I have myopia (-7.75) and astigmatism (4). Is PRK surgery suitable for this type of vision correction? If so, will my vision return to 20/20 afterward? I'm asking specifically about PRK because I'm applying to a military academy, and they don't accept any vision correction procedures other than PRK.
I would say not go for PRK surgery,
Reason being your astigmatism is more than -2 dioptre and
Sphere is more than -6 dioptre sphere
Post PRK haze is common with patients who have Laser surgery to correct more than -6 dioptre sphere and -2 dioptre cylinder or astigmatism
Way too high for PRK. Even with a thick cornea, your vision quality will suffer. An honest doctor would deny surgery.
You can but you need Mitomicin C (your ophthalmologist will be aware of it) to prevent scarring. I would suggest topographically guided treatment. A lot of Chinese and Koreans are up at that level.
Most people with your level of myopic astigmatism barely achieve 20/20 with correction preoperatively. I think you shouldn’t expect degrees of perfection you don’t have now.
The military will take you even with glasses, so if the aim is to get in, then you only need to be within their requirements which is usually less than -3.0 and 20/20 corrected with glasses.
Have realistic expectations of what’s achievable with such a severe defect in vision and you will easily get in. Don’t push it for perfection. It won’t be.
PRK recovery sucks more upfront - first week is painful with light sensitivity and you can't see well for days. But no flap complications like LASIK and better for thin corneas. I did PRK at 28 and vision stabilized at 20/15 after three months. Worth it if your doc says LASIK isn't safe for you.