REFRACTIVE SURGERY

LASIK, PRK

What is refractive surgery?

Refractive surgery refers to procedures used to reshape the cornea, or clear layer in the front of the eye, in order to focus light on your retina (so glasses and contact lenses don’t have to!).

LASIK or PRK: which one is right for me?

LASIK is the most commonly performed refractive procedure performed in the United States. LASIK requires an additional step of creating a thin flap, flipping over the flap, applying laser, and replacing the flap over the eye.

PRK is an alternative procedure and can be performed when LASIK is not recommended (either due to thin corneas, prior corneal scars or trauma, or dry eye) or chosen as an alternative for certain lifestyles (those who are extremely active, boxers, martial artists). PRK requires scraping off the top layer of skin of the eye, the epithelium, and applying laser directly to the cornea.

LASIK is more popular due to the faster recovery time (usually within a day to a week) and less pain. However, patients who have LASIK will always have a flap, which may become dislodged with minor trauma even years after surgery. PRK requires a week to a month of corneal remodeling and healing with a risk of corneal haze (which may or may not affect your vision). However, with PRK you are not at risk of flap complications and this procedure may be a better alternative for those who are active (such as boxers, martial artists, or professional athletes).

At the end of the day, LASIK and PRK have similar vision outcomes one month out from surgery in all clinical trials and patients report similar improvement in their quality of life and vision. If you still are not sure which procedure would be a better option for you, please ask your eye care provider.

Who is a good candidate for LASIK?

LASIK is not for everyone and not everyone is a good candidate for LASIK. The ideal candidate has low to moderate myopia, low levels of regular astigmatism, and none to minimal dry eye symptoms. While providers may have their own exclusion or inclusion criteria for refractive surgery, many providers will not perform refractive surgery on those under 18 years of age, moderate to severe dry eye, areas of irregular corneal astigmatism (which may be a sign of a disease process such as keratoconus), thin corneas, or with certain eye conditions (such as corneal infections and diseases).

If you are approaching or older than 40 years old, LASIK may or may not be right for you given that you will gradually lose the ability to accommodate, or change the shape of your lens to read comfortably even with perfect distance vision correction. Some patients will benefit from monovision, where one eye is set for distance vision and one eye is set for reading vision; however, this is not a comfortable option for everyone. Some of the time, blurry vision may also be a sign of another process such as a cataract or a serious eye condition; it is best to follow the advice of your eye care provider.

Please contact or call Dr. Lee’s office at (206) 215-2020 if you are interested in a consultation for refractive surgery.