Posted by: Northwest Eye in prk procedure on August 19, 2026
Understand what PRK changes
PRK is a type of refractive surgery that uses a laser to treat vision problems caused by refractive errors. A refractive error happens when your eye does not bend light properly.
PRK reshapes the cornea, the clear front surface of your eye. Changing the cornea’s shape changes how it bends light so light focuses better on the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of your eye.
PRK can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism without creating a corneal flap. During treatment, an excimer laser reshapes the cornea without creating a flap. A bandage contact lens supports healing afterward.
About 9 out of 10 people (90 percent) who have PRK end up with 20/40 vision or better without glasses or contact lenses. That result describes a group outcome, not a promise about your eyesight.
The eye’s surface layer takes about 3 to 5 days to heal after PRK. Vision may be blurry during that period. Glare, halos, starbursts, and haziness usually improve within 7 to 10 days. Excellent, stable vision may take about 1 month, while vision can continue to fluctuate and stabilize over 3 to 6 months.
See why PRK may be considered
PRK is still a useful and common treatment. It may be considered for some people who cannot undergo LASIK, including people with thin corneas or high levels of myopia. The absence of a flap can matter when the amount or shape of available corneal tissue affects the choices.
Compared with LASIK, PRK preserves more deeper corneal tissue and avoids flap-related complications. A tissue comparison describes a LASIK flap as about 20% of corneal thickness, leaving about 80% of the tissue to work with, while the PRK surface layer is less than 10% of corneal thickness. The comparison explains why corneal tissue can influence which procedure a surgeon discusses, but the percentages do not establish candidacy. An eye examination and corneal measurements are still needed for an individualized decision. The tradeoff is usually a slower and more uncomfortable recovery because the corneal surface must regrow. The risk of corneal ectasia is lower after PRK than after some other corneal procedures, but PRK does not eliminate that risk.
People with high levels of myopia may benefit from PRK because the available tissue may allow a greater correction range than LASIK. Choosing among LASEK, PRK, and LASIK can depend on your eye characteristics and your surgeon’s preference. Systematic reviews have found that PRK and LASIK may be equally effective for correcting myopia. Recovery time, corneal measurements, and individual eye characteristics can still influence which procedure a surgeon discusses.
Some people have PRK for monovision to help with presbyopia, the age-related difficulty focusing up close. Monovision leaves one eye slightly nearsighted for close work and adjusts the other eye for distance. It is not for everyone, so you may want to test it with contact lenses first.
The FDA approved PRK in 1996, and PRK was the preferred laser vision-correction surgery after that approval. The FDA approved LASIK in 1999, and LASIK became more popular because it offered certain advantages, including faster recovery.
A source published in 2022 estimated that PRK generally cost about $2,000 to $4,000 for both eyes and stated that most insurance companies did not cover it at that time. Treat that range as a broad historical estimate, not a current local quote. The scope of a quote matters. Ask whether it covers one or both eyes and which testing, follow-up visits, medicines, or additional treatment are included.
Planning for recovery also means having good-quality, 400+ rated sunglasses with ultraviolet protection available. An antiglare coating may relieve light sensitivity during the first couple of weeks after PRK.
Know what the evaluation checks
A PRK evaluation checks whether your eyes and corneas have features that support a predictable treatment plan. It may include a medical-history review, vision and refraction testing, an eye examination, and corneal measurements. Refraction testing measures the error affecting your vision, while corneal topography or tomography maps the surface to look for irregular astigmatism, keratoconus, or another corneal condition. A central thickness measurement identifies unusually thin corneas and helps estimate the remaining deeper tissue after treatment. The consultation may also include a complete dilated eye exam and can last 1 to 2 hours. These checks add information beyond a standard vision chart and help the clinician decide whether a PRK plan can be considered.
One refractive surgery consultation description includes a complete dilated eye exam and lasts 1 to 2 hours. The length gives the clinician time to collect measurements, examine your eyes, and discuss which options may fit your findings and goals.
Before refractive surgery, your clinician should assess your cornea after a period without contact lenses. Corneal topography or tomography maps the cornea and can help identify irregular astigmatism, keratoconus, or another corneal condition.
Your preoperative evaluation should include a central corneal thickness measurement. This helps identify unusually thin corneas and estimate the remaining deeper corneal tissue after treatment.
Corneal irregularities or ectasia may make refractive surgery results less predictable and may reduce your best spectacle-corrected vision. The evaluation also uses your medical history and goals, not only a vision chart. Tell your eye doctor about prior eye problems and the activities you want vision correction to support so the discussion can address relevant findings and recovery demands.
