PRK Laser treatment - no more glasses? (PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy))

Member Name: KathrynPenguin

Product:	PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy)
Date:	31/10/00 (730 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No more glasses

Disadvantages: Cost, not for squeamish, results not guaranteed

I first became aware of laser surgery to correct short sight some years ago. My Aunt, Uncle and cousin all travelled to Cyprus for a fortnight and had treatment on the Russian hospital ship which was docked there at a cost of around £2000 each (including the fortnight in Cyprus).

~~~~ Pre-Treatment ~~~~
I was interested in the procedure but the price was way out of my league. A couple of years later I heard of a place called Optimax in London. They did PRK laser treatment for only £400 per eye (they can keep the cost down by doing lots of treatments). I sent off for information and received a video outlining the procedure and all the possible side effects. I made an appointment and went for a check up. They told me yes they could do my eyes and to make an appointment for my first eye. This was in 1994 and I had my first eye treated.

~~~ More Pre-Treatment ~~~~
On the day of my surgery I was asked if I had watched the video of the procedure, when I admitted that I hadn't watched all of it I was asked to go and watch it right through. This means that you fully understand the implications of the surgery you are about to have, no treatment is risk-free. I was then handed a 4 page document listing all the possible complications of the surgery and asked to read through each one and initial that I had read it. The document also listed the do's and don'ts after surgery. Once the paperwork was completed I just had to wait for my surgery.

~~~~ The Treatment ~~~~
The procedure was not too painful. They put drops in your eye to numb it and clamp it open to stop you blinking. You lay under the laser which flashes like a pleasant red light. There is a terrible burning smell though. The laser removes a microscopic disk of tissue from your cornea (the surface of the eye). The tissue removed is a lens shaped circle which is between 6mm and 9mm with an average depth of two thousandths of an inch (half the thickness of a human
hair). The amount of tissue to be removed is worked out by computers and the surgeon after lots of measurements have been taken of your eye. To account for the healing process a little more tissue is taken than is necessary.

~~~ The Pain! ~~~
The procedure itself doesn't hurt at all although when they eye is being cleaned the sensation is awful, not pain but just really strange. About an hour after the operation the pain kicks in and its not the worst. There is discomfort and mild pain for about 24 hours, during which you are wearing a patch and have trouble opening your good eye (move one eye and both move so moving your good eye hurts your bad one!). Personally I went back to work two days after each treatment and was also driving then although I probably shouldn't have been.

~~~ The Side Effects ~~~
The main side effects are as follows. Patients may feel pain on waking up, tenderness, grittiness, glare around lights at night, a droopy eyelid, imbalance, double vision or a reduction in visual sharpness. These effects reduce gradually during the healing process and are rarely persistent in the long term. I experienced grittiness with each of my treatments, I already knew that I had poor tear production from my contact lens years so I was not surprised. I was given drops which balanced my eyes natural moisture and after about a month each time I no longer had a problem. My ex-boyfriend experienced glare around lights after his treatment and was prescribed steroid drops to help, this also cleared up after a short while.

~~~ Restrictions ~~~
After your treatment there are a list of things you shouldn't do until your eye has healed. You shouldn't drive unless you meet the correct standard for reading at a distance (as you use both eyes the untreated eye compensates for the recovering one). You should not go swimming for about a month as the chlorine in the water would be bad for your treated eye. You sh
ouldn't use sun beds for six months as they are unsure if this affects the healing process. If you are going to be out in the sun a lot you should wear sunglasses, certainly for the first month. You also need to get a plain lens put in your glasses as you will still need correction for your untreated eye. If you wear contacts constantly this is no problem as you just wear one.

~~~ Check Ups ~~~
You have your first check up a week after your treatment, they then advise you when to make your next appointment which is usually about a month later. You continue to attend check ups until they tell you your treated eye is stable and then they sign you off. It is worthwhile attending all your checkups as if you are healing too rapidly (my mum did!) they can give you steroid drops to slow the healing process.

~~~ Second Eye Treated ~~~~
The treatment in my first eye was successful and I had my second eye treated six months later (they wouldn't treat your second eye until the first one was stable). When I had my second eye done they had a new laser and it also treated my astigmatism to some degree. I was told that should the corrections not work re-treatment would be available at half price.

~~~ Extra Patients ~~~
Following my successful treatments both my boyfriend of the time and my mother (whose prescription was -7) had treatment. The ex achieved 20 20 vision in one of his eyes, with the other being also close to perfect. He enjoys scuba diving regularly since he had this treatment whereas before he didn't even consider it as he wouldn't have been able to see. My Mum was told that although they would be able to correct her short-sight they wouldn't be able to do anything about long-sight. Before the treatment Mum was wearing Bi-focal contact lenses! Her treatment has left her very slightly short sighted in one eye which has somehow meant that she can cope without reading glasses. She is thrilled with t
he result as she had been wearing glasses since she was about 5 years old. Now she is 58 and doesn't need any correction to her sight.

~~~ Not Glasses Again ~~~~
In 1998 I realised that I needed glasses again. A trip to the optician confirmed that I was very mildly short-sighted but that I had bad astigmatism and would need glasses. I got those and a year later disposable contacts. The astigmatism was much worse in my left eye which had been treated first with the laser which didn't do the astigmatism.

~~~ Get Married in my Glasses??? ~~~~
I got married in July this year and I had been unable to wear my disposable contacts for a while as they were too uncomfortable. In May I visited the optician who told me that my short sight was still mild but that the astigmatism was too bad for contact lenses especially in my left eye (the one which was treated first). I panicked - I was just so upset at the thought of having to wear glasses for my wedding. My mother said "ring Optimax and see if they can re-treat you - I'll pay". I looked on their web-site and was really happy to find that they would now do bi-lateral (both eyes) treatments if the patient was willing to have this done. I phoned and booked a check up for the next week.

~~~ Check Up Time ~~~
At the check up I found that I was still OK for PRK treatment and that I should book a treatment date but with a specific doctor who was one of their most experienced. I told the receptionist that I wanted to book a treatment with this doctor, she offered me the 1st July, my wedding day! I nearly burst into tears. As my mum explained that 1st July was my wedding day and I wanted the treatment done in time for the wedding. She couldn't have been more helpful, and squeezed me in as an extra treatment the following Saturday.

~~~ Bi-lateral Treatment ~~~
I had read in the literature and on the web site that they now offered bi-lateral treatment,
if the patient was willing and they considered you suitable. I thought I would be able to get both my eyes treated in time for my wedding. I turned up full of expectations only to find that the Doctor thought the astigmatism in my left eye was very bad and that she would not treat this eye until they had a new topography machine and could get a better picture of the surface. She was happy however to treat my right eye that day, having one good eye would mean I could see at my wedding!

~~~ Free Treatment ~~~
Whilst reading and signing the consent forms I found that re-treatment was free! What a bonus, apparently they have had to do less re-treatments than they originally thought so they do them free. My right eye was treated and I could see my husbands face as I married him. I had my left eye treated two weeks after I returned from my honeymoon.

~~~ The Bottom Line ~~~
Currently I am enjoying good vision and touch wood it will stay that way. I would recommend this treatment to anyone, I know about 10 people who have been treated here and all of them still have great sight. I am the only person I know who has had any problem. The treatment costs less than £1000 in total, which when I think hubby's last pair of glasses cost £250 seems really cheap. No I can't persuade him to be treated, or to go to a dentist. There are different types of treatment available but PRK has been going for a long time and I can recommend it.

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