Which Treatment Is Right For You

After your initial consultation, your surgeon will make treatment recommendations based on the type and severity of your refractive error and the physician's experience with the wide range of available procedures. LASIK and PRK are the two most common types of laser vision correction being performed today.

LASIK:
Laser in-situ keratomileusis, or LASIK, is the most state-of-the-art laser vision correction technique available and is the preference for many patients. In LASIK, a surgeon uses an instrument known as a microkeratome to create a thin surface-level flap in your cornea. This only takes a few seconds. With this flap lifted, the surgeon uses an excimer laser that has been pre-programmed with your exact visual correction to apply a rapid, cool ultraviolet light that precisely sculpts a very small amount of the sub-surface of your cornea.

This corrects the cornea's curvature, which allows images to be focused clearly on your retina. The surgeon then smooths the flap down. It quickly bonds back in place, usually in less than 5 minutes, restoring a smooth, intact surface.

The actual procedure takes about 10 minutes, and the laser is on your eye for less than a minute. Plan on being in the office for about an hour and a half. Although patients should not plan to drive themselves home after LASIK, many can return to work within a day or two of the procedure. Many patients experience little or no discomfort after the procedure.

PRK:
The next most common refractive procedure is photorefractive keratectomy, or PRK. This procedure also utilizes an excimer laser to reshape the cornea, but instead of cutting a small flap to reach the sub-layer of the cornea, the outer layer is removed completely by one of several means. This skin layer regrows in about 3 to 5 days and your surgeon may have you wear a "bandage contact lens" in those first few days. A modification of this technique actually preserves the outer skin layer, and floats it back in position after the laser sculpting, making it similar to LASIK. This hybrid procedure, termed LASEK (laser epithelial keratomileusis), allows for slightly quicker healing with less discomfort than PRK.
Nevertheless, vision does not return as quickly as it does with LASIK and patients experience slightly more discomfort during the healing period. However, our surgeons do recommend some patients undergo this procedure because it will ultimately lead to better results in some types of eyes.