What Is Prk Eye Surgery? Vision Correction Surgery Explained

PRK eye surgery is very similar to LASIK eye surgery

, but with certain differences. PRK stands for photorefractive keratectomy and was actually the most popular form of corrective eye surgery before LASIK was invented. PRK has since become used less frequently and oftentimes is only used when the patient has a very thin cornea and the surgeon believes PRK is a better choice.

PRK eye surgery is, like LASIK, used to treat eye problems such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. Both types of refractive surgery use lasers to reshape the cornea and thus improve vision. The major difference is that during PRK surgery, instead of a small part of the cornea being flipped out of place, the entire outer layer of the cornea is removed. This gives the surgeon full access to the inner layers of the cornea. Then, just as with LASIK eye surgery, the inner layers are subjected to precise laser treatments to reshape the cornea.

Another main difference deals with the amount of time it takes to heal from PRK eye surgery. Because LASIK only requires a small part of the outer cornea to be moved out of place and then replaced to heal, PRK requires bandage contact lenses in order to hold the layer of the cornea in place to better promote healing. It does take longer for PRK patients to heal.

There are benefits to PRK as opposed to LASIK for corrective eye surgery. Because there are some instances in which a person is not a good candidate for LASIK, it may mean that they can turn to PRK surgery as an alternative. Deciding which refractive surgery is right for you will be determined by your eye doctor. For example, if you have corneal scars, LASIK may not be an effective method, whereas PRK can work well.

Just like LASIK, PRK does not hurt during the refractive surgery procedure, but can be uncomfortable once the procedure is finished and feeling comes back to your eye. You can also ask your doctor about custom PRK corrective eye surgery to improve your vision even more.

by: Penelope Stone

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