I can see! I can see perfectly! (PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy))

Member Name: JonRose

Product:	PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy)
Date:	27/09/00 (432 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No more glasses

Disadvantages: sore! and not cheap

What I am about to describe details true events which left me very shocked, for a brief while at least and then very happy in the long run and now a year on almost I am so glad it happened that I find it hard to remember things being any different.

So what happened:

I finally stopped talking about having eye surgery and actually got my eyes fixed. For those in the know my eyes were fairly bad -5 and -6 and I had an astigmatism in each eye.

So I went for a consultation at the London Centre for Refractive surgery www.lcrs.co.uk (+44 (0) 20 7935 7723). From the look of the consultants there they pretty much at the people in the UK for eye corrective surgery. They recommended that I should have microsurgery and this involved making a number of small incisions in the surface of the eye and as they heal is reshapes the eye slightly.

This surgery is preferred to laser because of the increased accuracy of the results that they can achieve, the speed of recovery and also the fact that no surgery is carried out on the vision part of the eye. So I said go for it and was booked in.

I then turned up a few days later to have my first operation and was given a valium to calm me down. The surgical procedure went as follows, the eye was given a local anesthetic, then it was clamped open and cleaned. The surgeon then immobilised the eye, by holding it with an implement of some sort and I had to look at the light above me. Then he made 10 cuts in the surface of the eye with a scalpel. It was quite worrying whilst it was going on, plus you are mostly covered with a paper sheet to keep things clean, which I got very hot underneath.

When the thing was over (10 mins from start to finish) I was then a little bit woozy - sat up too fast and was a bit shocked by the whole thing. But a quick rest and a glass of water later, I was out in the waiting room, and after a cup of tea I was on my way home. The dressing came off when I g
ot home and I could see quite well already, it was very sore and gritty - but the eye was feeling much better the next day and rapidly felt normal quite quickly. My eyesight was much much better.

You have to take it easy for about about a week and you feel quite drained after doing anything. A lot of sports are off for quite a while. But you can see.

I had the other eye done and then needed another operation on the first to finish off the job and now I have better than 20 20 vision and cope all day every day without glasses.

The only aftereffect I have noticed is that night driving is a bit more difficult - especially on unlit roads. But I hardly ever drive at night and if I ever have to do it a lot then I would get some glasses just for driving.

My best tip if you decide to go for it, is to try to stay awake after the operation once you are home and watch a video or something, because after one of the operations I went home and slept straight away for about 10-12 hours and my eye felt terrible the next day and it took much longer to recover.

They charge £1600 all in which includes as many operations as you need in both eyes and they offer a very relaxed friendly service. I would use them again - but I don't need to! The price may seem steep but you will probably save that in no glasses or contact lenses for the rest of your life.....

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