PRK Surgery
Photo Refractive keratectomy – PRK is also a laser refractive surgery that reshapes your cornea to correct nearsightedness also known as myopia, farsightedness also known as hyperopia and astigmatism.
In PRK, the surgeon removes the epithelium which the surface layer of the cornea to reshapes the corneal with laser. In standard LASIK, the treatment is performed underneath the corneal flap, whereas in PRK, the procedure is performed on the surface of the cornea. This technique is usually used for people whose cornea is may be too thin to safely allow for the creation of the corneal flap required for LASIK. Healing from the PRK surgery takes longer longer than standard LASIK Procedure because PRK is performed on the surface of the cornea.
The Procedure Corrects:
Myopia also known as Nearsightedness is a condition where a person’s eye is longer than a normal one. As a result, objects at a distance appear to be blurry and unclear. Without being treated for your myopia, you would possibly end up squinting or straining your eyes in order to see clearly. You’ll also experience headaches or feel tired when doing things like driving or playing sports.
Glasses and contacts lenses can mask the effects of Myopia, At Hashmanis, we have a variety of options specially designed for the long-term treatment of this condition.
Hyperopia also known as farsightedness, is a condition when a person find trouble seeing nearby objects but can see distant objects more clearly. This is because a hyperopic eye is shorter than a normal-sized one, so light converges on a point after the retina making the picture out of focus.
At Hashmanis our experienced Ophthalmologists will determine the customized vision solution specially for your eyes to correct your vision problem based on your prescription.
Astigmatism is an eye condition that can leads to blurry, fuzzy or distorted vision from far and near distances because of an irregularly-shaped cornea. Within the normal eye, the cornea is curved equally on both horizontal and vertical axes. When light rays enter the eye and hit the retina, they focus at one point, leading to a clear vision.
Astigmatism consider to be irreversible, But at Hashmanis it is possible to correct it.
What is the difference between PRK and LASIK vision correction?
LASIK, is an eye surgery in which a corneal flap is created consequently correcting your vision after the treatment. PRK doesn’t involve flap creation. In PRK the outermost skin of the cornea, epithelium, is removed. The laser is used to reshape the cornea in the same way as LASIK. This epithelial layer of skin usually takes three to five days to grow back after the procedure. Meanwhile, eyes are protected with bandage and contact lenses. It takes a slightly longer time to heal with PRK.
Why do some people need PRK?
PRK is often considered an option when you have a thinner cornea, and the cornea is not thick enough for flap creation. Since soft corneas tend to have greater risk of bending out of shape this is why LASIK procedures are slightly greater in risk than PRK. People may choose PRK if they are involved in professions like; boxing, martial artists, wrestling or patients more prone to blows to the face.
What are the results of PRK compared to LASIK?
They are more or less the same when it comes to the results of LASIK or PRK. These procedures are also equally safe. However, the only difference is the time both treatments take to heal and the frequency of visits after surgery.
Does PRK hurt?
Patients who have undergone PRK surgery reported a slight discomfort during the surgery. The drops are used to numb the eyes and the procedure takes less than five minutes per eyes. On the one hand, some may experience a mild feeling of discomfort on the other some may report to feel moderately uncomfortable in the first three to four days. However, to ensure that the recovery process is successful, your doctor can recommend some post-operative measures based on your condition.
After the surface layer of the cornea is removed, the surgeon performs either Standard PRK or Topography – guided PRK.
Standard PRK
After the removal of the surface layer of the cornea, the surgeon uses an advanced excimer laser to reshape the cornea by removing a pre-determined amount of corneal tissue. During the pre-operative assessment, the amount of tissue to be removed is determined.
Topography-Guided PRK
Topography-guided PRK combined with corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) is an innovative new treatment for keratoconus. It is an advanced laser procedure which helps in improving the visual function in selected Keratoconus patients.