When can I swim after PRK?

Published sources do not name a specific swimming date after PRK, so follow your surgeon. What the sources do establish is why the wait exists.

The epithelium is the cornea's barrier against germs, and PRK removes it. StatPearls says re-epithelialization takes about 3 to 5 days, that antibiotic drops are typically used until re-epithelialization is complete, and that corneal infection after PRK, while very rare, usually appears on postoperative days 2 to 4. The American Academy of Ophthalmology lists corneal infection as a possible PRK complication. Pool, hot tub, lake, and ocean water all carry organisms that a healing cornea is not ready for.

There is a second reason with the bandage lens in. A contact lens sitting on a healing eye in untreated water is a known infection setup. Keep water out of the eye entirely in the early phase, including in the shower, and let water run down your back rather than over your face. Most surgeons keep patients out of pools and open water for a couple of weeks, but ask yours for your number.