Refractive Surgery

LASIK

Laser assisted in situ keratmileusis (LASIK) is a surgical procedure designed to decrease an individual’s dependence on glasses by correcting myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism. Though there is no guarantee that every patient will be able to “throw away” their glasses or contacts, most patients achieve excellent results and are extremely pleased.

A flap is created in the cornea using an instrument called a microkeratome. The flap is lifted and the cornea is reshaped using the excimer laser. The excimer is a “cool” laser which does not burn the corneal tissue, but rather removes microscopic amounts of tissue instantaneously. The flap is then repositioned and allowed to settle without the need for suturing. The procedure usually lasts approximately 5 minutes from beginning to end. Generally, both eyes are treated on the same day.

Patients who undergo LASIK generally heal faster and see better sooner than patients who undergo PRK. Final visual results, however, are comparable with the two procedures. Your surgeon will determine which procedure is best suited for your needs.

Patients who undergo laser refractive surgery will still find the need to use reading glasses once they are in their 40s. This can be avoided with the so-called “monovision” solution where one eye is treated for distance vision and one eye is treated for near vision, however, not all patients find this acceptable.

PRK

Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) is a procedure similar to LASIK. However, in PRK, there is no flap created in the cornea. Instead, the top layer of cells called the epithelium is removed. The excimer laser is then used to reshape the cornea. A bandage contact lens is then placed on the eye to allow the epithelium to heal in place. Variations of this procedure include LASEK and epi-LASIK where the epithelium is preserved and placed back in to position at the end of the procedure. Although there may be slightly more discomfort and the eye is slower to heal after PRK as opposed to LASIK, for certain patients, PRK is the recommended procedure. Your surgeon will be able to make this determination during the pre-operative evaluation and advise you accordingly.