PRK laser eye surgery is a procedure many surgeons will consider today even though lasik is pretty much the procedure many patients are seeking when they decide to investigate their options.
PRK stands for Photorefractive Keratectomy and was one of the earlier procedures and is still popular today. It basically revolves around the re-shaping of the corneal tissue but instead of a corneal flap being created as is the case with lasik, PRK is more about correcting the problem. Two issues it’s used for is mild myopia and astigmatism.
Testing For PRK Surgery
As with lasik, pre-screening is a very important step before surgery is considered an option. Pre-screening is not a meet and greet session - it can be fairly extensive with the patient analyzed extensively before a decision is made to proceed with surgery.
A surgeon will conduct a thorough analysis of the patient’s eye as well as a look at their history of health issues. If there are health problems then it’s quite unlikely surgery will take place. Surgeons will assess things such as tear function and refractive error measurement. The pre-screening process usually takes some time yet the surgery itself only requires about 15 minutes in the chair.
Are there risks with PRK? Yes but they are minimal. However they still exist and it’s worth learning what they are or asking your surgeon for a thorough explanation of what they involve during the initial phase. Issues such as reaction to anesthesia, infection, under correction, over correction, halos or glared vision, light sensitivity and corneal haze.
There is even a risk that a patient may endure worse vision after surgery than they had before going under the laser while older people may require some form of eye wear or protection after surgery.
If you are concerned about risk then this is a good thing and that’s why it’s highly recommended that you virtually “grill” your surgeon with questions during pre-screening. Don’t hold back any health problems you may be experiencing such as if you are a diabetic or pregnant. Extensive testing will determine your risk factor if any.
If you are not suitable for PRK laser eye surgery then your surgeon will tell you and you can be denied. This is because your well being should always be first consideration. If it’s not then look for another surgeon.
Also remember that if you are not accepted initially your surgeon will discuss other procedures which you may be suitable for. One thing to note is the recovery phase for PRK is normally a little longer than lasik and can take up to two weeks.