Just got PRK after RK

[Indept]

Ditto on the thanks Glen.

Well heres my latest update

2 weeks : My eye is doing pretty good, slight dry eye in the am and occasionally throughout the day otherwise ok in the dryness department. Distant vision good (20/20) through the day but as I get tired or do a lot of computer work I notice distance suffers slightly. I notice that it get the feeling as if it's dry when I look at the computer monitor but if I look away it feels ok. It seems sharp & clear at distance but fairly hazy when looking up close at print or the computer. My uncorrected eye (left) tends to take over on the close up stuff. Once again, I'm glad I did just 1 at a time, it would be difficult working with both eyes like this.

[LasikExpert]

My uncorrected eye (left) tends to take over on the close up stuff.

This is monovision and it may be something you ultimately desire.

[Indept]

My uncorrected eye (left) tends to take over on the close up stuff.

This is monovision and it may be something you ultimately desire.

Yes I'm aware that's what it's refered to but I will most likely (assuming my right eye progresses as hoped) will get my left eye done too. I've had vision where both eyes were different (not drastically but basically 20/40 and 20/56 - 60) for years and it tends to be annoying to me. Right now there is a 6 inch difference where my eyes focus close up. I have been noting that in recent years my focal point has been moving farther away and it's inevitable that I will be using reading glasses soon anyways as I am 51 and consider myself lucky to have made it this long without.

[LasikExpert]

You will have some time to try out monovision. There is not rush to do the second surgery. You may even consider wearing a contact lens in the uncorrected eye to give you an idea of what full distance vision would be like.

[Indept]

What's up, 17 days since my PRK & reading is difficult...AAAAHHHH....

Just joking, so far I'm pleased with the results, distance vision is very good including night vision but I'm curious, I do have difficulty reading my computer monitor to the point that my eye will water & hurt but the second I look away at a distance it feels good. Luckily I still have my left eye to do the dirty work. My right (PRK) eye can see well, I can see the tv, both images & print no problem @ 3 feet. I can see print on the bookshelf at 3 feet somewhat blurry and the monitor at arms length is blurry. I've noticed that the blurryness doesn't change from the 3 ft until about less than 1 foot where it gets worse as I get closer. As a test I was in the drugstore yesterday and tried various reading glasses, non of which helped at all. I am assuming that this is still the cornia healing as I have some minimal ghosting & hazyness. I will ask the doctor at my next visit at the end of March. I did a search here only to find other similar complaints that, on following posts, were not mentioned or followed up. I can only assume that those patients no longer had those reading problems & forgot to mention it. I continue to hope that my near vision finally obtains the results that my distance vision has obtained.

[LasikExpert]

You may want to look at our article about laser eye surgery related eye strain and focus problems. You are probably adjusting to the different range of near vision correction.

[Indept]

Thanks Glenn, I have seen that before but my question is since the blurriness is the same from about 3 feet away until about 1 foot away, Then, from 1 foot and closer it gets progressively more blurry. I assume the 1 foot & closer is presbyopia, but is the 3 foot on in to 1 foot also presbyopia? If so wouldn't it get more blurry the closer I get UP TO the 1 foot point? Can I expect that part of my vision to "settle in" as the cornia heals to the point where I would find a suitable prescription for reading glasses? As I stated above " As a test I was in the drugstore yesterday and tried various reading glasses, non of which helped at all." If it all was presbyopia I would have thought I could find a strength of reading glasses that would have given some improvement. Also, since my eye was slightly worse than 20/40 with some minor astigmatism, I would have expected the level of presbyopia to worsen only a little. I used to be able to read fine print about 1 foot away so with slight correction I would expect to have to move maybe 2 feet away but not be blurry at 3 feet distance. Once again I am still less than 3 weeks into my recovery and I know with PRK comes patience.

[Indept]

Week 3 : Well nothing really different to report since my "17 day" report. I am down to 1x/day for the Lotemax steroid drops (my last week of drops). My eye continues to be good at distance (20/15) and blurry close up, I guess I'll be patient and see how the healing progresses.

[hyper_rk]

Your story sounds like mine at the stage you are. Was your eye hyperopic going into the PRK? Did your Doc use Visx S4? Was it Custom Wave guided? What was before measurements? Did he try to shoot you Plano?

