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PRK Eye Surgery
PRK is one of the most well-established and extensively used refractive surgeries available, and Dr. Diaz offers PRK to residents of the San Antonio and Hill Country areas who wish to undergo refractive surgery but are not good candidates for LASIK. Like LASIK, PRK is an eye surgery used to correct refractive errors. Patients generally require more time to heal from PRK than they do with LASIK, but many patients who are unable to undergo LASIK eye surgery due to various corneal conditions are good candidates for PRK. Both procedures enjoy similarly high success rates and degrees of safety.
PRK Candidates
Most adults are good candidates for PRK. In order to undergo PRK, patients must be over 18 and have stable vision for at least one year before surgery. Patients with abnormalities of the cornea or external eye or who are pregnant or nursing are not good candidates for PRK.
Many individuals who have thin corneas, a characteristic that makes them poor candidates for LASIK, can safely undergo PRK. Corneal scarring, which makes LASIK eye surgery impossible, does not rule out the PRK procedure. The same is true for certain corneal dystrophies and recurrent corneal erosion. PRK is also a good option for pilots, athletes, and others who should not undergo LASIK due to the risk of corneal weakness if the LASIK flap heals poorly.
The PRK Procedure
Like LASIK eye surgery, PRK is designed to reshape the cornea so as to correct refractive errors that affect the patient's vision. Unlike LASIK, however, the PRK procedure does not involve creating a flap to access the inner layers of the cornea; instead, the outer layers are removed entirely and allowed to re-grow after the procedure. After applying anesthetic eye drops to prevent discomfort, Dr. Diaz uses precision laser equipment to remove the outer layer, known as the corneal epithelium, and expose the corneal stroma for reshaping. After the stroma has been reshaped, the procedure is complete. PRK, as performed by Dr. Diaz for San Antonio and Hill Country-area residents, takes no more than an hour, and the actual procedure is only about 15 minutes long.
Post-PRK Recovery
The biggest disadvantage that PRK has compared to LASIK eye surgery is that it takes longer to recover after the PRK procedure. Recovery is also somewhat more uncomfortable for PRK patients than it is for LASIK patients.
The corneal epithelium must re-grow, and while it does, recovering patients will need to wear protective contact lenses. Dr Diaz also recommends that his patients use antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops during recovery. At this time, patients may also experience fluctuating vision as the epithelium re-grows. This is normal, and vision should stabilize over time.
Learn More about LASIK and PRK
PRK and LASIK eye surgery allow individuals affected by myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism to become less reliant on corrective lenses for clear vision. At Diaz Vision Center, we perform PRK and LASIK eye surgery for residents of Boerne, the Hill Country, and the San Antonio area. If you are interested in learning more about laser corrective surgery, please contact Diaz Vision Center today.
Diaz Vision Center, PA
124 E Bandera Rd, #404
Boerne, TX 78006
Ph. 830-249-8400
Fx. 830-249-8411
Diaz Vision Center, Hill Country Vision
540 10th Street, Floresville TX
(in front of Connally Memorial Medical Center)
78114
Ph. 888 DOC-DIAZ (362-3429)