Posted by: Clear Advantage in Uncategorized on April 1, 2025

Are you considering PRK to improve your eyesight and reduce your dependence on glasses and contacts? Learning about the recovery process is essential to preparing for the procedure and ensuring you get the best results possible.

By following your eye doctor’s postoperative instructions and listening to these tips, you can maximize your recovery and comfort. Keep reading to learn more about how to have a healthy recovery after PRK.

What is PRK?

PRK is a procedure that corrects common refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. During the procedure, your eye surgeon will carefully remove the epithelium, or surface layer of the cornea, and reshape the tissue underneath with an excimer laser.

This helps light refract directly onto the retina, giving you crisp, clear vision. PRK corrects vision similarly to LASIK but with certain procedural differences.

During LASIK, instead of removing the epithelium, your surgeon makes a small flap in the cornea and folds it back to reshape the tissue underneath. Then, they place the flap back over your eye to act as a natural bandage while you heal.

This often results in faster recovery times than PRK. However, it poses a risk to patients with severe dry eye, thin corneas, or patients who play contact sports.

This is why PRK is often considered a LASIK alternative; while the procedure has the same visual results, it can accommodate a wider range of candidates.

How Long is PRK Recovery?

PRK recovery times vary from patient to patient, but most begin noticing visual improvements within 3-5 days. It takes around a week for the epithelium to regenerate, so it’s best to take it easy and rest during this time.

You can ensure your recovery goes as smoothly as possible by:

Following Your Eye Doctor’s Instructions

After PRK, your eye surgeon will give you detailed postoperative care instructions. This will include things like applying prescription eye drops to reduce inflammation and prevent infection and refraining from driving.

You’ll also need to attend follow-up appointments, where they will assess how your eyes are healing and let you know when you can resume regular activities.

Protecting Your Eyes

Your eye doctor will also provide you with eye protection while sleeping. This prevents you from accidentally rubbing your eye and irritating it.

You should also pay extra attention to not getting water or makeup in or near your eyes during this time. While outside, you can care for your healing eyes by wearing UV-protective sunglasses.

Refraining from Strenuous Physical Activity

Once you get home from PRK, you should rest and allow your body time to heal. It’s important not to engage in strenuous exercise, sports, or physical activities such as heavy lifting.

This could slow the healing process. Most patients can return to light exercise after one week and sports after two.

Preparing Ahead

PRK recovery doesn’t have to be boring; you can download music, podcasts, and audiobooks to listen to while you relax and recover!

You can also prepare ahead by meal prepping to reduce the amount of work you’ll need to do after surgery.

What Will My Vision Be Like After PRK?

While you will likely notice visual improvements within a few days, your vision can take several weeks to months to reach peak clarity. During this time, and for decades after, you can enjoy the fantastic benefits of PRK, like:

Crisp, Clear Vision

PRK corrects your specific refractive errors, giving you crisp, clear vision personalized to your needs. Many patients report achieving even better vision than they ever had with glasses or contacts.

Imagine how amazing it will be to take in the sunset, enjoy the view at the end of a long hike, or see your loved ones in vivid clarity!

Reduced Reliance on Visual Aids

Clear vision after PRK means you likely won’t need glasses or contacts anymore. Most patients enjoy crystal-clear vision for decades and complete freedom from visual aids.

This eliminates common frustrations associated with visual aids, like constantly rubbing smudges off your glasses or losing your contact lenses on the ground.

Enhanced Visual Acuity

PRK does more than just make your vision clearer. It can enhance your visual acuity and depth perception and expand your field of vision.

This is especially beneficial if you play sports that require quick reaction times and accuracy. It can also be helpful if you like to cook, paint, or knit and want better precision when making that perfect julienne cut, brush stroke, or stitch.

Ease with Travel

Traveling is often already a hassle in itself, but when you need to account for your vision, it can become a headache. With reduced reliance on visual aids after PRK, you’ll no longer need to make room in your suitcase for backup glasses and contact lens supplies or opt out of activities like swimming because you’re concerned about going without your visual aids.

Instead, you’ll enjoy clear vision 24/7, no matter where you are, and can take in the sights of your travels in high definition.

Long-Term Savings

The costs of glasses and contacts can add up over time, especially when you account for repairs, prescription updates, replacements, and cleaning and storage supplies. While PRK may have a higher upfront cost, the money you save on visual aids over time can pay for your procedure and then some!

You’ll be making not only a smart financial investment but an investment in decades of crystal-clear vision.

Do you want to learn more about PRK and get tips for the recovery process? Schedule an appointment at Clear Advantage Vision Correction Center in Portsmouth, NH, today!