In this blog, I am going to share with you a little bit about my healing process of Superficial Keratectomy. If you’ve never heard of this term, it is the scraping of the corneal epithelium, which is the outermost part of the eye. Please refer to Google for a more in-depth explanation.
I needed this procedure to help with my corneal abrasion. This means that my epithelium, the outermost part of my cornea, had some rough scars on it, probably from dryness, which caused me to see very cloudy. I also saw halos around lights. The scars would also swell up while seeing almost all white instead of colorful objects. Blinking became a very tough chore for me. This had been going on for over 5 years, so I had to at least try out this method to help me feel and see better as the pain got more unbearable.
Day 1: Pain & More Pain
I had this surgery done on April 2, 2019, around 11:30 am on my right eye.
I was not allowed to drive for a while, especially right after the surgery. This makes sense because the numbing and anesthetic drops definitely made me feeling some type of way.
After the very quick procedure, I decided to take a quick nap because I felt a bit drowsy, and my eyes started feeling a bit sore. In about 30 minutes when the numbing drops wore off, right after the quick nap, the pain kicked in. I was in so much pain, I was screaming all over the place. It felt like my eyes were very sore (which they were), causing an extreme burning sensation and pain in the eye. Although the procedure was done on one eye, I wasn’t able to open both eyes at the same time. I tried to open my eyes several times but wasn’t too successful at it. Tears would just fall down my eyes when I tried. I wasn’t crying, my eyes was just tearing up a lot. Overall, I felt very uncomfortable.
For the rest of the day, I had to be fed since I couldn’t open my eyes, Sleeping wasn’t too comfortable but doable after taking some Ibuprofen.
Day 2: Tears, Tears, Tears
My eye still teared up the minute I tried to open it. It felt like this wasn’t healing any quicker. I was already tired as the day felt so long. I felt pretty helpless, but luckily, I had someone around to take care of me. which meant the world to me.
I was still in a lot of pain on day 2; sore, burning eyes. Painful.
Day 3: Tiredness and Longer Days, But Eyes Finally Opened!
On this day, time had never been slower!! It would only be 11am, and I would expect it to be about 8pm. I was partially fed on this day, but I went outside for the first time since the procedure. Although I could barely open my eyes for a long period of time since they felt so tired, I was happy that my right eye had started to heal.
Day 4: Eyes Fully Opened, Not Much Pain
Just once in a while, I would feel some pain in the eyeball, which obviously meant that the eye was still sore, but it felt much better. I was able to do anything I wanted to do, but I made sure not to irritate it.
Day 5: Good
Everything was just better overall. My eyes could fully open, and I was able to do things on my own.
Day 6: Much Better!!
You wouldn’t even have thought that I had recently had any eye surgery.
Day 7: Follow Up
By this time, I was fully able to open my right eye. I went to the hospital for a follow up, and the corneal specialist took out the bandage contacts after noticing that my epithelium had fully grown back.
Week 4 Update
My vision had definitely gotten better but I still saw halos around lights whenever the eye got irritated. However, this didn’t always happen when I made sure to lubricate my eyes and use the drops or the ointment my doctor had prescribed me. I am able to drive better at night.
The cloudiness had reduced a lot! I did see cloudy sometimes with the halos. However, it just didn’t seem like I was partially blind with all the cloudy, white vision I first had with the scars.
I haven’t had any terrible scar swelling and I couldn’t be any happier. The scar swelling on the cornea was one of the worst pains I had ever felt on my eye. (Update-this turned out to be bullous keratopathy, a blister on the eye. I had to deal with that issue separately)
At this point, I felt like the sooner the procedure, the better! I may have had cloudy visions due to the fact that the scar went deeper over the past 5 years (just a guess).
