Most patients are off work only the day of the procedure. We ask you to go home afterward and relax, ideally taking a long nap. The next day, you are generally seeing well enough to drive yourself into the office for your post-op visit. Some work environments, if especially dusty, windy or underwater, will require a longer time off. Ask us if you have specific concerns about your profession or travel and activity restraints.
PRK patients will undergo a longer healing process and vision may continue to be blurry for the first few days. This will usually stabilize after the first few weeks. With the PRK, your eyes may continue to tear, have a “foreign body” sensation, or be sensitive to light. An over the counter pain reliever may be used if the patient encounters any discomfort. Normal activities may be resumed after the first week; however, you should avoid swimming or tanning beds for two weeks and refrain from swimming and water activities, in oceans or natural bodies of water, for six weeks.