PRK Surgery – A LASIK Alternative
LASIK is among the most popular eye surgeries available today for correcting issues such as myopia,hyperopiaand astigmatism. But it is not the end all be all of eye surgeries, as it was once thought to be. In fact, PRK Surgery is one of the many solutions currently being considered by hundreds of thousands of people all around America, both because of the cheaper costs in relation to LASIK, and because of the success rates. So what exactly is PRK Surgery, and is it right for you? Read on to find out the answers to these questions.
What Exactly Is It that PRK Surgery Does?
What does PRK Surgery do? Well, it works much like LASIK. PRK Surgery corrects vision problems by reshaping and removing corneal tissues. This in turn can correct problems with eye sight such as myopia (being near sighted) and hyperopia (being far sighted). Much like LASIK, PRK Surgery is considered to be a non invasive type of surgery. While getting your PRK Surgery, you will not feel any pain.
The main difference between LASIK and PRK Surgery is pretty big, however. With LASIK surgery, what will happen is that the doctor will use a laser to remove a small flap from the cornea. The doctor will then move this flap to the side so that she or he can work. They will reshape tissue, and remove any excess tissue, then close the flap.
With PRK Surgery, the doctor removes the whole layer over the cornea. No flap is made. After any adjustments have been made to the cornea, with the PRK Surgery techniques, the doctor will then replace the layer over the cornea.
What Are the Main Differences Between PRK Surgery and LASIK
Besides the difference in procedure, there are a few other main differences between PRK Surgery and LASIK surgery. The first is that LASIK patients generally find that their surgery is more comfortable. Because only a small flap is made over the cornea, the recovery for LASIK surgery is much quicker than it is for PRK Surgery. Another big difference that you may wish to consider is that PRK Surgery has a higher infection rate. This is due to the removal of the entire layer over the cornea. Patients that have had PRK Surgery also complain of prolonged hazy vision for a couple of days after their surgery. With LASIK surgery, the patient’s eye sight improvements are nearly instantaneous, and improve greatly over a short span; with PRK Surgery, the patient’s improvements will be gradually, and can take a couple of weeks to fully come to fruition.
Which Is Better For You?
PRK Surgery and LASIK surgery are both great sight correcting procedures. However one may be better than the other for you. Talk to your eye care specialist about which they believe will better suit your needs. Costs will differ, but if you can afford to make either choice, you will benefit from it.