Tuesday, January 13, 2009

PRK vs LASIK

By Tom Peters

Have you heard of LASIK? I'm sure you had and you have also heard how it can help us achieve 20/20 eyesight. However, very few people have come across the term Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK). PRK is also a very well-practiced vision correction sugery that has been achieve the same success as LASIK for at least 2 decades.

With that mind, we will compare PRK vs LASIK. We will look at the various similiarities and the differences. At the end, you will need to find out how to determine the best procedure for your eye surgery. This reading will equip you with the good picture so that you can consult the eye doctor more intelligently.

The similarities between PRK and LASIK:

1) Pain is not evident during the entire surgery

2) Both must apply eye medication after the surgery

3) Both require some months to recover from the surgery

4) Both are used to treat myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism

In fact, two of them have essentially the identitial outcome in achieving the perfect eyesight. Many people have experience success with either PRK or LASIK.

However, The interesting thing is that both have different procedures, but achieves the identital outcome.

So, what are the differences? In short, there are a few main differences:

1) Patients with certain corneal conditions or corneal scars have to undergo PRK, LASIK is not recommended

2) You need to wear a lens "bandage" for a few days

3) LASIK has one more step which requires the generation of a flap

4) PRK does not need to create a flap, but accesses the cornea's inner layers by taking out the thin outer layer of the cornea

5) PRK tends to have longer healing process than LASIK

In short, both procedures are safe, despite the differences. To determine which is more suitable for yourself, you have to consult a reputable eye surgeon who will access your eyes to decide what is best for you. This article should equip you with some knowledge so that you are able to converse with an eye surgeon with more confident. - 15438

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