7 Month Update: Warm Packs & Humidifiers Are Now My Best Friend!
Honestly, I felt so upset and hopeless when I still saw halos around lights. I dealt with more swelling that had me rushing to the doctor every now and then. At some point, I just wanted to consider having my eye taken out, and then I introduced myself to warm packs and humidifiers after doing some research. I purchased a cold/warm pack so I could go back and forth with each temperature to test out what was best for me. Cold compresses helped, but the warm compresses reduced my swelling for a longer period of time. With the warm compresses, my halos reduced drastically for a while. I would have bad days where I couldn’t do anything about the halos, but warm compresses and humidifiers have definitely helped me until I was able to get to the bottom of the main cause of these vision issues.
I would keep the warm pack on my eye for the rest of the night. It usually stays warm for about 15-30 mins.
8th Month Update: Vitamins Added
I am not sure if this helped at all, but it definitely didn’t hurt to try. I did a lot of research about the top vitamins that help out with dry eyes, and I came across the Omega 3 Fish Oil. So far, so good. I have not seen a drastic change, but my eye feels much more comfortable overall.
This corneal scraping procedure may be mild, but the eye is very delicate so the pain can be pretty intense for the first few days.
Overall, I am glad that I had this surgery because it has given me the chance to have better vision again. Having these visual medical eye issues was probably the worst parts of my life- I couldn’t see, and I was in constant pain. My life was basically on a pause for years.
Scared of the whole process? DO NOT WORRY! The procedure is much quicker and painless than you think! Trust me, if I can do it, so can you. I waited 5 years for mine due to fear.
If you are considering having this procedure done, don’t panic. If you’ve already done it, I am wishing you a speedy recovery. Best of luck and I hope you learned something from this post. Let me know how yours went!
If you would like more updates on this, please let me know, and I will be happy to do so!
XX
Barbara
SHOP MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE DROPS, OINTMENTS & REMEDIES BELOW:
I was scheduled to have this done a few months back but after reading how painful it is I called and cancelled out. My eyes burn so bad that it’s painful to hold them open and my vision is blurred and I can’t drive at night at all but I’m afraid if I don’t call back and set up another appointment my eyes may get even worse to point that I can’t hold them open at all. It also worries me because of my age I’m 65 . Help? Do you have any advise?
Author
Hello Debra! If your eyes are burning a few days after the surgery, that’s totally expected. Mine burned for a while and I couldn’t open my eyes until the 4th day post surgery. However, if you’re still in pain afterwards, I definitely recommend you schedule that appointment to get it looked at. I also really hope they gave you medication for the pain.
I wish you a speedy recovery!
My son who is 34 had the operation and it did not pain him afterward as we were anticipating it, but when the halos disappeared, he felt much better!
My son had this procedure done last week and the band that she was taking off after six days we understand it’s going to take a couple of weeks for the blurriness to go away, and the dryness continues every day. He has dryness and puts artificial tears but the doctor said if he doesn’t put ointment every night for the next year, it will come back soon the condition Did anyone have a doctor to say put ointment in every night for one year?
Author
Hi Linda! If it’s the ointment version of the artificial tears, that will help a lot with the dryness for however long he needs it for. Sometimes they last longer in the eyes than the tears.
Wishing your son a quick recovery.
Thank you Barbara.. Wishing you a quick recovery too!💕
also, I was curious to know how long before you can use the computer? Thank you.
Hello Barbara,
Thank you so much for your post. I have been told that i need the surgery for my scar tissue in my right eye that developed years after I had RK to correct my myopia. I have been delaying the decision because I am so afraid of the pain. I had my wisdom tooth taken out one time and it was pretty bad. That’s why I dread this procedure since the dr said that it’s going to be pretty painful for about 7 days and they would prescribe narcotics. The word ‘narcotics’ already freaks me out. Would you say that OTC meds would work because I really dont want to take narcotics hearing about addiction and all that. Aslo, there ‘s always a chance that one could develop scar tissue again after the procedure, right?
