TransPRK - an alternative to lasik! ✨

Once upon a time, I was just like many others who would have to set time to put on contact lenses before going out, worry about whether they can survive another day with their lenses and dry eyes or go out feeling lousy wearing specs 💀

I always knew I wanted to get my eyesight corrected and people always talk about lasik, but I came across TransPRK while researching and it turned out to be one of the BEST decisions I’ve made 🥰✨ I have compiled some common questions I got about TransPRK from my friends when I did the surgery!

*Disclaimer: I did my TransPRK with Clearvision in Jun 2020, so prices would have changed & your experiences may differ!

📌 What is TransPRK?

I am not gonna tweak the explanation, so here’s the official one from Clearvision :

“an all-laser, one-step, no-touch, minimally invasive vision correction procedure which does not require a flap to be cut in the cornea. Having no corneal flap cut eliminates some of the risks with cut-flap LASIK such as flap-related complications and dry eyes.”

📌 How much did the procedure cost?

Total Cost: $4,031.45 (inclusive of surgery + 5x follow up sessions)

I used a $120 discount code for the actual surgery here ‼️ there may be more costs needed for the surgery if you need additional corneal cross linking, which will be advised by the doctor when you do the consultation. The cost in each follow up session may also vary depending on the amount of medication you need!

📌 What was the surgery process like?

It took less than 10 min in total. After entering the operating room:

1️⃣ They let you get used to staring at this flickering green light while they prepare

2️⃣ They put A HUGE LOAD of numbing drops into your first eye

3️⃣ The doctor uses a metal thing (like a tweezer-ish thing?) to keep your eye open

4️⃣ The green light will keep getting bigger and seems to swirl at you! There was some burnt smell, but it didn’t hurt at all. In fact, I just struggled to keep my eye open for so long 🥲

5️⃣ The doctor cleans your eye, adds some drops, and puts on bandage lenses for you

6️⃣ Repeat steps 2-5 for the other eye

The bandage lenses in 5️⃣ can be removed in 3-5 days depending on your recovery.

I’d also highly encourage you to have someone accompany you back home after since you can barely see anything after! Otherwise, the nurses would also help you book a Grab.

📌 Why did you choose TransPRK over lasik?

1️⃣ I’ve heard that lasik may cause flap-related complications. For more context, lasik is like flipping open the top layer of your cornea, shooting a laser in to correct your degree, then closing the flap. TransPRK involves burning off the outer layer (what they call epithelium cells), shooting a laser to correct your degree, and letting that outer layer grow back naturally. I’ve heard of cases where the flap slips, which is why I opted for TransPRK since it sounds safer!

2️⃣ My other concern was how lasik surgery seemed more invasive. A friend of mine who went through it said he found it really cool, like driving through a car wash, seeing the actual equipment open the flap and then washing it etc. I WAS SO HORRIFIED AT THE THOUGHT OF EQUIPMENT TOUCHING MY ACTUAL EYE 🤯 TransPRK was a “no eyeball” touch surgery, which was why I felt more comfortable with it.

For a detailed comparison (e.g., suitability, recovery periods), you can read here ‼️

📌 How long did you take to recover?

TransPRK takes far longer than lasik for you to recover fully. For me, I was almost at 0/0 by my 3rd week, while friends who went the lasik route would say they could see clearly the next day!

The doctor gave me a 5 day MC, and I spent a lot of time just listening to podcasts since my eyes felt SO uncomfortable to even stare at the phone 😭 les (my bf then) really took care of me super well, diligently administering my eyedrops for me at designated times and tending to my messages.

📌 Did it hurt at all?

During surgery, no.

During recovery, to some extent. I would say it’s more of discomfort because of the bandage lenses rather than pain. It’s like when you wear contact lenses and they feel dislodged - that sort of feeling. I felt it twice - during days 1 and 3, and took the painkillers and sleeping pills provided by the clinic to get over it.

I did also get a hell of an itching feeling on day 8 when I went back to work and had to stare at the screen 🤯 so remember to give yourself breaks!!

📌 Why are you wearing that hideous pair of sunglasses?

Y’all, if you see anyone with such a pair of sunglasses, it’s likely because they just did lasik or TransPRK 😹 your eyes will be terribly sensitive to light, so trust me, you will LOVE wearing these glasses no matter how ugly they are 🥲

And you need to wear it for ONE MONTH.

📌 How has your lifestyle change after doing TransPRK?

Life has been AMAZING since TransPRK and I have NO regrets. I do find myself with drier eyes when I wake up and stare at electronic devices, so I use eyedrops when I wake up, and bought myself a pair of no-degree blue lens glasses. It helps a lot! 🙏🏼

📌 Endnote:

I’ve had at least four other friends who went to do TransPRK after me, and I’ve only heard great reviews so far! Of course, if you’d like to learn more, you can always just start off with booking an eye evaluation and taking their info booklet (it has lots of info and FAQs, super informative!) - you have to go through an eye evaluation before you book your surgery anyways!!

Either way, wishing all those interested to venture on a perfect eyesight journey a smooth and safe one 🫶🏼✨

#transprk #lasik #beauty #beautyrecommendation #MyLemon8Diary #MyLemon8Journey