Laser eye treatment information and guides

Laser eye articles

• Laser eye surgery procedure: what happens?
• Are you suitable for laser eye surgery?
• For and against laser eye treatment
• What happens if laser eye surgery does not work?
• Recovery after laser eye surgery
• The laser eye surgery healing process
• Laser eye surgery effects
• PRK vs. LASIK
• LASIK eye surgery
• PRK eye surgery
• Short sighted PRK surgery
• LASEK eye surgery
• Wavefront LASIK surgery
• Zyoptix LASIK surgery
• EpiLASIK surgery
• IntraLASIK surgery
• How does the eye work?
• Common vision problems
• Laser surgery for short sightedness
• Laser surgery for long sightedness
• Laser surgery for astigmatism
• Laser surgery for presbyopia
• How does laser eye treatment work?
• Laser eye clinic
• Corrective eye surgery
• Laser eye surgeon

PRK eye surgery

PRK surgery, or photorefractive keratectomy, is a laser treatment used for moderate forms of short sightedness, long sightedness and astigmatism. Like most other laser eye surgeries it reshapes the lens of the eye known as the cornea. One of the reasons people have the sight problems mentioned above is because light is not being properly reflected. Laser surgery works on the eye’s cornea so that light falls in the proper place and enables the patient to see more clearly.

There are a number of different laser techniques that are used to reshape the cornea. In PRK eye surgery, the laser delivers a pulsing beam of ultraviolet light onto the surface of the cornea. In LASIK eye surgery, which is the most common form of laser correction, the beam is directed underneath rather than on the surface of the cornea. As with LASIK, PRK surgery is performed under local anaesthetic; the procedure takes about ten minutes for both eyes.

Advantages of PRK

When it comes to correcting short sightedness, PRK works well and inside a year after the surgery, four fifths of patients have 20/20 vision without the aid of either contact lenses or glasses. It is estimated that as many as 98% of short sighted patients who have PRK have 20/40 vision without contacts or glasses within a year of surgery.

Disadvantages of PRK

There are a number of disadvantages with PRK surgery, including the price, which can be as much as £2,500 for one eye. Many patients experience discomfort and irritation; the eyes may water for around three days after the surgery. The outcome of PRK is not always predictable and some patients will still need glasses following surgery. Patients may have to continue wearing glasses for up to three months during recovery after PRK surgery, which is a slower laser eye surgery healing process compared to LASIK.

Whilst most patients will experience discomfort for the first two or three days after PRK surgery, and a sensitivity to light, some may experience other, longer lasting side effects. Longer term side effects may include halos around images, loss of best or corrected vision with glasses, and a possibly permanent minor glare. The potential side effects of PRK are the main reason that most ophthalmologists will suggest LASIK rather than PRK surgery.

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