At 9-12 months I regressed back to where I was prior to the PRK and have gone more Hyperopic over the last 3 years. I was shot to reduce my +1.8 exactly. I wish I would have asked to be pushed myopic instead of plano. My regression is unknown and speculation is either strong ability to regrow the epithelium back or the diurnal post-rk rebounding back to its original refraction. Like a trampoline you know!

I think the PRK on my eye helped reduce a off centered typography.

I am going to look into the CR-3 and see if this is good approach to stabilize the eye right after PRK. I have plenty of cornea left to do another procedure and this time I am going to shoot for a -1 in my dominant eye to prepare for aging and hyperopic progression. I am 48 now. I have only done one eye at this time.

I would sure like to know if that Allegretto laser is better fit for a Post-RK eye? I know it is newer technology then the Visx S4.

[Indept]

I was myopic going in, don't have the exact numbers with me but both eyes were about 20/50 with some astigmatism. The right eye is now 20/15 and I find towards the end of the day it tends to go more towards myopic but not worse than 20/20.

[Indept]

Something I've noticed over the last few days, when I get up in the morning my eye is blurry at all distances. It will be this way for about an hour then the distance comes in fine. It doesn't feel dry but after putting a wetting drops in a few times, it seems to help. Not only just after I put the drops in, but for an hour or so & then I put more drops in. I guess it could be dry even though it doesn't feel "gritty". It seems to have happened as I lower the dosage of the Lotemax. I was at 2 drops/day up until Thursday when I dropped back to 1x/day. A poster in another lasik forum (yes, there is another forum out there, yes, shocking isn't it :) ) has had the same result only to clear up at about 6 weeks out.

[Indept]

Week 4: Today is my first full day of NO steroid drops, the last drop of Lotemax was yesterday. I've noticed that as I stated in my last post above, my eye is blurry at all distances when I get up in the morning and mostly clears up in an hour or so but now I don't get the great distance clarity I've enjoyed for the last 3+ weeks. It's funny though, It's crisp but fuzzy if you know what I mean. I've noticed an increase in ghosting and although the ghosting has been on close up (whithin 4 feet or so) up until now, it looks like the distance vision is ghosting too. I'm hoping it's just the cornia still healing & going through a phase. As I said a few sentences back, the distance looks crisp but fuzzy so I hope it's not leaning myopic but just ghosting which gives the fuzziness and hopefully that clears up in the coming weeks. I have a checkup next tuesday so I'll post any new info.

[Indept]

Had my 1 month checkup this morning. The doctor said everything looked good. I told her that I can't see well within about 4 feet or so and that my distance vision isn't as good as it was the first 3 weeks ( when it was great, seeing 20/15 or better). I mentioned that it looks crisp just not focused and that I definitely have ghosting which is why distance is not focused. She checked my right eye with the eye chart and said I was 20/30 even though ghosting was significant. I was seeing double almost to the point that the letters were next to each other. She said it was not uncommon and that this should clear as my eye heals. I seem to have the worst ghosting in the morning. My distance vision gets better and the ghosting subsides somewhat as the day goes on although it doesn't completely go away as of this point in my recovery. She also said the close up vision should improve as the eye heals. I know things vary as healing progresses so I'm not worried at this point. I do think the ghosting is the issue because my uncorrected eye tends to go myopic as the day goes on and the blurriness is different than the out of focus my right eye sees, so I'll hope that the ghosting clears and my vision returns to what it was the week after the bandage contact was removed.

[Indept]

Week 6: Nothing new to report, no worse as far as the ghosting but no better.

[Indept]

Week 7: No difference with vision. I still have the ghosting but distance vision is ok after I've been awake for about 2 hours. Objects seem decent but letters are difficult to read at all distances due to the ghosting. Later in the day objects seem much sharper and at night everything is clear except for ghosting letters. I'm hoping this starts to get better soon. My eye hurts when I am looking at things within 6 feet (more so in the AM than the PM) and my eye seems more light sensitive in the last 2 weeks than it was in the first few weeks. I use plenty of Refresh. It also hurts when I look at the computer monitor. I don't think there is any astigmatism since objects look sharp & not distorted and I feel that if the ghosting would go away my vision would be excelent. Time will tell