| How do LASIK and PRK work? |
|
In both procedures, a specially trained ophthalmologist uses the computer-guided excimer to gently remove a thin layer of tissue from the cornea to achieve a desired correction. Prior to the procedures, drops are placed in the eye to numb it (like the ones your eye doctor uses to check your eye pressure for a glaucoma test) and an instrument called a speculum is placed in the eye to prevent you from blinking. There are no needles and no pain. In PRK, the surgeon first removes the surface cells of the cornea using the laser and then sculpts the underlying tissue. The surface cells regenerate over the course of 48 to 72 hours under a bandage contact lens. PRK is usually done one eye at a time with a waiting period of usually two to three weeks between eyes. In LASIK, an instrument called a microkeratome, (similar to a carpenter's plane) is used to lift a thin layer of the corneal tissue. This is left attached on a hinge. The laser is then used to sculpt tissue from the corneal bed and the flap is floated back into place, reattaching without the need for sutures. During the LASIK procedure there is no pain, however there is about 15 seconds of firm pressure while the corneal flap is being created. Following the procedure, patients are usually more comfortable than patients undergoing PRK, experiencing only four to six hours of scratchiness in the eye. |