Author
Hello Denise! I completely understand. It took me 5 years to get the procedure done because I was so scared, but the whole procedure lasted for less than 2 minutes and it wasn’t painful. I wasn’t given any medication for my healing process so it was extremely painful for about 2 days, but I took some Ibuprofen to help. It definitely helped, but I would recommend making sure to take them on time for it to take effect. To answer your other question about computer usage, I couldn’t properly open my eyes for about 2 days so I didn’t even think of using a computer. I went back to work after the 7 days and my eye felt sore but was able to fully open. So I was able to use my computer then.
I hope this helps.
Hi everyone. If you had vision regression or loss of vision post-surgery, I have some questions. ( 1 ) How often were you passing stool post-surgery? ( 2 ) How is your liver and kidney health? If you have menstrual cycles do you have severe cramping? Anyone: do you have cystic acne?
Hi,
I had this procedure done 8 days ago and am yet to see any improvement in my vision. I still have blurred vision in my right eye like I did before I had the procedure done… do you know if this is normal or how long it took you to notice a positive difference in your vision please?
Author
Hello! So sorry to see this much later, but I hope you’re doing much better now. Recovery always depends on the individual and it gets better, but I would say, if you’re still having other symptoms even after this surgery, it could be a cause from something else that needs to be looked into. I hope that’s not the case and that you are healing very well :). Wishing you a speedy recovery!
Thank so much for writing this blog! Sooo helpful. Just had the procedure Tuesday, June 6, 2023 on my right eye. Today is my 3rd day. Still basically staying in my dark bedroom. Finally pain free, however, sill having discomfort & headaches. If it wasn’t for you laying it all out there, I wouldn’t have known what to expect. They said “you will be uncomfortable for a few days”! That was an understatement. They tapped my eyelid closed. Next appointment on 13th (7 days) is when the corneal bandage will come out. Have to have my left eye done too , about 6 weeks down the line. I do have a question….once the bandage is taken out, is the eye very bloodshot & sore?
Thanks again, Carol
Author
Hello Carol! I’m so glad you find this post helpful. Wow, saying you would be uncomfortable is such an understatement. Did you get any medication to help manage the pain?
To answer your question, yes, my eye was bloodshot for a few days and sore for several weeks. I think that happens because although it takes about 7 days for the epithelium to fully grow back, the eye itself is still recovering. My glasses prescription became more stable after a year, but before then, my eye felt very delicate for a long time. It didn’t feel the same but got much better with time.
I hope that helps. Wishing you a speedy recovery, and the very best of luck on the left eye.
No medication prescribed. Was advised to take 2 Advil, after 3 hours 2 Tylenol & continue this way every 3 hours. I’m lucky if I made it every 2 hours. They did give me a bottle of comphy drops (numbing + artificial tears) to use 3x a day for 3 days. But was advised not to use if I didn’t have to because it would delay healing. I actually went to see ophthalmologist for cataract surgery. However, told me corneas need to be in shape first. So after, the scraping of my left eye, cataract surgery right around the corner. Thank you for your kind words. Will keep you posted
Carol
Today, I had the superficial keratectomy done.
My vision waa 20/30+ & I saw 3 moons. My corneal surgeon said that he will take the contact lens off in a week & that In 2 weeks I should be back to seeing 20/20.
Has anyone had this procedure done with the good results that I am hoping for.
Also, the doc said that he only scraped off a small area just off the center of my cornea that had the ripple in it.
I underwent the procedure on May 22, 2023 and am a recovering 73 yr old male golfer. I am still taking the steroid and antibiotic drops and seems to be getting better. The doctor placed a clear contact of the abrasion the following day and changed a couple days after. That really helped with the pain the day following. Yes, it was painful and challenging the day after. Currently, I am seeing a bit blurry but understand this is normal for the healing process which is a slow process. I did golf yesterday but got tired at the end. Still adding drops often. Curious, can one provide the length of time it takes for the healing process to stabilize and the vision to be normalized. Great that there is no more bright light haze only blurry vision. Thank you to those that can provide insight and information.
