PRK

What is PRK? 

Similar to Lasik, PRK procedure corrects vision through corneal modification.  It is utilized to correct myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. Just like Lasik, it uses a laser to modify the cornea tissue and correct vision.  The difference is that in this surgery, there are no corneal incisions. 

Procedure:

During the surgery, the physician removes a very thin layer of the external cornea (the epithelium) to have access to the inner layers. After the procedure, the patient will have to use therapeutic contact lenses to promote the healing of the epithelium which will take approximately 3 to 5 days.  Both Lasik and PRK have similar results in vision correction. However, the recovery after PRK is generally slower. The main advantage of PRK is that patients, who are not good candidates for Lasik surgery, can be treated successfully with PRK.

Many patients are fearful that PRK is painful. To insure that the patient is well prepared, the doctor uses anesthetic ocular drops, and most patients assure that the procedure is painless. The first days after surgery, it is possible that the patient may feel a small amount of eye pain because the epithelium is healing. In order to reduce this discomfort, the doctor will prescribe some drops for pain, and contact lenses for the eyes. Most patients reduce normal activities from 1 to 3 days at the most. However the recovery from PRK varies from patient to patient.