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May
Before LASIK, many patients visited their eye doctor (optometrist or ophthalmologist) mainly for updating their eyewear prescription. Do they still need regular…
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What is PRK and how is it different from LASIK?
PRK laser eye surgery (Photorefractive Keratectomy) is a type of laser vision surgery used for the correction of nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism. It is an alternative to LASIK, most often recommended if a patient’s corneas are too thin to make LASIK a safe option for them. PRK was actually the first type of laser vision surgery and is the predecessor from which LASIK was created.
PRK vs. LASIK: How is PRK different from LASIK?
What makes PRK different from LASIK is in how the cornea is prepared. During PRK eye surgery, a thin layer of corneal tissue (epithelium) on the surface of the eye is gently removed. This exposes the cornea to be reshaped by the laser. The laser application to reshape the cornea is just the same as with LASIK and once completed, a contact lens is placed over the eye. This contact lens acts as a bandage, protecting the eye for the few days during epithelial regeneration.
Is PRK painful?
As with LASIK, you should not feel any pain during your PRK procedure. The healing time after the procedure typically take a few days more than LASIK as the epithelial cells have to regenerate. During this time you may experience some more vision fluctations and mild discomfort/eye fatigue than one would after having LASIK, but this can be remedied by ther use of over-the-counter pain medication and wetting drops. The immediate results of PRK are just as significant as those after LASIK though. Just watch this patient right after her procedure with Dr. Gerald Horn.
When is PRK a better choice than LASIK?
PRK is most commonly recommended to patients who aren’t safe candidates for LASIK due to their lack of corneal thickness. The corneal thickness is determined during the FREE LASIK examination and at this time the doctor will recommend the best procedure to correct your vision.
PRK does have added benefits for some patients, regardless of their corneal thickness though. PRK may also be presented as an option for patients who suffer from chronic dry eye, or those who work in certain professions like firefighting/police or participate in certain activities like boxing/MMA where a risk of eye injury is higher and therefore the risk of flap damage following LASIK is possible.
PRK Treats
Farsightedness
Does LASIK correct farsightedness (hyperopia)?
LASIK is the most commonly performed laser eye surgery to treat hyperopia (farsightedness), as well as myopia (nearsightedness) and astigmatism.
Hyperopia is the medical term for “farsightedness”. Being farsighted means you can see far away objects well without the use of glasses or contact lenses, but your near vision is blurry. This is caused by the shape of the cornea being too flat, causing light to focus on a hypothetical point behind the retina.
The LASIK correction of farsightedness is accomplished by steepening the central cornea, thus allowing light to focus correctly on the retina. During the procedure, pulses of cool, ultra-violet light are emitted from a computer-guided Excimer laser to remove corneal cells according to your unique prescription.
PRK Treats
Astigmatism
Does LASIK correct astigmatism?
LASIK is one of the most common laser correction surgeries to correct astigmatism.
If you have astigmatism, without corrective lenses you experience overall blurry vision, shadowing, or distortion of your vision. Astigmatism is a refractive error caused by the cornea having an oval, or football shape resulting in light focusing on multiple points around the retina rather than a single point on the retina.
The LASIK correction of astigmatism is accomplished by smoothing out the irregularities of the cornea at the precise points of astigmatism, thus allowing light to focus correctly on the retina. During the procedure, pulses of cool, ultra-violet light are emitted from a computer-guided Excimer laser to remove corneal cells according to your unique prescription.
PRK Treats
Nearsightedness
Does LASIK correct nearsightedness (myopia)?
LASIK is the most commonly performed laser eye surgery to treat myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism.
Myopia is the medical term for “nearsightedness”. Being nearsighted means you can see near objects well without the use of glasses or contact lenses, but your distance vision is blurry. Myopia affects about one out of every 3 or 4 people.
In order to correct nearsightedness with LASIK, the steep parts of the cornea, which cause the refractive error are flattened using cool pulses of ultraviolet light emitted by the laser, thus allowing light to focus directly on the retina in the back of the eye.
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What is the PRK Process?
Frequently Asked Questions About PRK
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What is the recovery time after PRK?
What is the recovery time after PRK?
One difference between LASIK and PRK is the recovery time. Patients having PRK should expect a slightly longer healing time, during which that may experience vision blurriness during the initial days of healing, and may experience brief periods of discomfort or irritation as the epithelial cells regrow. Prescribed anti-inflammatory and lubricating drops will minimize post-procedural discomfort and speed-up the healing process. As with LASIK eye surgery, the end results are improved vision.
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Is PRK Laser Eye Surgery Painful?
Is PRK Laser Eye Surgery Painful?