Prepare before your procedure
Your preparation plan should follow the instructions from the clinician performing your procedure. In general, plan to:
- Stop wearing contact lenses when your surgeon instructs you to do so. One preparation guide advises wearing glasses for at least 2 weeks before PRK.
- Avoid eye makeup, lotions, and creams for 3 days before surgery and on the day of surgery when that instruction applies to you.
- Arrange for someone to drive you home. Your vision may be impaired or temporarily blurred immediately after treatment.
- Keep your schedule light after surgery so you can go home and rest.
Contact-lens timing can vary with the type of lens and the measurements your clinician needs, so use your own instructions rather than choosing a shorter break. A preparation guide advises taking a shower before surgery because it advises avoiding showers for 2 to 3 days after PRK. A preparation guide also advises eating a light meal rather than a heavy meal on the day of surgery to help prevent dizziness. Bring sunglasses for use after PRK because light sensitivity may occur during recovery.
Bring questions about the expected recovery, work, exercise, driving, travel, follow-up visits, and the difference between PRK and other options. Your eye findings, the amount of correction needed, and your daily activities all help shape that discussion.
Know what happens during PRK
PRK is an outpatient procedure, so you go home shortly after treatment. You remain awake while numbing drops reduce sensation on the eye.
The procedure follows a short series of steps:
- Numbing drops are placed on your eye.
- An eyelid holder keeps your eye open while you focus on a target light.
- The surgeon removes the outer corneal layer, called the epithelium.
- An excimer laser reshapes the exposed cornea using measurements programmed for your eye.
- A bandage contact lens is placed over the eye while the surface heals.
You may hear clicking from the laser. The eye is numb during treatment, but discomfort may increase after the anesthesia wears off.
PRK takes about 5 to 15 minutes per eye. Usually, one eye is treated at a time, although exceptions occur.
The bandage contact lens supports healing while the surface layer regrows. The corneal surface usually heals under the lens over 2 to 4 days. One postoperative protocol removes the lens on day 3 or 5 if healing is complete and continues daily follow-up if it is not.
Plan for the first few recovery days
After PRK, you may have discomfort, redness, tearing, light sensitivity, blurred vision, stinging, burning, or a gritty or foreign-body sensation. These symptoms are often strongest during the first 24 to 48 hours. Tearing, light sensitivity, and blurred vision are typically worst on the second and third days, then improve greatly by the fourth and fifth days. Plan for these effects to overlap rather than occur one at a time. You may be uncomfortable while vision is blurry, and light sensitivity may make bright rooms difficult. Arrange a quiet, dim place to rest after treatment. Do not drive on the day of surgery; the following day, drive only if your vision is good enough to do so safely. If over-the-counter medicine does not control your pain, call your ophthalmologist.
Pain after PRK may last up to 4 days. Over-the-counter medicine usually controls it, but some people may need prescription medicine or pain-relieving eye drops. Use pain medicine only as directed by your clinician.
Reportedly, about one-third of patients have very little discomfort after PRK, one-third experience mild pain, and one-third have more significant discomfort. Your symptoms may not follow the experience of any other person.
Plan to rest after treatment and keep your eyes closed gently rather than squeezing them shut. Use the drops prescribed for you, wear the eye protection your surgeon recommends, and avoid rubbing your eyes. The bandage lens stays in place until the surface has healed and a clinician removes it. Because PRK changes the corneal surface, discomfort can become more noticeable after the numbing drops wear off rather than at the treatment visit. Arranging help for the first few days can therefore be more useful than planning only for transportation home from the procedure.
Track how vision improves over time
PRK usually has a slower, more uncomfortable recovery than LASIK because the corneal surface must regrow. That difference matters when you plan work, driving, exercise, travel, and other activities.
Most people can return to work within 1 week after PRK, but recovery time varies. Most people can resume work and normal activities within a week, although vision may take up to a month to feel stable enough for tasks such as driving at night.
Visual recovery may take 3 to 4 weeks, and excellent, stable vision may take about 1 month. Your vision may be blurry or hazy at first and may fluctuate between blurry and clear during the first few weeks. Mild discomfort or light sensitivity may last for the first several days.
Complete healing can take 3 months, while vision may continue to stabilize over 3 to 6 months.
Give yourself flexibility rather than scheduling an important visual task immediately after surgery. Ask when your clinician expects you to drive, work, exercise, and travel based on your healing and vision.
