The common confusion that people with eye problems have is to choose between LASIK and PRK. Often, patients don’t have the proper information on these procedures. The former is classified as a flap procedure and the latter is a surface procedure. A flap procedure requires the creation of a flap on the cornea and a surface procedure does not have this requirement.
What is LASIK and how is it performed?
LASIK is a simple and effective laser eye surgery that is completed in about 10 minutes. After place the patient on the operating bed, an anesthetic eye drop is applied to the operable eye to numb it. An eye-lid clip is used to rend the eye stationary. Next, the surgeon creates a corneal flap and the laser is inserted into the flap. After reshaping the cornea, the flap is positioned back. It is a painless procedure and patients experience benefits immediately after surgery.
What is PRK and how is it performed?
PRK is expanded as Photorefractive Keratectomy. The initial parts of the procedure are similar to LASIK, except that the corneal epithelium is removed – which is the outermost layer of cell. A laser beam is used to achieve the desired corneal orientation. After the surgery, the patient is required to wear bandages. Even this procedure is painless to some extent and there is a recovery period of at least seven days. Vision improvements take time too, needing at least a week to even several weeks. But the major advantage to this procedure is the non-requirement of a corneal flap.
Which treatment to choose?
PRK is suited for patients who do not have the desired corneal thickness for LASIK treatment. Doctors think twice before performing LASIK on patients with irregularly shaped corneas. PRK is recommended for patients with conditions such as corneal dystrophy.
Therefore the default treatment of choice is LASIK unless patients have the aforementioned conditions. It also indicates that LASIK is a superior procedure than PRK. This is also due to the fact that unlike PRK, this procedure does not require bandages, is bleed-less, has negligible recovery time, and provides immediate vision improvements.
Suitability examination
The suitability examination is an eye assessment conducted by a qualified eye surgeon on a patient’s eye. For performing refractive eye treatment, the ideal age range is 21 and 40 years.
Anyone with myopia in excess of -10.00 D, hyperopia more than +4.00 D and astigmatism more than -4.00 D is not eligible for this type of surgery.
A patient with an eye injury within a year leading up to the surgery is not eligible for this type of surgery.
Patients with dry eye problems are not advised to take up this treatment.
Patients should not be suffering from auto-immune diseases.
Conclusion
Consult a qualified eye surgeon at a leading eye clinic such as Houston LASIK & Eye in Houston to get more information on the type of refractive eye surgery to choose.
Houston LASIK & Eye leads in providing premium LASIK technologies to Houston, Sugar Land, and the surrounding region. The Center’s award-winning medical director introduced revolutionary technologies such as iLASIK to the region. The technology is used by NASA astronauts, Navy SEALS, and Air Force fighter pilots. At Houston LASIK & Eye, you can now receive the same treatment. For more information, please call (281) 240-0478.
