3 weeks post surgery

Happy to report I just had my 3 week check up with Dr. Wang (my eye doctor) yesterday afternoon. :)  All post ops eye checkups are free - another positive from Hyver.

Dr. Wang gave me a vision test - I'm 20/20 in my right eye and 20/25 in my left.  As mentioned before, this is likely to still improve over the next 6 weeks.  She mentioned things would get crisper than they are now (although I'm not seeing blurry at all). 

She put in some numbing drops and inspected my eyes.  She said my corneas look perfect already - almost like I didn't even get PRK done.  She was a little surprised by this which made me really happy.  My eye pressure was a low 13 and the bloodshot eyes I used to have from wearing my contacts all the time is gone.  Next check up in November.  

I really hope that people searching for PRK information can find my blog.  As I discussed with Dr. Wang, there is so much negative information about PRK out there.  She said it definitely depends which doctor you go to.  She only refers people to Hyver. She said everyone should look for a doctor who specializes ONLY in Lasik/PRK.  Mainly because they don't spend any time doing eye exams, checkups, post-ops, etc.  They have an engineer present to control the temperature and humidity in the operating room and a bunch of other things that one would never think of. 100% of their time is focused on the surgery.

I've still had no fluctuation in vision or anything.  I've been driving at night without halos or starbursts.  No light sensitivity but wearing sunglasses as suggested. Also no dry eyes but Dr. Wang said to use the tears often to prevent dry eyes in the future.  Apparently they will continue to heal over the next 2 months.  I'm done with all my other drops and gels. 

I'm so thankful for the gift I gave myself.  I still think about taking out my contacts at night and catch myself. I don't think I will ever take this for granted.  It's truly amazing.  I am so happy.  I'll check in here and there and if you have any questions, please email me.  

Cheers to perfect vision. :)

Day 10

Saturday afternoon and seeing perfect as usual! :):)

Tonight I can finally sleep without the goggles on (although I usually wake up without them on anyway - oops).  I'm glad nothing has happened, you have to be really careful in the beginning when you sleep. 

I woke up yesterday and my eyes were really red. Not infected or anything, probably from working so much.  I've been on the computer from 7am-12am for the last week finishing up planning and executing a huge office move.  Great news about my new cube space - I have natural light that comes in through the window in front of my desk and NO florescent lights around me! So actually, no need for the leaf above my desk.  People who haven't had vision correction actually need them! :)  All computer settings and brightness back to normal. No pain pills needed and no headaches.

So now I am down to my anti-inflammatory drops, artificial tears, and nighttime ointment for 2 more weeks.  Then tears as needed.  I don't seem to have a problem with dry eyes though! 

So per the instructions:

• Next 2 weeks - Don't swim
• Next 2 months - Don't rub your eyes
• Next 3 months- Wear protective goggles for contact sports.
• Next 12 months - Wear protective UV protective sunglasses in the sun and a hat if in more than 30 mins

Other 'Most Commonly Asked Questions/Answers: The Week After PRK Surgery' (given to me after post-op appt):

• Today is just week one, your vision will continue to gradually improve over the next 4-6 weeks.
• Eyes can heal at different rates.
• Do I have to sleep longer for my eyes to recover? NO.  (Thank god... haha)
• Are there any food restrictions? No.
• When Can I: begin reading/working on a computer (today), fly in an airplane (today), tanning bed (today but ONLY with protective eyewear), swim/jacuzzi/steam room (2 weeks), scuba dive (2 weeks), surf (1 month), dive into pool (3 months), sky dive (3 months - but will never be doing this anyway!!!). 

So this will be my last post for awhile as long as things stay the same.  I'll check in from time to time and will also post about my vision improvement when I see my doctor in 3 weeks.  I don't go back to Hyver's anymore but to my regular eye doctor (all future eye doctor visits are paid for!).

Hopefully this blog helps people considering PRK surgery in the future. I'm still shocked I went through with it considering how freaked out I USED to get about my eyes. 

It's true what people say, the one thing they regret about PRK/Lasik is they wished they got it done sooner.  SO true.  If you have the money DO IT.  I am still in denial that I will never need my glasses, contacts, solution, cases, etc again! The stuff laid out in my post a few days ago is gone!

Also with PRK, you have the option of getting eyes done one at a time - I recommend just doing them both and getting it over with.  As long as you have the option to take time off from work, activities, etc if you have to.

If you have any other questions let me know.  I'm off to lay in the sun (with glasses and hat) and enjoy this great No Cal weather! 