Follow your recovery instructions
Use your prescribed drops exactly as directed and attend the follow-up visits your surgeon recommends. Your surgeon may schedule a visit the day after surgery or within the first week, followed by visits around 1 month and 3 months. Eye drops are a necessary part of PRK recovery. They may help prevent inflammation and infection and keep your eyes moist and comfortable. Many patients use them for about a month, but your ophthalmologist determines the duration. Restrictions are temporary, but the end date depends on healing; do not stop drops or resume rubbing, swimming, exercise, or makeup just because your eyes feel better. Keep the bandage lens in place until a clinician checks the surface.
Follow these practical restrictions unless your surgeon gives different instructions:
- Do not rub your eyes for 2 months or until your doctor says it is safe.
- Do not drive on the day of surgery. You may drive the following day only if your vision is good enough to do so safely.
- Keep water out of your eyes for 1 week.
- Do not swim with your eyes open underwater for the first 2 weeks.
- Avoid exercise for 2 days. When you resume sports, use eye protection for 1 month.
- Wear UV-protective sunglasses outdoors for at least the first 3 months, especially after PRK.
Postoperative instructions differ on eye makeup. One instruction sheet advises avoiding it for 1 week, while another advises avoiding it for 2 weeks, so follow your surgeon’s specific time frame. Travel may not be recommended until after 1 week because you may need a follow-up visit for bandage contact-lens removal.
Do not remove the bandage contact lens yourself. A clinician checks whether the corneal surface has healed before removing it, and one protocol calls for daily follow-up when healing is incomplete.
Recognize effects that can last longer
During recovery, you may have dry eyes, light sensitivity, blurry vision, halos, glare, starbursts, a foreign-body sensation, itching, or corneal haze. Possible PRK complications include corneal scarring and corneal infection as well as glare, halos, and haze.
After PRK, halos, glare, and starbursts can look like rings, excessive glare, or star-like patterns around lights, especially at night. They may last 2 weeks to 6 months and are common.
Corneal haze may appear during the first few months after PRK, peak at 2 months, and then typically improve over 6 to 12 months. Haze often resolves on its own, but it rarely requires treatment. Topical steroids are often used after surface ablation to reduce the chance of haze.
Dry-eye symptoms may increase after corneal surgery. Tear function and surface health typically return to baseline at 6 to 12 months, but some people may remain dissatisfied if they had an unrecognized tear-film problem before surgery.
Your vision may be undercorrected or overcorrected after PRK. These problems often can be improved with glasses, contact lenses, or additional laser surgery, but the appropriate response depends on your examination and healing. Dry-eye symptoms can be present before PRK, especially in people with contact-lens intolerance. Contact-lens intolerance in many refractive-surgery patients can be related to reduced tear production or meibomian gland dysfunction, a problem involving the eyelid oil glands. Identifying pre-existing dry-eye problems before surgery allows management of dry eye and a discussion of how long symptoms may last. Lid hygiene and tear supplementation are often helpful, while more severe dry-eye disease may require topical cyclosporine, lubricant ointments, or oral doxycycline under ophthalmologist guidance.
Know when symptoms need immediate help
Light sensitivity after PRK can cause discomfort or pain in bright light and may last 3 days to 2 weeks. Blurry vision can be hazy or fluctuate during the day, may last 3 days to 4 weeks, and is very common. These symptoms can occur during healing, but a worsening or severe change needs prompt attention.
Contact your eye doctor immediately if you have severe pain, vision changes, persistent redness, or discharge after PRK. Serious infections and other rare complications can occur, and severe pain or discharge requires immediate medical attention.
Do not wait for a routine follow-up when one of these warning signs appears. Contact your eye doctor immediately and describe the symptom and when it began.
Choose your next step
PRK may be worth discussing if you want laser correction and your eye findings make it a possible option. A qualified eye doctor must decide whether it suits you after reviewing your history, measuring your eyes, examining your cornea, and discussing your goals and recovery plans.
If you are considering PRK, bring your questions about candidacy, recovery, costs, work, driving, and alternatives to Northwest Eye in Minnetonka. An eye examination can turn general information into a plan based on your eyes.
What does PRK cost, and which symptoms need immediate attention?
What does PRK typically cost, and what affects the price?
An older estimate put PRK at about $2,000 to $4,000 for both eyes, but that is not a current local quote. Most insurance companies did not cover PRK in that estimate. Ask what the quoted amount includes before scheduling.
Which symptoms after PRK need immediate attention?
Contact your eye doctor immediately for severe pain, vision changes, persistent redness, or discharge after PRK. These symptoms can signal a complication such as infection and should not wait for a routine follow-up. Do not rub your eyes or remove the bandage contact lens yourself while arranging prompt eye care.
