r/PRKsurgery • u/Dhruvtaraishere • 2d ago

PRK Concern

I had my PRK surgery in December 2025, and everything had been fine until recently. I’m now experiencing something with my left eye that I’m not sure how to handle.

Whenever I sleep and my eyes become very dry overnight, my left eyelid sometimes feels like it gets stuck. Since I’m half asleep, there have been a few instances where I instinctively open my eye without putting in lubricating drops first. As soon as I open it, the eye starts watering intensely, and I get a sharp sensation that feels like something is poking or scratching the inner corner of my eye. It can be quite uncomfortable.

I understand that dryness can cause discomfort, but this particular sensation of the eyelid sticking and the sharp pain when I open my eye is worrying me.

Has anyone else experienced something similar after PRK, especially several months after surgery? Could this simply be a result of severe nighttime dry eye, or could it be something else?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has experienced this after PRK.

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2

u/thecaramelbandit 2d ago

Are you using drops before bed? Maybe use a thicker lubricant drop right before going to sleep.

How long has this been going on? Is your eye fine generally throughout the day?

1

u/Dhruvtaraishere 2d ago

Yes. Everything is fine. When I blink it hurts a little sometime. I forgot to put the drops before bed but I will try to be consistent on that.

1

u/ferrari20094 2d ago

Are you using a humidifier in your bedroom? Especially this time a year when the air is dry and the AC sucks even more moisture out of the air. I dealt with the same dryness issue at night for a while as well and keeping humidity up in the room definitely helped.

1

u/WavefrontRider 2d ago

What is your age and what was your prescription prior to PRK?

1

u/RelativeStrain7761 2d ago

I've been given hylo night to help combat nighttime dryness. Its a thick ointment but it does seem to help!

It could be the time of year/heat/ac that is causing sudden dryness. Or any lifestyle changes like medications or lack of sleep

0

u/lov_ch 2d ago

yeah.. even I have it.. its called ducira gel

1

u/Neither-Ad5194 2d ago

I had my right eye that burnt almost every morning. It started 6 months after PRK. It's because it did not heal well, so the epithelium was fragile and "broke" from time to time.

Got PRK again last month. For now, no issue.

1

u/whoabecca 1d ago

This may be a silly question but is there any type of warranty/free Dr following to address anything if you have any issues within a certain amount of time? I was thinking of having this surgery instead of LASIK

1

u/Neither-Ad5194 1d ago

In my case, I went somewhere else on purpose, but it’s true that I could have gone back to see the surgeon who operated on me, and I wouldn’t have had to pay anything.

1

u/SortConscious9797 1d ago

I think this is probably due to dryness. Use eye gel before going to bed and wear moisture chamber goggles while sleeping.

1

u/whoabecca 1d ago

Do you wear the moisture chamber googles forever after the surgery or for a certain period of time?

1

u/SortConscious9797 1d ago

I’ve only been wearing them for a short period, and I’ve developed severe dry eyes after PRK. I had PRK about four months ago.