Improving Your Vision through Laser Eye Surgery
Laser eye surgery can greatly improve your vision and reduce or eliminate your dependence on eye glasses and contact lenses. Though there are a variety of refractive procedures available, including LASIK, we mainly utilize Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) surgery. We believe that the many benefits of PRK surgery make it an ideal treatment for myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism, and we have found the procedure to be reliable and effective.
- Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) Surgery: An Introduction
- PRK Surgery: Advanced Surface Ablation (ASA) Procedure
- PRK Surgery: Recovery
Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) Surgery: An Introduction
Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) was approved by the FDA in 1995, and was the first laser vision correction procedure to utilize the excimer laser. Over the last 20 years, PRK has been proven safe, reliable, and effective. Dr. Sher participated in the earliest clinical trials of the excimer laser, and has been performing PRK since 1989. Since that time, a number of improvements have made PRK surgery an excellent choice for optimal visual results; with some studies showing slightly superior visual results using advanced PRK when compared to LASIK.
After the introduction of the LASIK procedure in 1996, the number of PRK procedures performed dropped. However, in the last five years, surface ablation techniques such as PRK been gaining in popularity, due to advances in technology and the introduction of new medications to control healing. When combined with the use of highly sensitive wavefront technology, PRK is sometimes referred to as Advanced Surface Ablation (ASA).
PRK Surgery: Advanced Surface Ablation (ASA) Procedure
During PRK surgery, ASA procedure, the epithelium, or surface layer of corneal cells, have to be removed in order to reach the stromal layer of the cornea. There are a number of methods that can be used to remove the cells; a gentle brush-like instrument, chemicals such as alcohol, or the excimer can be applied to the surface of the cornea using a single drop of topical anesthetic to numb the eye.
PRK surgery takes less than fifteen minutes, and is essentially painless. The excimer laser - used for PRK surgery - is equipped with a tracking device that centers the laser on the proper position over your eye. This feature is very sensitive and can precisely follow your eye even if it moves. After the surgery, a soft contact lens bandage is placed on the eye and medicinal eye drops are administered. You will be able see immediately, but your vision will be foggy until the surface cells re-grow over the course of 3-7 days. After these cells have re-grown, the soft contact lens bandage is removed and vision improves rapidly. There is continued improvement over the next several months.
PRK Surgery: Recovery
During the first few days after PRK surgery, you will likely experience some irritation and discomfort in the eye. Some patients describe the irritation as feeling like a foreign body - such as a poor fitting contact lens rubbing against the eye. To reduce this discomfort, medicinal eye drops are administered. This sensation can vary greatly from patient to patient. Despite the mild irritation, most patients return to work the next day. Once the epithelium heals, the discomfort disappears.
Eye drops are commonly used for 1 to 2 months. Like all refractive surgeries, vision is blurred after surgery, although the uncorrected improves immediately. However, vision does not improve significantly until after the soft contact lens bandage is removed in 4-7 days after surgery. Although noticeable benefits of PRK are immediate, it may take 3-6 months to achieve optimal vision.
Medical Arts Bld. 
