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December 15, 2012 8:15 PM   Subscribe

Considering getting PRK, but am really anxious when it comes to medical procedures.

I've been considering getting PRK done to fix my eyes. I have terrible eyesight and my sister, who also had terrible eyesight (we are a family of computer addicts -__-) recently did the surgery and she can see very well now and no longer needs glasses at all.

My main motivation for getting the surgery is purely vain/cosmetic/shallow. My parents think it's a good idea (and are the ones who are really urging me to do it) because they think glasses are a burden to me. In the practical sense, I actually don't mind wearing glasses--given how long I've been wearing them, I'm very used to them. But I can't help but think that I'd look better without glasses (and yes, I have tried many styles of frames etc.) Contacts aren't an option for me, because I really, really cannot get them in my eyes.

The thing is, I'm very, very anxious and squeamish when it comes to medical procedures. I don't like going to the doctor (at all) in general and reading about PRK has made me terrified of getting it done. My sister described the technique they use to measure how much tears your eyes make and it sounded horrible. Descriptions of the prep work before PRK sounded horrible. Descriptions of the actual surgery sounded horrible. Gah.

But part of me wants to just stop being such a coward and jump in and do something crazy and drastic for once that will have great results. I mean, yes, it will involve lots of uncomfortable poking and prodding and then they laserbeam your cornea off and it's pain/semi-blindness for a month BUT in the end you are glasses-free and can be super cute and have fun with makeup etc etc. I'm kind of sick of being plain old bespectacled me. I want change!

But at the same time, just thinking about PRK right now as I type this is making my stomach do flips.

I wish they could just knock me out for a few days, do what needs to be done, and wake me up when its over.

How do you overcome anxiety related to medical procedures that you need/want to get done?
posted by joyeuxamelie to Health & Fitness (14 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Two things:

1) They gave me a valium at the clinic I was at. It worked pretty well at keeping me calm during LASIK.

2) You've probably already done this but see if you're a candidate for lasik. The healing time for that is much shorter. I was able to see clearly that same night (though my eyes were very dry).
posted by just.good.enough at 8:41 PM on December 15, 2012


I had it done a year and a half ago, and it's not a big deal. I wish I had more soothing words, but seriously, the surgery's painless, it's impossible to tell what the doctor's doing, the give you Valium, and it's over in a few minutes.
posted by lunalaguna at 8:49 PM on December 15, 2012


Yeah, the doctor who I saw mentioned the valium you get before the procedure. Being anxious about gross stuff being done to your eye is normal. And solvable! With valium.
posted by purpleclover at 8:50 PM on December 15, 2012


1. I had serious PRK 14 days ago.

2. I am a huge baby.

3. It was a breeze, really.

I am already seeing better than ever before and still improving, any pain or discomfort was minimal and gone in a couple days.
posted by Cosine at 9:08 PM on December 15, 2012


Discuss your anxiety with your doctor and ask him if he can prescribe something for it so the procedure is more bearable for you. Many people are nervous about doctors and medical procedures. Your doctor certainly sees this situation frequently, and will be very understanding.
posted by Daddy-O at 9:23 PM on December 15, 2012


I know my brother-in-law did one eye at a time because he was nervous. Honestly, not sure if Lasik or PRK.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:40 PM on December 15, 2012


Seconding the suggestion to discuss this with your doctor. I haven't had laser eye surgery but I have taken sedatives before some dental stuff (and I am super, mega anxious about dentistry, even for checkups) and it's made what used to be a MAJOR pain into a total breeze. (I'm sure my dentist also appreciates not having a sobbing, hyperventilating woman in his chair.)

I would also suggest that you speak with a PRK specialist if you're able to. I don't know about where you are, but here there are regular info sessions that are free to attend that discuss all the different options and steps and so on, and you can see the clinic and whatnot. Maybe that will help?
posted by raena at 9:58 PM on December 15, 2012


Do it. You'll be fine. It's great. I was able to get video of my experience and you see the whole thing, beginning to end. They say a lot of things (like potential complications) because they have to, legally, but it's really very swift and painless.
posted by mcav at 10:00 PM on December 15, 2012


I had PRK about 5 years ago. The 3 doctor visits before the actual procedure were longer than the procedure itself. I walked into the office, went into a dark room for 5 minutes, walked into the surgical room, laid back on the chair, someone said look at the red light, something buzzed, someone dropped 1 drop of liquid nitrogen on my left eye, someone said look at the red light, something buzzed, someone dropped 1 drop of liquid nitrogen on my cheek, apologized, dropped 1 drop on my right eye. I stood up, someone gave me a pair of goggles, the doctor came a took a picture with my wife and me in the goofy goggles. I went home.

The next day I went to work without my glasses. PRK heals faster than Lasik and is less likely to get damaged if you get hit in the eye.

I will say this though, I fight dry eye all day everyday. If I don't have a little bottle of Refresh Tears or Systane I have to stop whatever I am doing and go buy one. I have always had dry eye issues which is what caused me to not be able to wear contacts for any length of time but I have definitely noticed it more after the PRK.
posted by M Edward at 10:16 PM on December 15, 2012


Oh, and I just wanted to add PRK doesn't require the poking and prodding that Lasik does, at least in my case. The doctor chose PRK because my cornea's are so thin. With Lasik they actually cut a small flap of skin and peel it back before the laser, with PRK they just blast away.
posted by M Edward at 10:21 PM on December 15, 2012


I had PRK done exactly a year ago. Here's what I wrote in detail about my experience, about six weeks afterwards. In summary, the post-op pain was only significant on the 2nd & 3rd days. Really, the hardest part for me was just not being allowed to shower or wash my face for 5 days (to avoid infection by water-borne amoeba). The rest of the time it was just the tedium of dealing with post-op blurriness.
posted by wutangclan at 12:42 AM on December 16, 2012


I had PRK eight years ago and it is the best thing I have ever done. I chose it because there is no incision in the eye and there is more data on it, and on corneal burns in general, than on LASIK. The operation itself was painless, but I did have some discomfort when the "band aid contact lenses" dried out a couple of days later. Still, it was no worse than getting sand in your eyes at the beach.

I still have fighter pilot vision at mid and long ranges. I am starting to need reading glasses, but I would have had that any way. My eyes are a little more sensitive to sunlight than they used to be, but I just use that as an excuse to have a wardrobe of great sunglasses.

PS. One thing I would suggest is going to your doc and asking if you can have a couple days' worth of powerful sleeping pills. Your eyes apparently heal better when they're closed and the more you're sleeping, the better during that awkward few days.
posted by rpfields at 5:01 AM on December 16, 2012


I had PRK, and it was much, much, easier than I expected. I've had haircuts that were more painful. There was some discomfort on the 2nd day, but it was like an allergic reaction. There was no pain for me.
posted by Philosopher Dirtbike at 5:07 AM on December 16, 2012


It was extremely quick and easy as a procedure, less fuss than a tooth cleaning. Some flashing lights, a bad smell, all done.

The healing period took a while, itched badly and was very hard to see for a couple months but didn't really hurt after the second day. Mostly it was just an annoying ritual of a million eye drops at specific times all day.

I'm quite glad I did it. The peripheral vision alone is worth it, plus all the environments where glasses used to be awkward no longer being a problem.
posted by ead at 6:54 AM on December 16, 2012


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