Exact Answer: One To Two Days
PRK stands for Photorefractive Keratectomy and is a laser eye surgery procedure that helps correct an individual’s vision, which helps reduce the dependency on contact lenses or glasses. The patient must be eighteen years or older to undergo photorefractive keratectomy. The patient’s myopia diopters must fall between -1.00 to -12.00 to be eligible for PRK.
A computer system is used to track the position of the patient’s eye. Depending on the type of laser used, it takes sixty to forty thousand readings in one second. The laser automatically centers on the patient’s eye. However, if the patient removes the eye from that position, then the laser waits for the eye to get re-centered.
How Long After PRK Can A Person Watch TV?
Photorefractive Keratectomy is known for permanently changing the shape of an individual’s anterior central cornea. An excimer laser is used for such purposes as it ablates a small number of tissues from the corneal stroma present at the front end of the eye. It is also essential to remove the cornea’s outer layer, but it is done before the ablation. This process helps in correcting refractive errors and improves the vision of the eye. A specialist doctor decides whether the patient needs the surgery on both the eyes or not.
Refractive errors include astigmatism, farsightedness, and nearsightedness. PRK has an alternative surgery known as LASIK, and both do the same work, but it depends on the condition of the eye that which surgery is best suited for a particular patient. The doctor provides proper guidelines before the patient undergoes surgery. It is advised to stop any medication one week before the surgery. If the patient cannot prevent the medication due to some reason, then the surgery is postponed.
| Age Group Of The Patient | Time Before Watching TV |
| Fifteen or less | At least two days |
| Above fifteen | At least a day |
It is advised not to put a lot of strain on the eye post-surgery. For children aged fifteen or below should avoid watching TV for at least two days as their eye muscles are week. However, if the patient is well above fifteen, they can watch TV after a day.
Why Does A Person Take That Long After PRK To Watch TV?
The eyes are one of the most sensitive parts of our body. It is hard to imagine a life without proper eyesight. That’s why it is crucial to give appropriate care to our eyes. Without good care, a person may have blurred vision or might end up losing the eye’s image permanently. Multiple symptoms might indicate a problem in the eyes. Some of them are stinging or burning the eye, eye-bulging outwards, double vision, eye pain, bleeding from the eye, severe headaches, itching in the eyes, and a few others.
The eye becomes ultra-sensitive to light after the surgery, and watching TV can lengthen the eye’s healing time. Watching TV immediately can dry out the eye, and it will be excruciating for the patient even to keep the eye open for more extended periods. Medical professionals recommend giving the eyes an ample amount of time to rest so that the patient can start essential works in a couple of days.
However, suppose a patient is still feeling uncomfortable watching TV or use the phone after a couple of days of the surgery. In that case, the patient must inform the doctor as soon as possible because delay in such critical situations can be costly. The patient must make sure not to apply warm water to the eyes after the surgery as it can be painful and might increase healing time.
Conclusion
Overall, it can be concluded that Photorefractive Keratectomy is one of two methods for having laser surgery on the eye. The surgery is performed on patients who face problems such as blurred or no vision. The surgery is done to remove some part of the cornea from the front part of the eye.
On average, it is advised not to watch TV or use the phone for a couple of days after the surgery. Not following the proper instructions of the doctor can result in worsening the condition of the eye. The patient must take adequate precautions to make sure that there is no further damage to the eye.
References
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014483502002518
- https://journals.healio.com/doi/abs/10.3928/1081597X-20130617-03
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I’m impressed by this article. It’s informative and it makes a lot of sense the reasons it provides.
Very informative. The important instructions given are likely to be ignored by many.
I find the explanation quite logical, but I guess some people just don’t care about their health.
This article arms the patient with the knowledge needed to make a decision.
Seems to be a delicate procedure, I would rather be on the safe side and follow the instructions.
Interesting to know the age-related watching TV recovery time after the surgery. It makes complete sense.
I think the advice provided is essential for anyone interested in having PRK.
This surgical procedure seems to be very delicate and complex. Of course an ample resting period is necessary.
It’s crucial to understand the reasons an ample resting period is needed. Something I would have never thought of.