PRK and LASEK

PRK - The Lasik Alternative in Laser Eye Surgery

PRK
This technique is the forerunner of the LASIK method. Unlike LASIK, the PRK method does not require the creation of a ‘flap’ in the topmost level of the cornea. Instead, the doctor carefully removes the epithelium (upper membrane of the cornea) before the laser procedure. The wound heals in three to four days as a rule. The doctor usually puts a therapeutic contact lens in place to speed up the healing process.

In comparison with LASIK, PRK has its own advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of PRK is that the doctor need not lift off a layer of the cornea. This is chiefly important in the case of a very flat or thin cornea. The disadvantage of PRK is that the healing process lasts longer and can be somewhat more painful than that which follows the LASIK operation. Moreover, patients are more sensitive to light and glare in the days following the operation. Because of this, doctors only perform PRKs on both eyes simultaneously in exceptional cases.

LASEK
This method is very similar to PRK. However, in LASEK treatment, the doctor does not entirely remove the topmost layer of the cornea. Instead, the epithelium is loosened with an alcohol solution and folded to the side. After the laser treatment, it is placed smoothly back onto the eye. Patients wear a contact lens for three or four days. The LASEK healing process also requires several days.

LASIK is the abbreviation of “Laser in-situ Keratomileusis”, in English “in situ laser correction of the cornea”. This method, in existence since the beginning of the 1990s, is fully developed and scientifically recognized.