PRK Surgery – What you should know

If you are considering getting laser eye surgery to correct your vision, the initial procedure that might cross your might will most likely be LASIK eye surgery, however for many candidates PRK Surgery might be a better option. For some individuals it might be the only option.

So you might be wondering why someone would consider going through PRK laser eye surgery, well it’s main benefit that can be seen over LASIK is that a corneal flap is not left remaining and also their are fewer chances of complications visible. When discussing the corneal flap, we can see that it is an actual change in the structure in the eye and it may prevent future surgical treatments if their are any complications.

To date, LASIK can be seen as being more popular when considered to PRK surgery and that is because of some of the cons of PRK surgery. PRK laser eye surgery has a much longer recovery time because the epithelium is completely removed and it takes time for it to grow back. This alone causes recovery to be a lot more painful when compared to LASIK even though there is no cutting involved in PRK surgery. Also it takes quite some time for PRK patients to reach their best uncorrected vision, which is usually between one to three months. LASIK results are far more faster.

For many individuals, the option of the two is not even a consideration. The limitations are due to the fact that these candidates have thin corneas and are only suited for PRK surgery. If LASIK surgery were to be preformed on an individual with a thin cornea than their is the possibility of jeopardizing the integrity of the cornea and therefore PRK is the recommended method because it does not do as much change to the structure of the cornea when compared to LASIK.

This decision is one that should be made carefully by an individual only after learning and understanding both options that are available for laser eye surgery. You should do your research and weigh the pros and cons of both procedures and make a decision that works best for you.

Risks and Complications of PRK Laser Eye Surgery

You may be familiar with the benefits of PRK laser eye surgery, however have you done your research and educated yourself about the risks and complications that are involved? Their are a few things that advertisements on laser vision correction do not tell you and it is essential that you know before going through the procedure of vision correction.

You must keep in mind that any surgical procedure carries risks and laser eye surgery is not any different. Some risks that are involved in the procedure include:

- Vision loss. Sometimes things do not work out for the best, some patients who were told that their vision will improve after the procedure actually result in worse vision than they initially had prior to the procedure. In this case you may have to have another procedure to attempt to correct the issue.

- New visual problems may emerge. It is not uncommon that after a vision correction surgery, some patients may infect develop halos or glares and even double vision as a result of a PRK eye surgery.

- Wrong treatment. Reshaping the cornea with laser treatment is a delicate procedure. Occasionally, the cornea may not be reshaped properly and have too little material removed or infect they might eve have too much removed.  This will result in an inaccurate procedure.

- Dry eyes. It is very common that many individuals will have dry eyes upon a successful surgery. In this case eye drops and healing time will usually correct or help the problem. However keep in min that in other serious cases, an additional procedure is required to prevent tear loss from the eyes which in turn causes the eyes to be dry in the first place.

- An infection or healing problem. With any surgical procedure, their is always a possibility of infection. It is very important to take all medications prescribed after your surgery and consult with your doctor if you feel their might have been an issue. An infection can delay or complicate the healing process so it is very important to follow up with the doctor after your surgery.

- Corrected vision may fade over time. It is important for you to realize that with laser eye surgery, it might be possible that the results do not last forever. The cornea will change shape as you age which means your vision will change over time. Laser vision correction is a fairly new technology that is available for us so we don’t really have long term data to compare results to. Will we know if it will last forever? No we don’t but some doctors warranty their work so that if your vision does change, they will do another procedure free of charge.

It is important that you discuss with your doctor about the risks and complications that might involve you and whether you are a successful candidate for PRK laser vision correction.

Benefit of PRK Laser Eye Surgery

PRK is known as one of the most popular forms of laser eye surgery. Photorefractive Keratectomy which or PRK for short, is a procedure that reshapes the cornea that is in your eyes with the use of a laser. It is a very effective procedure that reshapes your cornea to let you enhance your vision to 20/20 or even better. 80% of individuals have concluded that their that they have improved vision and no longer require the need of glasses or contact lenses.

Another popular laser eye surgery procedure is known as LASIK which is quite different than PRK. LASIK uses the laser only to shape the top portion of the cornea in the eye where as PRK laser eye surgery reshapes the bottom of it. Also note that with PRK, there is no need to slice the top portion of the cornea to form a flap.

The main benefits that can be seen with PRK Laser eye surgery are the fact that you will no longer be dependant on wearing glasses or contact lenses. Those with nearsightedness achieve most success with these type of procedures. Also those individuals with a high degree of farsightedness and with astigmatism will have the least predictable results with laser vision correction.

Results that are achieved most defiantly depend on the degree of your vision problems going into the surgery before hand and also the quality of the work that your doctor does. The effects done with laser vision correction are permanent. Your vision will always be optimal after the surgery if successful. However you must keep in mind that your eyesight will change over time as you age. This is relevant once you reach the age range of forties and fifties.

It is essential that you choose an ophthalmologist that is experienced in PRK laser eye surgery correction. It is a good idea to do your research online and learn more about vision correction and if it will benefit you in the long run. Don’t think about now, but also think about the future. Make sure you understand completely about the procedures and the risks and benefits that are involved. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, do your homework so that you will be happy with the end results.