PRK
New York
Candidates:
People with just moderate levels of
myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness),
and without astigmatism, might benefit from PRK. New York
Aesthetic Specialists usually turns to PRK when the patient
has some kind of corneal dystrophy, scarring in the cornea,
or a condition referred to as "recurrent corneal erosion."
Procedure:
PRK and LASIK are similar in some
ways, but PRK uses a laser to reshape the surface of
the cornea, while the laser used in LASIK targets the layers
within the cornea. PRK involves the removal of
the outer layer
of
the cornea,
followed by the laser-assisted reshaping, and then placement
of a soft lens over the surface of the eye. This acts as
a
bandage
to assist regrowth of the outer layer of the cornea.
Recovery:
Patients can expect the top layer
of the cornea to grow back in about 3-5 days. In the interim,
there may be some discomfort experienced accompanied by
blurry vision. Because it requires a larger amount of tissue
healing, the results of PRK take longer to develop than
those of LASIK.