Hi,
Thank you for your blog on this topic. How successful was the procedure in preventing RCE? I am very uncomfortable about dealing with the pain/recovery after the procedure.
Appreciate the info you and others have shared.
Author
Hello! The procedure was successful in terms of getting rid of the scars my RCE had created. However, I still had episodes until I found a new doctor who tried looking into the main cause of my RCE’s. I sometimes have fluid buildup in my eye so now i have eye drops helping with that. So that combination has been very helpful to me.
The procedure is very fast. With some medication i’m sure you will be okay. Best of luck. You got this.
Hello! I’m scheduled for this procedure next week. When you say you weren’t given any medication for the recovery, does that include eye drops? I’m hoping to receive eye drops for the pain that I can use in conjunction with ibuprofen. Would you say the pain was worse that a bad RCE episode? I’m sooo afraid of the pain because my initial injury and some of the RCE episodes afterward were so bad, it’s like I’m signing up to relive those all over again.
Author
Hello Shadi! That’s correct. I only healed with bandage contacts and ibuprofen. I wasn’t given and pain relief eyedrops so i experienced severe pain for the first few days. I’ve heard some patients got some useful medications though, so it’s possible for you to ask for one.
The pain felt different for my RCE episodes. It’s more of a burning sensation after the procedure when the numbing drops wear off, but it should totally be more manageable with some medication. If you’ve dealt with very bad RCE’s, you will be able to mange this pain.
I hope this helps, and best of luck on your procedure and recovery. It’s a very fast procedure and you’ll be healed before you know it.
I had this procedure on July 18, 2022. All info I had was the recovery would be two weeks. (I am a 76 yr old woman) The healing and ability to see have not returned. Light is my enemy, so computer work and even tv are not anything I can do for more than a half hour. The burning has never stopped. I use my eye drops as directed. Your stated experience of increasing the humidity in my apartment and trying the warm packs sounds good. I will start today to see if it helps. I have contacted my Dr, but as normal, I get no person, just an opportunity to leave a message which I have done. Thank you for your post I will start working on increasing the moisture in my environment.
Author
Hello Carol! I am so sorry to hear that you’re still been having issues after your procedure. Recovery can take longer that expected, but it’s important to work with eye specialists who are willing to look further into the causes of the pain you’re having. I found a different doctor after the one who performed my surgery and he was able to help with my painful episodes and noticed some irregularities with my eye.
Yes, please try the warm packs to see if that helps. Cold packs can at least temporary help with the burning until you find a long-term solution. Also ask your doctor for a bandage contact lenses to make blinking a bit more bearable in case that’s causing more irritation. Best of luck, and I wish you a speedy recovery.
I just had this procedure last week as a unplanned emergency. My ophthalmologist indicated recovery would be painful. I was in extreme pain for about 2 days. Thank you for your write up, it’s the only thing I found online that truly represents the recovery experience of a superficial keratectomy.
Author
Oh man! Must have been scary and confusing at the same time since you had such a short time to take it all in. I am so happy you found this helpful. Happy to help! Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Hi I’m having the procedure done next week and I’m very stressed reading how painful it was for you the next few days. The bandage lens didn’t help with the pain? Thank you
Author
Hi Andrea! Don’t worry, it’s a very quick procedure and it didn’t hurt during the process. It started hurting when the anesthetic drops wore off, but just FYI I wasn’t given any medication for recovery so my healing process was a bit hard. The bandage lens helped when i tried to blink, but it would have been easier to handle had i been given a strong medication.I hope this helps answer your question.
All the best!
Barbara
I want to give advice to help with the pain.I had my surgery done on January 16 2023 after the procedure was completed I immediately start taking extra strength Tylenol every four hours and never felt any pain
Author
Thank you for the detailed advice, Regina. Wishing you a speedy recovery 🙂