If you are considering PRK, or have recently had it, the recovery is likely on your mind more than the procedure itself. The PRK recovery timeline runs longer than other laser vision correction procedures, and the reason lies in how the treatment works rather than in the result. Recovery moves through defined stages, from a tender first few days to vision that continues to settle over several months. Understanding which stage you are in makes the slower patches easier to interpret. In this blog post, we set out what happens in the first week, across the following weeks, and over the months after that.
Quick Overview
- PRK removes the cornea’s outer layer rather than creating a corneal flap, so the surface has to grow back before vision clears.
- Discomfort settles within the first three to five days, with a bandage contact lens in place while the surface heals.
- Blurry vision and halos are common for four to six weeks as the surface layer regenerates.
- Vision can take up to six months to fully stabilise, which is longer than other laser procedures.
How PRK is performed is what makes its timeline run longer than the alternatives.
Why PRK Takes Longer to Heal Than LASIK
PRK and LASIK use the same laser to correct refractive errors. What differs is how the laser reaches the tissue underneath, and that changes the whole healing process.
In LASIK, a thin corneal flap is lifted, the laser reshapes the layer beneath, and the flap is laid back down. PRK creates no flap at all. The top layer of the cornea is softened and then removed, and the laser reshapes the corneal surface directly. That outer layer, the epithelium, then has to grow back on its own.
This is why PRK is often the refractive surgery of choice for thinner corneas. It also suits anyone whose work or sport risks knocking a flap loose. What this means for you is a longer recovery. Nothing is placed back over the treated area, so the surface is exposed while it closes over.
The First Week After PRK
The first three to five days are when the corneal surface closes over. Soreness and watering typically begin soon after surgery, peak at around 24 hours, then ease as the surface heals.
A bandage contact lens is placed at the end of the PRK procedure and stays in for several days. It does not correct your vision. It sits over the treated area so your eyelid passes smoothly across it with each blink. The epithelium is usually closed by day three, though the bandage lens often stays in until around day five, which tends to reduce soreness and surface complications.
Light sensitivity is pronounced in this period. A dark room, sunglasses indoors and a few days away from screens all help. Vision immediately after surgery is hazy and stays that way through the week, which is completely normal rather than a sign something has gone wrong. Allow at least a week of rest before returning to normal activity after PRK.
You will have a follow-up appointment within the first day or two, then again when the bandage lens comes out.
Weeks Two to Six: Gradual Vision Improvement
Once the surface has closed, the discomfort settles, and vision becomes the focus. This phase is defined by fluctuation rather than steady progress.
Four to six weeks of halos or blurring is expected while the epithelium regenerates. Vision can be sharp in the morning and soft by evening, or clear one day and hazy the next. Eye strain is common, particularly with screen work, because your eyes are working harder to resolve detail through a surface that is still remodelling.
Many patients return to desk work in the second week, though reading for long stretches remains tiring. Artificial tears matter here. The procedure disturbs the nerves that trigger tear production, so dryness is one of the more persistent parts of this phase. Preservative-free artificial tears are generally favoured while the cornea is healing.
Months Two to Six: Vision Settling
Beyond six weeks, changes become slower and less noticeable day to day. This is the stage where your prescription is still moving, even though you feel largely recovered.
Vision can take up to six months to fully stabilise after laser eye surgery. Two things are happening. The corneal surface is still smoothing out, and some of the correction can drift back slightly, a process called regression, which develops mainly over the first three months.
Haze is another consideration specific to PRK. A mild cloudiness in the treated area can develop, peaking at around two months in its milder form. Ultraviolet light contributes to it. The advice is to wear sunglasses that block UV rays for at least six months after surgery, not just the first fortnight. UV exposure counts for more during this window than later on.
Using Your Prescribed Eye Drops
Your prescribed eye drop schedule is central to this recovery. Three types are usually involved.
Antibiotic drops help prevent infection while the surface is open, and they run for a short course early on. Anti-inflammatory steroid drops settle inflammation and reduce the chance of haze, and these are stepped down gradually rather than stopped, sometimes over a few months. Lubricating eye drops are the flexible ones, used as often as your eyes feel dry.
Technique is worth getting right. Wash your hands, draw the lower lid down and let one drop fall into the pocket that forms, without touching your lashes. Leave three minutes between different drops so the second does not wash the first away, and discard any bottle 28 days after opening.
What to Avoid While the Cornea Heals
The healing cornea is vulnerable in a way it will not be later, so a few restrictions apply in the early stages.
- Rubbing your eyes. This one matters more than any other. Avoid rubbing even when they itch, which they will.
- Contact sports and swimming. Both are ruled out while the surface heals, along with anything that could knock the eye.
- Eye makeup. Mascara and eyeliner sit right at the lid margin and shed particles onto healing tissue, so they wait until you are cleared.
- Skipping sunglasses. Not optional in this recovery, given the link between UV exposure and haze.
- Stopping prescribed drops early. They are timed to the healing phase, not to how comfortable your eyes feel.
Eye shields may be recommended for sleeping in the first few nights, so you do not rub while asleep.
Book Your PRK Assessment at Our Clinic
PRK involves a longer recovery than other laser procedures, and it leaves the cornea without a flap. Whether it suits you depends on your corneal thickness, your prescription and what you do for work and sport, which is what an assessment is for. Dr Edward Roufail is an ophthalmologist who performs PRK alongside other laser vision correction procedures, and he reviews corneal measurements and monitors healing at each post-operative visit. If you are weighing up your options, or you have had PRK and something about your recovery is concerning you, we are glad to help. To arrange a consultation at our eye clinic, please call us on (03) 9071 0180.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I be able to drive after PRK?
Not on the day, and you will need someone to take you home. Beyond that, it depends on the vision you achieve rather than a set number of days, and it is usually longer than after LASIK. Ask your eye doctor at a follow-up visit, and it can be checked against the legal standard.
Can both eyes be treated on the same day?
Often yes, though it is a decision made case by case. Treating both together means one recovery period rather than two, but it also means several days when neither eye is seeing clearly. If you cannot arrange help at home for that week, staging the eyes is worth discussing.
Is it normal for one eye to recover faster than the other?
Yes, and it is common enough not to worry about on its own. The surface can close a day or two earlier in one eye, and the vision in each can settle at different rates for weeks. What matters is that both eyes are improving, rather than that they match each other.
When can I fly after PRK?
Short flights are usually fine once the bandage lens is out, though cabin air is dry and can make your eyes feel worse. Take your lubricating drops in your hand luggage and use them more often than you would on the ground. Check before booking anything in the first week.
Do I need to stop wearing contact lenses before PRK?
Yes, because lenses temporarily change the shape of your cornea and that would distort the measurements your treatment is based on. Soft lenses are generally stopped a few days beforehand and rigid lenses considerably earlier. Your own timeframe comes with your pre-operative instructions.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
References
https://www.dovepress.com/corneal-collagen-crosslinking-for-ectasia-after-refractive-surgery-a-s-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-OPTH
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2023.1057685/full
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