As with LASIK, due to the use of anaesthetic numbing drops used, you won’t feel anything, other than light pressure, during the procedure itself. Patients report feeling some mild discomfort and irritation following their PRK procedure, but state it is tolerable. This irritation can be alleviated by the use of lubricating drops and over-the-counter pain relievers are prescribed by your surgeon. The discomfort is most noticeable in the few days immediately following the procedure and abate over time.
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Do I have to be awake during LASIK or PRK?
Do I have to be awake during LASIK or PRK?
We understand that the concept of having someone do something to your eyes can be unsettling, but rest assured, you don’t experience pain. Since the eyes are easily numbed with anaesthetic numbing drops, you won’t feel pain. Being asleep during LASIK eye surgery would actually be detrimental as in order for the cool-pulses of laser light to reshape the cornea in the right places of your eye, you will be asked to focus on a blinking light during the very short procedure (less than a 60 seconds per eye).
08
Sep
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23
Jan
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15
Jan
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It’s normal to feel a twinge of nervousness when researching LASIK. After all, it’s a medical procedure that affects your vision. But…
Search for the term LASIK on the Web, and you’ll receive over 22 million results on the subject. That’s a lot of…
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Our Google reviews speak to the LASIK experience with our teams!
Tobias Midkiff
Caring and Professional. Seeing better than I ever had.
Nicole Brummet
Amazing experience! The staff was great all around! The procedure was so fast, and the result is life changing! I’ve told everyone I know to absolutely do it, and go to TLC!
Sabrina McMullan
Dr. Edelstein did an amazing job on my eyes. I had very poor eye sight prior and now I can see 20/15! They also said it will continue to get sharpen over the next few weeks! The procedure was painless minus mild pressure. Dr Gaines has been amazing guiding me through the process and making sure I have the correct prescription and the right eye drops for after care. The reception staff have been exceptional! Extremely nice and professional. LOVED my experience here! 10/10 recommend!
Brett Snodgrass
Life-Changing LASIK – From 20/100 to 20/20 Vision Pre-Surgery (20/100 Vision) I had 20/100 vision before LASIK – meaning at 20 feet I saw what normal vision sees at 100 feet. After years of indecision, I finally scheduled the procedure. On surgery day I arrived nervous. The staff gave me a folder of instructions, a pair of sunglasses, and three bottles of Hylooptase eye drops (for post-op dry eyes). I put on a hairnet, got numbing & antibiotic drops, and waited ~45 minutes. (There can be some waiting during visits, which is normal.) The LASIK Procedure The procedure itself was quick and painless. First, a femtosecond laser created a flap by cutting through my cornea’s epithelium and Bowman’s layer (the thin surface layers). This flap disrupts those layers (and a bit of the stroma) but leaves the deeper cornea layers (Descemet’s membrane and endothelium) intact [PMID 1234567]. Next, I moved to a second machine where an excimer laser reshaped my underlying cornea to correct my vision. Each laser step took only seconds per eye. I felt pressure during the flap creation secondary to the suction cup application, and my vision dimmed for a moment, but there was zero pain. After the lasers, the surgeon flushed my eye with cool saline and put the flap back in place. The staff was excellent. The surgeon (with a slight british accent) performed the laser steps efficiently, and the technician talked me through everything calmly. The whole thing was over in about 10 minutes! Post-Op Care and Recovery Immediately after surgery, my vision was very foggy and my eyes felt gritty. The clinic checked my eyes in the operating room by having me read the clock, which I could, and then sent me home with a green bag of supplies: sunglasses, three rewetting eye drops, and an antibiotic/steroid drop (moxifloxacin + prednisolone). They offered me Tylenol PM for comfort, but I took doxylamine succinate (a sleep aid) at home instead and napped for a couple of hours. At first I even had trouble seeing the small print on the eye drop bottles due to the blur, so I needed a bit of help putting in my drops. By that evening, my vision had cleared enough to handle the drops myself. Use the medicated drops and the artificial tears as instructed to fight dryness and sleep with the protective eye shields that they give for a month to avoid rubbing the eyes or pressure while asleep. I did experience some minor side effects like dry eyes and halos around lights at night (especially in the first 2 weeks), but they improved each day and were manageable with frequent drops. Tips: Follow the post-op instructions diligently (use the drops, wear the shields, etc.), and have realistic expectations. The vision will be hazy at first and side effects like dryness or halos are normal early on – don’t worry, they typically get better quickly. Interestingly, despite LASIK’s high success (~95% satisfaction rate), only ~0.2% of eligible people actually get the surgery [PMID 3456789]. Fear and cost deter many. I was nervous too, but now I wish I had not waited so long.
_Sazzy Jazzy
Thank you for my procedure. I love it !
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