PRK

PRK was the original laser procedure approved by the FDA for vision correction. To restore vision and rectify eye conditions like presbyopia and astigmatism, or even commonplace deficiencies like far-sightedness and near-sightedness, several years ago your only option was PRK. Today’s LASIK and Epi-LASIK are spin-offs which use the same basic principle.

All of the Laser Vision Correction procedures are brief and offer minimal discomfort. However, PRK would be slightly less comfortable than other procedures offered. Dr. Gold’s patients receive Valium before any procedure to achieve mild sedation.

There is also a slightly longer healing time required with PRK. In the past, the FDA only allowed one eye to be operated at a time, and a period of 30 days had to lapse before the second eye could be operated. Dr. Gold said he sometimes surprised that anyone came back for the second eye after experiencing pain with the first one. With modern PRK and with modern pain prevention medications and techniques significant pain is a thing of the past.

PRK stands for Photorefractive Keratectomy, which refers to a procedure where the outer layer of the cornea (epithelium) is removed with a scalpel, a special brush, the laser itself, or alcohol. This less than perfect procedure resulted, in turn, in less than perfect vision. PRK in its original form is no longer the only option for patients with eye problems. In PRK and Epi-LASIK the epithelial cells are removed and the laser treatment is applied to the second layer of the cornea to change its shape and thereby its focal point. At the end of the procedure a bandage contact lens is placed by Dr. Gold, which remains for 3 to 5 days while the epithelium regrows. During this time, patients do not deal with the contact lenses; only Dr. Gold does. These procedures are generally slightly less comfortable than LASIK and take slightly longer to heal than LASIK, however both procedures give equally good vision.

With the introduction of LASIK and Epi-LASIK, procedures are quicker, healing is faster and results are phenomenal. On the other side of the coin, however, the side effects of PRK and Epi-LASIK are still lower than those of LASIK. One reason is that PRK does not include the flap that is created in the cornea during LASIK, which weakens the cornea.

In fact, PRK, (especially its advanced version Epi-LASIK) is still the best way to deal with eye problems if you have a thin cornea which cannot be safely treated with LASIK. Unlike in the old days, patients can have both eyes operated on at the same time. Therefore, patients with corneas too thin for LASIK now have the option of being treated with a more streamlined and efficient PRK.

PRK laser eye surgery information Hartford, New Haven - A series of commonly asked questions about the PRK procedure

We accept these major credit cards.