Is It Common for Your Vision to Be Worse After a PRK Enhancement?

Question

I had lasik 11 years ago and 3 weeks ago I had PRK enhancement, my vision is far worse than it was before the enhancement, both near and far vision, is that normal?

Farzad Yaghouti, MD · Answer

It takes sometimes upwards of 3 months for the PRK vision to stabilize. You should discuss this with your surgeon to monitor your progress.

Christopher Coad, MD · Answer

It is okay for the short post operative healing period.  Our goal is not to make your vision worse!  Your results are not normal.  Discuss with your surgeon.

Michael Gordon, MD · Answer

THe healing process for PRK is longer than LASIK, so it is not unusual for the vision to be worse , certainly for the first few weeks. Depending on the intial prescription it could take up to 3-6 months to become stable.

Anthony J. Kameen, MD (retired) · Answer

It is normal for the quality of vision after a PRK enhancement to be still fluctuating after 3 weeks, but if it is decidedly worse, you should call your surgeon. There is no question that PRK, whether it is an initial procedure or enhancement, has a slower recovery. The reason for this is that the corneal surface has more healing to do after PRK. The initial phase of healing with PRK takes about 5-10 days and varies depending on the healing speed of the individual. PRK is an extremely safe alternative to LASIK, and I do alot of them. As long as the patient, staff and surgeon are all on the same page in terms of the slower speed of healing, then all should be well.

Is It Common for Your Vision to Be Worse After a PRK Enhancement?

Answers (4)