PRK is a vision correction procedure that provides an excellent alternative for patients who are not good candidates for LASIK. At Atlantic Eye Institute, our experienced eye surgeons are dedicated to helping patients achieve visual freedom from glasses and contacts.
PRK, or photorefractive keratectomy, can correct refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Unlike LASIK, it does not create a flap in the cornea, meaning it can give patients who may have been disqualified from LASIK due to thin corneas a path to clear, high-definition vision.
Your eye surgeon at Atlantic Eye Institute will begin your PRK procedure by applying numbing drops to your eyes, ensuring you feel comfortable throughout the process. Then, they will gently remove the epithelium or the outer layer of your cornea.
Your eye surgeon will use an excimer laser to reshape the underlying corneal tissue, correcting your refractive error. They will then apply a special contact lens to your eye to act as a bandage while you heal.
You may experience some mild discomfort for the first one to two days after the procedure. However, the epithelium should heal completely after three to five days.
Your eye doctor will send you home with specific care instructions and eye drops that help prevent infection and reduce inflammation. Many patients notice immediate visual improvements after the procedure, reaching their peak vision three weeks to several months later.
Patients with severe dry eye syndrome or thin corneas who are not good candidates for LASIK are often good candidates for PRK. You may be a good candidate for PRK if you:
To find out whether you are a good candidate for PRK, you should schedule a consultation with your eye doctor at Atlantic Eye Institute. They can ensure you meet the requirements for the procedure and discuss your lifestyle and vision goals with you.
If you don’t qualify for PRK due to a high refractive error, such as severe nearsightedness, you may be a good candidate for other vision correction procedures, such as refractive lens exchange or EVO ICL. RLE, or refractive lens exchange, involves removing the natural lens of your eye and replacing it with an intraocular lens, or IOL.
There are many IOLs to choose from that all offer different levels of vision correction, with options that accommodate patients with higher levels of farsightedness and nearsightedness. The EVO ICL procedure involves placing an implantable collamer lens between the iris and the natural lens of your eye.
This procedure cannot correct farsightedness, but it can correct severe nearsightedness with or without astigmatism. Your eye doctor at Atlantic Eye Institute can help you explore these alternative options and determine whether they could help you achieve visual freedom.
