Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK)

What is PRK?

PRK surgery is a procedure used to correct myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism in eyes. These conditions are caused by the front of your eye, the cornea, being the wrong shape — that’s why during PRK, your surgeon painlessly reshapes the top layer of your eye’s cornea using a laser. PRK is a proven, safe surgery that may be a better choice than LASIK for certain patients. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, many patients are able to greatly reduce their need for eyeglasses or contact lenses after PRK surgery. Some patients can do without corrective lenses x Trusted Source What is Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK)? American Academy of Ophthalmology Go to Source altogether.

LASIK vs PRK

LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) is often the first vision correction surgery procedure our patients ask about, but PRK can be the better choice for some patients and has comparable patient satisfaction rates and x Trusted Source A Comparison of Visual Outcomes and Patient Satisfaction Between Photorefractive Keratectomy and Femtosecond Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis Hashmani N, Hashmani S, Ramesh P, et al Go to Source visual outcomes.

Both LASIK and PRK involve reshaping the patient’s cornea to improve refractive errors like nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism. The difference between these procedures lies in the way the cornea is accessed. For LASIK, a small flap is made in the cornea before the eye surgeon reshapes it. To perform PRK, the surgeon applies an alcohol solution to dissolve the entire top layer (epithelium) of the cornea before reshaping.

There are distinct advantages and trade-offs to the way the cornea is accessed during PRK. Because no corneal flap is created, PRK can be a better option for patients who have thin corneas or whose corneal flap may dislodge due to an active lifestyle. However, because the entire corneal surface is removed during PRK, this procedure does have a longer recovery time than LASIK surgery, and patients have to wait slightly longer to realize the full extent of their vision correction as the cornea heals.

Interested in learning more? Compare vision correction procedures: LASIK vs PRK vs EVO ICL™.

What Will My Vision Be Like After PRK?

Your vision will likely be a little blurry just after PRK surgery, but this is normal and will improve in the next 3-5 days. It may take several weeks after laser eye surgery to achieve your optimal vision, at which point many patients will not need to use reading glasses or contacts once their eyes have fully healed.

PRK is a safe, effective, and potentially life-changing procedure, but it’s important to understand that it does not guarantee you’ll never need glasses. It also doesn’t correct against future causes of vision loss like the age-related farsightedness known as presbyopia.

At Alliance Vision Institute, we use our expertise to determine the ideal vision solution for our patients, and you can rest easy knowing we would only recommend PRK or any other procedure if we’re certain it is the best option — and if we recommend it, an expert surgical team with your best interests in mind will use leading laser technology to deliver the clearest vision possible. Learn more with a free consult!