Get the Facts: Five Facts about PRK Surgery

While LASIK is one of the best-known surgeries performed today, the equally effective advanced surface ablation technique PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) is considerably lesser known. While PRK and other forms of advanced surface ablation offer many benefits, many people continue to believe that LASIK and laser eye surgery are synonymous terms. Below you will find five facts about PRK surgery that may convince you to explore the procedure further.

• Hundreds of thousands of patients have undergone PRK throughout the world. More than 95 percent of these patients have stated that they were pleased with the results of their surgery.
• Only about 5 percent of patients who undergo PRK will need to continue wearing glasses after surgery. Approximately 98 percent of patients achieve 20/40 or better vision without visual aids.
• Unlike LASIK, PRK does not involve the use of a blade to create a flap in the cornea. This means that there is no risk of flap complications, making it an ideal procedure for many people who have thin corneas.
• Like LASIK, PRK can be used to restore clarity to the vision of people suffering from farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism. Custom PRK allows for the correction of more minute higher-order aberrations, increasing the possibility of excellent vision without glasses or contact lenses.
• PRK requires only about one minute per eye to perform. Patients are often able to return to work the very day after surgery.

If you would like to learn more about PRK and advanced surface ablation, contact Dr. Byron Biscoe at his laser vision correction center serving the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and the entire Caribbean region.