PRK Procedure
About the PRK Eye Surgery Procedure
PRK is an overwhelmingly successful eye surgery procedure. Most of the people who have had PRK report they no longer need to wear glasses or contacts. In a large clinical trial, two-thirds of the patients who had PRK can see 20/20 or better without corrective lenses. 95% can see at least 20/40, well enough to pass a driver's test. However, depending on your particular circumstances and prescription, other options and alternatives to PRK may better suit your vision correction needs.
PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) used to be the most common laser vision correction procedure. LASIK has since surpassed PRK due to its ability to correct more severe visual acuity with less recovery time and with decreased risks of infection, haze and scarring.
The Procedure
No scalpels are used and no incisions are made with the PRK procedure. Before the procedure, an extremely detailed map of the surface of your eyes is created by a computer. Your surgeon uses this map to calibrate the excimer laser to your exact prescription.
After calibrating the laser properly, an eyelid holder is placed in your eye to keep it open throughout the procedure.
You will also be given some anesthetic drops to numb the eye and prevent pain.
With the laser, your surgeon prepares the eye by gently removing the epithelium, the eye's protective first layer of cells, which will naturally regenerate itself in a few days. This reveals the next layer of corneal tissue known as Bowman's layer. The surgeon will then smooth the area and proceed with applying computer-controlled pulses of cool laser light to precisely and delicately reshape the curvature of the eye. Deeper cell layers remain virtually untouched.
The entire PRK procedure is usually finished in less than five minutes and is painless. Since a layer about as thin as a human hair is typically removed, the cornea maintains its original strength.
After the procedure you are given antibiotic drops, along with anti-inflammatory agents to promote comfort and reduce any swelling that may occur. You may also be fitted with a bandage contact lens to improve your comfort while your eye is healing. Once the epithelium has healed, usually on the second or third day after the procedure, the bandage contact lens is removed by your doctor. Daily eye examinations are required during this initial healing process to ensure an infection does not develop.
As a PRK patient, you will use steroid anti-inflammatory drops for typically around 2 months under the direct supervision of your eye doctor to complete the healing process.
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