Day 8

I woke up today with clearer vision once again.  How can it keep getting better when it's already almost perfect? :) I didn't have any negative effects from the removal of the bandage lenses yesterday. I've read it can take some corneal tissue with it but that's actually not true.  It was something written from a person (not a doc) I read on some blog.

I did tons of work on the computer last night and early this morning. I spent the rest of the day running around the office getting ready for the big move.  Finally got home at 6:30pm and I've been working until 12:45am.  I'm so burnt.  I have spent more time on the computer this last week than in the last 6 months.  Kind of ironic that my eyes need to take a beating now, a week after eye surgery.  

 
The florescent light at work gets to me after awhile.  Painkillers make it tolerable. I have this great leaf canopy from IKEA that I'll install at my new desk tomorrow. It should help.

Someone asked me at work what the big difference was now versus wearing contacts.  I think overall my vision is so much sharper! There are so many things (like mascara, dirt, etc) that gets embedded into contacts.  I was always touching my eyes and rubbing them.  I never felt like my vision was ever really sharp.  Now I understand why!!


I have my one month check up at my  regular eye doctor in 3 weeks (so a month since the surgery).  We'll see how my vision is then. I'm expecting it to be better than 20/25.  I heart my new eyes.  :)

Day 7

Today was day 7 and my check up at Dr. Hyver's office.   I woke up with another morning of stable vision, even clearer than the 6 days prior.  It was a bright sunny morning and I didn't need sunglasses in the car.  No light sensitivity issues.

I went to Hyver's office and met with a Dr. Liu who I haven't seen before.  I spoke with her about the last 6 days and my progress.  She said I was healing faster than most people with PRK.  She took out the bandages with no problem and said the corneal tissue looked perfect.

She wasn't going to take my vision but I asked her to.  She said it might be a little off (worse) because of the numbing drops she gave me. So I took it and I am a a solid 20/25!  Remember that it can takes a full 6 months to get the full benefits of PRK.  This could mean I could get down to 20/10 because of the fast improvement in my vision thus far.  I started out pre-surgery with 20/500 (a -5 prescription for my contacts).  That should give you an idea of how bad it really was.

I went to work after and was ok for awhile.  After working 9am to about 2pm I had shooting pain through my eyes to my head from the florescent lights in the office.  I went home at 3pm and took some painkillers and finished up my work day away from bright lights.

Today was the day I took the bag out from under my bed.  I've been collecting these items from the time that I scheduled my surgery through the present.  I'm sure there are more around but this is what I have now.  I will find a place to donate the items.  It is bittersweet to say goodbye to my crutches that have been a part of my life since I was 10 years old... Wow.

I really believe this is something I will never take for granted.  How can I?  My mom called me today and said how my grandfather (who died when I was a child) said that no matter what, always take care of your eyes because the greatest gift you have is your sight.  How true that is. 


Cheers and goodnight.  :)

Day 6

I was supposed to see Hyver today but showed up and no one was there.  I checked my papers and it showed Wednesday 8:15am, not today.  I have no idea why it was in my Google calendar but it was nice to get out in the sun nonetheless.  As I mentioned, I have been staying inside for the most part protecting my eyes.

I was going to go to work after but decided to work from home instead to avoid infection.  Some people at work have been really really sick and coming into the office with the flu.  I know the dangers of getting infected in the first week or 2 so I took an extra day away from the office. 

Distance vision sharper today.  Off the pain killers entirely - no residual pain.  Felt a little 'high' when looking at things outside.  I guess it was just the bright colors and the sharpness that I never saw before.  That has to tell me I'm on my way to 20- vision.  One setback was halos by night time in the kitchen when looking at the lights.  Best described by the following picture to the right.

No double vision or star bursts.  Love this recovery.  I couldn't be happier.  It's so funny as I am sitting here writing this I keep thinking I need to take out my contacts out before going to sleep.  But I don't have to anymore.  Wow.  I wonder how long til I take that for granted.  It's amazing.  I'm crossing fingers for a good appt tomorrow.   I've been able to still work off a computer with normal screen size and brightness.  This PRK has been nothing short of amazing. Day 6 and I don't think I've read about things getting any worse from here.

Update tomorrow on my Hyver appt!

Day 5

I've been so busy all day.  I decided to work from home today and ignore the day off that I was supposed to take.  I woke up again this morning with the same vision as yesterday.  Totally stable and no pain.  No light sensitivity, halos, or star bursts.  It is still a little blurry here and there.  But stable! It just makes me smile.  :)  Also again, no fluctuation throughout the day either.

