LASIK Vs PRK - Which Is Best?

If your wear spectacles or contact lenses but feel uneasy or discomfort by doing so then it is worth considering laser treatment. There are two treatments available to most individuals that can help to fix various forms of vision problems. If this is the course of action that you want to take then your local eye specialist is likely to offer you the choice between two laser based surgeries. But which is best suited to your condition, LASIK vs PRK?

Your ophthalmologist will carry out a detailed examination of your eyes. Depending upon the actual condition that you suffer from, they will recommend the most suitable form of laser surgery. Both LASIK and PRK treatments can be used to treat myopia, hypermetropia, and astigmatism.

Many of us are frightened by the thought of laser eye surgery. This is usually because of a lack of knowledge and information. There are differences and similarities between the LASIK vs PRK options.

PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy): This procedure involves the manipulation of the front of the cornea with an excimer laser. In the initial stage the eye surgeon will remove the surface layer of the eye which is known as the epithelium. Though this may sound scary it is nothing to worry about as this layer quickly regenerates itself in just a few days. As the cornea stroma is now exposed the laser can be used to reshape the cornea. This does not cause any damage to deeper layers of eye tissue and only approximately 10 per cent of the cornea is affected.

LASIK (Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis): This treatment, as with PRK, uses the excimer laser to alter the shape of the cornea. The main difference is that no epithelium cells are damaged or removed. A small flap is instead created using a surgical tool known as a microkeratome. This flap can is able to be lifted up allowing the eye surgeon to carry out work on the corneal stroma. The exposed stroma is hit by laser pulses causing it to alter shape. This part of the surgery takes no more than ninety seconds to complete. Once the laser has finished its work the eye surgeon will gently position the flap of tissue back over the eye.

Due to the differences in the way that the surgeries are carried out, the time taken for recovery is not the same. Usually those patients that have undergone LASIK procedures will heal quicker than PRK patients as no epithelial cells were damaged. This is an important consideration if a quick recovery is important to you due to work or family constraints.

In a handful of patients, LASIK treatment is not recommended. These are those patients that have a cornea that is not thick enough for this type of surgery, as well as individuals that have any form of damage present on their corneas.

Both LASIK and PRK treatments have a very high success rate. Many people have chosen to undergo laser treatment and now will never have to wear spectacles or lenses again.