You’ll No Longer Need Glasses: PRK Surgery

Your alarm goes off and the first thing you have to do is put in your contacts so that you’re able to function and get through your day. Wouldn’t it be nice to roll out of bed and see perfectly without putting in your contacts or glasses? Ever get tired of dry eyes or paying for contacts and solution or new glasses? For many years glasses and contacts were the only options an individual had for correcting vision impairments, but when the FDA approved an ophthalmic excimer laser for laser eye surgery use in 1995, the vision game changed forever. Thousands of individuals each year decide to take control of their vision and undergo laser eye surgery and are rid of contacts and/or glasses once and for all.

Photorefractive keratectomy, referred to as PRK for short, was the first type of laser eye surgery even preceding the widely known LASIK eye surgery. PRK eye surgery corrects mild myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and even astigmatism abnormalities. The vision correction happens when the excimer laser reshapes the patient’s’ cornea to correct for the refractive error allowing the patient to see normally without the aid of glasses or contacts.

During the PRK procedure, the ophthalmologist uses the excimer laser to remove the outer layer of cells on the cornea, which gives access to the stromal layer of the cornea. The laser is then used to reshape the patient’s cornea to allow light to focus properly on the retina thus correcting the vision problem. The procedure takes less than a half an hour and patients are able to return home shortly after surgery.

Besides not needing glasses or contacts any longer, patients of PRK eye surgery receive many benefits by choosing PRK versus other forms of vision correction, like LASIK. Here are a few benefits:

• PRK surgery requires a much shallower laser treatment than LASIK.

• Patients with thin corneas are still eligible for PRK, but not LASIK.

• PRK does not create a flap in the cornea, thus reducing the possibility of infections or complications with the cornea.

• Results are very comparable to that of LASIK.

While each patient’s vision and eyes are unique, it is best to do your own research and consult with your doctor about with option may be best for you. Contact Diamond Vision for a free consultation or visit diamondvision.com for more information regarding PRK eye surgery. Don’t wait any longer to say goodbye to glasses and hello to great vision! For in-person information, visit our Eye Health Center in Atlanta.