PRK - Where LASIK was Born

Even in the modern era of bladeless LASIK, iLASIK and other laser eye surgery advances - many people still get the grandfather procedure of it all - PRK. Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) laser eye surgery has been in existence for over a dozen years and is considered a very safe procedure.

Patients with large pupils or thin corneas will usually not be candidates for traditional LASIK, however they will often be suited for having PRK. PRK is performed almost identically to LASIK and other laser eye surgeries. The eye is cleaned and the eyelid is held in place. Anesthetic drops are administered to the eyes numbing them. The surgeon then uses a laser to remove cells fro the surface of the eye instead of reshaping the cornea as is done in the LASIK procedure. The epithelium (thin, clear layer of the eye that is used in PRK) grows back on its own and side effects in the PRK procedure are generally less than experienced in LASIK.

PRK surgery requires a slightly longer recovery time and patients tend to experience greater discomfort including dryness and pain for as long as 6-8 weeks in some cases. Blurred vision during the recovery period is also a big possibility with PRK that patients that undergo traditional LASIK do not usually experience.

Some of the common complaints patients have when undergoing the PRK procedure include dry eyes which can be alleviated by using antibiotic eye drops after surgery which will also help prevent infection. Reduced night vision is another issue many people that undergo PRK face. Daytime vision is dramatically improved however, nighttime or low light vision may be diminished.

A huge majority of patients, a whopping 95% of refractive surgery patients, report they are satisfied with their procedure overall. PRK has many advantages and understanding the very few drawbacks this procedure has will help you make the right decision for your laser vision enhancement surgery.