PRK Q&A
80%
WORTH IT RATING
"Worth It Rating" shows the % of consumer reviewers that stated the procedure was "Worth It" or not. See more RealSelf Worth It Ratings or Add Your Review
7 Reviews

Average PRK Cost: $3,400

Learn about PRK

29 people and 25 doctors are talking about PRK

Get Free Email Updates

What is the Recovery Timeline After the PRK Procedure?

asked 1 year ago by anon
Latest answer by Ilan Cohen, MD
Question viewed 1,022 times
Tags: options

When will I know if the procedure is not 100%? If I need another procedure, when would that be possible?

5 answers to What is the Recovery Timeline After the PRK Procedure?

+1

PRK recovery

Immediately after the procedure your vision will be quite good. Over the next 1-2 days, it will get a little blurrier but still functional, this is because the surface of the cornea is healing and irregular and because there is inflammation in the cornea. The cornea typically heals in 3-4 days, during this healing period some discomfort should be expected. After the cornea is healed and the bandage contact lens is removed, the vision will slowly improve over the next few weeks. more
Ilan Cohen, MD

New York Ophthalmologist
+1

PRK Recovery Time

I tell my patients that they will need at least 1 week to see well enough to drive. I have found that vision improves for 6 months following the procedure. If after 6 months vision is not to your satisfaction and there is a residual stable refraction, an enhancement may be indicated.
Cary M. Silverman, MD

West Orange Ophthalmologist
+1

Healing from PRK

We urge our patients to keep their eyes closed 23 1/2 hours a day until healed. We accomplish that with a combination of Valium and Tylenol with codeine. At no point in the healing process is the vision bad and immediately after PRK, the vision is typically better than immediately after LASIK. With appropriate medications and sleep, most patients have little discomfort.
Mark Golden, MD

Chicago Ophthalmologist
+1

Recovery period after PRK

The recovery period after PRK is typically a bit longer than LASIK. There is often some discomfort for the first 1-4 days and the vision can fluctuate over that time and sometimes longer. Eyedrops after PRK are typically required for about 4-8 weeks. Since corneal healing, and thus minor changes in vision, can occur for up to 4-6 months following surgery I typically wait until that time before performing a touch-up or enhancement procedure.
Christopher Starr, MD

New York Ophthalmologist
+1

PRK recovery

The PRK recovery process takes a little longer than with LASIK. Your surgeon would be most qualified to determine when and if you'll need a retreatment. Your vision should be pretty stable by about 3 months following your surgery, but fluctuations may continue to occur for up to a year. Be patient with the healing process!
Thomas E. Clinch, MD

Washington DC Ophthalmologist

Ask a question