pain, with any tiny bit of light pricking me like a needle in the retina and starting the pain cycle afresh" and so on. Plus of course the fear of everything not going right and ending up blind.
Well, today is my 5th day after the procedure. I still can't see so well, but I can see well enough to drive -- slowly -- if I need to. My left eye is worse, it basically is completely blurred but my right eye is compensating like a champ. I keep wanting to pick up my glasses and put them on, but it doesn't help the blurriness at all (which I'm glad for)
By far the worst days for me were the hours immediately following the surgery and the 2nd and 3rd days. I was given nothing stronger than an ibuprofen (Advil) and eye drops. Plus one of the drops was an antibiotic, which meant no alcohol.
It was a really interesting experience, because you know that not only is the recovery time really long (8-12 weeks to full recovery) but that its just a better surgery for snyone who can afford the pain and time required to heal. I was recommended against LASIK because my eyes are on the dry side, which is also the reason I hated contacts.
Benefits of PRK:
1. No flap to dlslodge. I want to lead an ative lifestyle, and after shelling out for the operation, the last thing I want to do is baby my eyes for the rest of my life.
2. No dry eyes.
3. The eye grows back as it was, structurally intact. This appeals to me for some reason.
4. You can still wear contacts. I know that colored contacts are gay, but I've always wanted to try out a pair to see what kind of reactions I get. Plus the Nike sports contact lenses are awesome.
I got my surgery done in the third world (India) because I had to be here anyway, and it cost me about $600 all in. A good pair of glasses (not Prada or whatever) would cost me about $100, for reference.
Ask away!