PRK Corrective Procedure
Corrective PRK Eye Surgery
A few minutes prior to PRK eye surgery, anesthetic drops will be applied to the patient's eye to numb the eye and prevent pain during the procedure. A speculum will be placed to hold the lids apart for the procedure, eliminating any concern that blinking during the procedure would present a problem. The PRK eye surgeon will then gently remove the surface corneal cells (epithelium) and proceed with the laser aspect of the procedure. The laser, being computer driven for accuracy and precision, is programmed based on the patient’s refractive error (nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism).
PRK Eye Surgery Laser Delivery
The laser delivery takes less than one minute for most patients. Once the refractive ablation is completed, i.e., the corneal curvature is reshaped, the surgeon will place a bandage contact lens on the eye for improved comfort along with anti-inflammatory and antibiotic eye drops.
PRK Recovery Time
This contact lens is worn for the first 2 to 3 days until the surface epithelium is healed. Expect at least a few visits with you surgeon during the first month following surgery, with the first visit being the next day surgery. When the surface epithelium is healed, the eye will be comfortable, and the bandage contact lens is removed. Vision may be still blurry at this time. Your vision will gradually improve. Generally, vision will be good enough to drive a car within a week or two, but your best vision may not be obtained for up to 6 weeks to 2-3 months following surgery.
During the post-operative recovery period, most PRK patients will need to be re-evaluated one day, three days, one week, one month, two to three months, and four to six months following the PRK eye surgery.
PRK vs LASIK
PRK surgery results are very similar to LASIK results, at least for patients up to approximately ¬6.0 diopters of myopia (nearsightedness). However, in general, PRK patients will have a somewhat slower recovery of their best vision than LASIK patients. However, studies at the 6 month postoperative visit in LASIK and PRK patients show essentially equivalent results with this range of myopia.
Detailed analysis on LASIK vs LASEK vs PRK by the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington School of Medicine.
How PRK Surgery Works
Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is a procedure in which the surface of the cornea is reshaped using an Excimer laser. This process removes only 5-10% of the thickness of the cornea for mild to moderate myopia - about the thickness of 1 to 3 human hairs.
PRK vs Traditional LASIK
PRK does not create a corneal flap utilizing the microkeratome, and therefore, the protective superficial layers of the cornea must heal post-surgery. This generally means that patients who undergo PRK surgery will require significantly more recovery time than LASIK patients in order to achieve their best vision.
PRK eye surgery may be used to treat myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), or astigmatism. The outcomes of LASIK and PRK are quite comparable at 6 months after surgery. But with PRK surgery, there is a greater risk of scarring (haze) and unpredictable healing of the cornea. The risk of infection is also slightly higher with PRK than with LASIK, although infections following either procedure are rare. Many surgeons prefer PRK surgery for patients with larger pupils or thin corneas.
Orgins of PRK Surgery
PRK was invented in the early '80s. The first FDA approval of a PRK laser was in 1995, but the procedure was practiced in other countries for years prior.
After PRK
Your vision may be blurry for the first few days after your PRK treatment as the corneal surface heals. Avoid rubbing your eye (your doctor will tell you how long). You will probably wear a special "bandage" contact lens, use antibiotic eye drops for a few days, and apply anti-inflammatory eye drops for several weeks.