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Refractive surgery is a laser procedure to correct problems such as myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, and astigmatism, in a medium or high degree. Thus, the main objective of this surgery is to remodel the cornea to allow the refraction of light rays and optimize the formation of images with greater precision.
It’s the best way out for patients who don’t want to wear glasses or contact lenses. But before performing refractive surgery, you need to assess with the ophthalmologist such as Kraff Eye Institute for example if there are no signs of other eye diseases, such as chronic conjunctivitis, dry eye, cataracts, or changes in the retina.
During the procedure, the surgeon can use two techniques: Lasik and PRK. Both use the Excimer Laser, but the difference lies in its application. Understand how each works and how they are chosen according to the patient’s preoperative period.
LASIK
It is usually more used and consists of a horizontal cut of the cornea, creating a thin blade lifted to apply the Laser in the stroma, the innermost part of the cornea. The Laser applied remodels the cornea, flattening it in correcting myopia, increasing peripheral curvatures in hyperopia, and correcting the more curved axis in astigmatism. After applying the Laser, the thin corneal sheet is placed back, and the surgery is completed.
As a result of not shaving the cornea but lifting the superficial corneal tissue, the postoperative period with Lasik is simpler, more agile, and does not usually involve discomfort or pain. The patient can return to routine with optimized vision within a few days.
PRK
It is the first method of laser eye surgery and is usually indicated for patients who do not have adequate corneal curvature or when the cornea is thinner.
With PRK, epithelial cell removal is performed to extract a thin, complete layer of the outer part of the cornea. At this point, the Laser is applied to correct the problem.
Because it is more complex and invasive than Lasik, this method also requires a longer recovery time and may cause discomfort or pain in the postoperative period.
In addition, a special lens is applied to protect the eye after the procedure and is removed within a week. After this period, care must remain for a few months to reduce eye damage, and exposure to the sun must be avoided for 1 year.
Talk to an ophthalmologist.
The choice of lasik vs prk should always be evaluated by an ophthalmologist, who will investigate the degree of the problem, the conditions of the cornea, and the ocular history, associating all this information with the patient’s needs. Only after these steps is it possible to choose which method should be used during refractive surgery.
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