Tomorrow morning 8:15am I get my bandage contacts removed.  It will be interesting to see what the doctor says about my recovery.  It has been fantastic and moving along perfectly (I think!).  Hopefully he will test my vision and I'll be see how well I am doing.  

I haven't really ventured out of the house although I have wanted to.  To be honest,  I've been scared to test my eyes if I don't have to.  The computer is bad enough but I didn't need the sun and bright light setting me back.  So tomorrow is the real test. 

Not sure what I did right and why I healed faster than other people I have read about.  I'll take it though!  I am planning on returning to work after my appt.  I feel so lucky.  This is pretty amazing.  I haven't missed even one of my drops or Vitamin C.  I should also mention that I've been on a 'detox' diet the last 3 weeks from my doc where I've been taking a ton of anti-inflammatory herbs including turmeric, reservatrol,  vitamin d, omega 3s (2 pills 3x a day), plus the fluorometholone and bromday drops. I have to think it all has helped me get through this fast and easy.  

I'll check in after the doctor in the morning.  Night!!

Day 4 (night)

12:30am - I'm wide awake as usual.  I've been sleeping in every day and staying up late to make the most of my new vision. Just in case more fluctuation occurs and I'm not able to see.  I think I have passed that point but I just want to make sure.  If I'm stable tomorrow I'll return to my regular routine and head to work after the bandage contact is removed on Tuesday morning.  

My eyes were supposed to be the worst yesterday (or today) but I've been completely fine. I had a great and amazing day.  No fluctuation at all since I woke up - a solid 14+ hours of stable vision with no change.  Usually my eyes would get tired by now but that doesn't seem to be the case.:)  Again I should note that they are definitely not close to perfect.  I still have that 'greasy contact' vision and objects are not completely crisp.  But the distance is there.  Close up pretty good.  Anyway, let me know if you need me to elaborate more. 

Lights around me are fine with no halos anymore. LED lights have no star bursts. I even moved the bandage contact around in my left eye because it felt a little off center. 

I know that I'm not reporting anything significant but I think it's important to check in even when nothing is wrong.  People need to read about the good results from PRK surgery.  Especially early on when it can be pretty bad.

My experience so far has been really positive.  I am slightly shocked that I feel so good.  Maybe all the negative blogs/stories/nightmares I read about set me up for a good experience.  

I'm going to finish up the rest of my computer research and head to bed. :)

Day 4 (afternoon)

3pm- I woke up this morning with my fingers crossed.  When I opened my eyes I looked around and distance vision was back again!  Everything seemed a lot clearer and even crisper than it had been.  My right eye is definitely a little sharper than the left. There was no stinging, burning, discomfort.  They felt normal!   Such a change from even 8 hours before when everything was a blur.  When the doctors say your vision fluctuates it really fluctuates.

I started my morning regimen with the 4 sets of drops.  I dropped one of the bottles and it rolled underneath the bed.  I had to look under the bed and saw it off in the distance behind a power cord.  I grabbed for it and then it occurred to me.... I COULD SEE!  It sounds so funny to say.  But if you are/were as blind as I was, this is a miracle.  Just being able to do that simple task without glasses or contacts amazes me. :)

It's nice and sunny out today so I pulled up the blinds and the sun came shining in.  No light sensitivity.  Nice!  I checked my phone for messages and answered a few texts.  Close up vision fine.  Computer vision fine, no need to blow up the screen today. 

Everything on day 4 is coming along quite nicely.  I'll spend the day redesigning some of the blog (because I realize the type is too small since my screen has been blown up- haha) and doing some research I've been putting off.  


I'll probably go out on the porch (without sunglasses) to enjoy the day.  :)

Day 3 (evening)

11:30pm -  A quick update before bed tonight.  Vision was pretty stable through the evening until about 2 hours ago.  It seems I've lost my distance vision.  Everything far away is blurry like I never got my eyes done at all.  I could probably put my old glasses on to get around.  Still star bursts around small LEDs but no halos around lamps.  The double vision is gone as well as any light sensitivity. I have zero pain.  I can see the computer, cellphone, books and anything else close up.  

I would rather see far and blurry like earlier today.  This just seems like I didn't even get the PRK done at all.  But this is part of the drill.  "The vision you experience during the first 2 days will become blurrier and more distorted on the third day."  I need to keep reading that until I pass the 72 hour mark tomorrow around 5pm. Again - this is part of the drill.  I'll listen to SNL from the couch and go to bed soon.  Enough for the day.