Laser Vision Correction : LASIK or PRK ?

2 major techniques  of Laser Vision Correction  are LASIK and PRK. 

PRK (or photorefractive keratectomy) is a laser eye surgery similar to LASIK. PRK was the first kind of corrective eye surgery to use a laser rather than a blade to change the corneal curvature. Like LASIK, PRK involves the use of the cool (non-thermal) energy of the Excimer laser to re-shape the cornea and correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.  It differs from LASIK in that no corneal flap is created prior to the laser treatment.

PRK  :The procedure

PRK does not require the creation of a flap in the cornea. Instead, the surgeon gently scraped the thin, surface layer of corneal cells (called the epithelium) .This is performed manually with a surgical spatula or rotating brush. -Then laser is applied directly to the exposed middle layer of the cornea(stroma). -The surgeon will place a bandage contact lens on the eye for improved comfort after the procedure has been completed.  This contact lens is left on the eye for a 3-5 days while the epithelium grows back over the surface of the cornea.

Post-operative Care
PRK patients need more frequent visits , depending on individual needs at  1 day ,1 week, 1 month, 2-3 months , 4-6 month and 1 year after PRK. Most patients need to continue using medicated eye drops for 6 to 12 weeks after PRK.  Some patients may need to continue to use the drops for up to 6 months or longer.  (In general, patients who have higher amounts of nearsightedness or farsightedness treated with PRK will need to use medicated eye drops longer than patients who have mild refractive errors to prevent corneal haze formation.) As a result, recovery from PRK corrective eye surgery is rather lengthy and uncomfortable.

PRK became less and less popular following the development of LASIK, a procedure that allowed patients to have their vision corrected without the need for extended recovery from surgery. In fact, only ten years after its initial FDA approval, PRK corrective eye surgery was performed in only a small percentage of surgical eye correction treatments. Though it generally takes PRK patients a longer time to achieve their best visual acuity (compared to LASIK patients), some eye surgeons still prefer PRK over the more popular LASIK surgery due to at least 2  advantages over LASIK:
1.      The surgeon doesn't have to create a corneal flap during PRK.  Therefore, PRK is a slightly easier procedure for any eye surgeon to perform and there is no risk of a flap complication.
2.      PRK can be performed on thinner corneas.  Since no corneal flap is required, more of the patient's corneal thickness is available for laser treatment.

LASIK or PRK for me ?

Neither LASIK or PRK involves “ pain” during the procedure itself. After procedure, most of LASIK patients experience only 5-6 hours of discomfort.  A non-prescription pain reliever such as acetaminophen, ASA, etc. can be taken to ease your discomfort. In contrary, PRK patients usually need potent pain relief medication for about 1-3 days postoperatively. This is due to the fact that most of the pain fibers in the cornea are located in the surface portion and with PRK these are affected during surgery and the healing process.

Patients prefer the LASIK procedure because of the rapid vision recovery and minimal postoperative care. Many tourists came to Phuket for LASIK procedure because they find that they can combine an enjoyable vacation with their LASIK surgery without many restrictions. Many doctors agree that patients with high amounts of nearsightedness should have LASIK. For patients with lower to moderate amounts of myopia, either process may be appropriate. The decision of which procedure would best benefit you must be discussed by you and your eye surgeon, however, the final decision is based on your eye examination results and experience of your surgeon.