Does PRK Work if I Don't Qualify for LASIK? - Herschel LASIK and Cataract Institute

Does PRK Work if I Don’t Qualify for LASIK?

  

LASIK is one of the most popular laser vision correction procedures. It can provide you with complete visual freedom from glasses and contact lenses by correcting refractive errors.

These include nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. But LASIK isn’t the only vision correction procedure there is.

There’s also PRK. PRK has a lot of similarities to LASIK since it can also correct refractive errors. While LASIK is more popular, it isn’t for everyone.

Around 10-15% of patients don’t make good LASIK candidates. However, some of those patients can qualify for PRK and still get the vision of their dreams. Keep reading to find out if PRK works if you don’t qualify for LASIK!

LASIK

LASIK surgery works by reshaping your cornea. The cornea is the clear, front part of the eye that light refracts through before it hits the retina at the back of the eye.

When you have a refractive error, your cornea is somewhat irregular, making light refract differently before it hits the retina. This is why things look blurry at certain distances if you have nearsightedness or farsightedness or at all distances if you have astigmatism.

LASIK corrects the shape of your cornea to fix your refractive error, allowing you to see without needing glasses or contact lenses. LASIK uses two lasers: an excimer and a femtosecond laser.

An excimer laser removes corneal tissue to reshape your cornea. However, the excimer laser isn’t used directly on the surface of your eye.

Instead, your surgeon will create a flap. They’ll create an incision through the top part of the cornea to make the flap but leave enough tissue so it’s still attached on one side.

They’ll lift the flap and then reshape the tissue under the flap. The flap is then replaced where it acts as a natural bandage while your eye heals. Eventually, the flap rebonds with the rest of the cornea and doesn’t need any stitches to do so.

However, your cornea needs to be thick enough to accommodate a flap to have LASIK. If it isn’t, LASIK could be unsafe and damage your vision.

You’ll have your cornea measured during a LASIK consultation. If it isn’t thick enough, you won’t qualify for LASIK. But you may still be able to get PRK.

PRK

PRK is a laser eye surgery that predates LASIK and is the first-ever commercially available laser eye surgery. Like LASIK, it uses an excimer laser to reshape the cornea.

The critical difference is that PRK does not require a corneal flap. Instead of making a flap, the outer layer of the cornea, called the epithelial layer, is scrubbed off. After removing the epithelium, your surgeon will reshape the cornea.

After surgery, bandage contact lenses are placed on the eyes to protect them while the epithelial layer regrows, usually taking a couple of weeks. If you don’t qualify for LASIK, PRK is a great alternative. It may have a slightly longer recovery period, but it has comparable outcomes to LASIK.

Outcomes of Having PRK

It may take several weeks before the epithelium grows back. Like LASIK, full recovery takes a few months.

Initial discomfort may last a little longer, as the corneal flap makes recovering from LASIK a little easier. You may experience some pain that lasts a few days after PRK, in addition to feelings of discomfort.

You will have to take special care to keep your eyes protected for a few weeks. But after that, your eyes will continue to heal, and your vision will continue to improve without further care or discomfort until you’re fully recovered and reach your peak vision after a few months.

You may be more uncomfortable recovering from PRK as the epithelial layer regrows. But like with LASIK, your vision will continue to improve until your eyes are fully healed after around three months.

There is also a lower incidence of post-surgical dry eye in PRK patients, making long-term recovery less uncomfortable. The final surgery results are nearly identical, with over 95% of LASIK and PRK patients achieving 20/20 vision or better.

In the long term, the procedures have the same outcome, so it’s well worth considering PRK if you don’t qualify for LASIK due to the size of your corneas.

Who are Good Candidates for Laser Eye Surgery?

Corneal thickness isn’t the only factor to consider if you get LASIK or PRK. For both procedures, you need to be at least 18, in good health, have a stable prescription, and have no other eye conditions besides a refractive error.

Your pupils also should be under a certain size as having large pupils can negatively affect your night vision after having LASIK or PRK. Before having any laser eye surgery, you have to schedule an evaluation.

Most patients who get evaluated will qualify for LASIK. If they don’t qualify for LASIK only due to insufficient corneal thickness, there’s a good chance that they’ll be eligible for PRK.

If you want to know which procedure is best for you, schedule a consultation at Herschel LASIK and Cataract Institute in Orlando, FL, to see which laser vision correction procedure is the right fit! Don’t let your glasses and contact lenses hold you back from living how you want for any longer!

Those who know choose Herschel LASIK and Cataract Institute

Beautiful office. Amazing and caring staff. Getting my surgery done Saturday and the Doctor and the staff helped choose the right option for me and I didn't feel pushed to commit. One of the only few who commits the patient to a dry eye treatment as per my research. Post-surgery I hope to keep my 5 star rating because I have nothing bad to say!

Yogi Nayyar (Google), February 2020

I recently did my LASIK procedure about 1 week ago and was completely blown away from beginning to end with the SERVICE received from the entire staff at Herschel LASIK. The office is beautifully decorated and the staff was always professional, personable, knowledgeable and friendly. I particularly enjoyed the way that everything was explained clearly before, during and after my procedure and questions were always encouraged and answered. My experience was the best encounter to date with a physician. Excellent doctor + excellent support staff +excellent service = excellent experience and a happy customer. Thank you so much Dr. Herschel, Doris and Francesca.

Vernicia Sturrup (Google), September 2019

Great service, sometimes a bit of a wait, but I take a full lobby as a sign of a well recommended doctor. Staff is friendly & quick to answerphones & squeeze me in when I got an eye problem. Would definitely recommend them to anyone wanting to get LASIK. Doctor even personally called to check on me the night after my procedure.

Stephanie G. (Yelp), January 2020

I got my LASIK procedure done here. I was apprehensive, mostly because anything to do with my eyes kind of freaked me out.
I went under a free consultation. The nurses/assistants were very nice and they answered any questions I had. Then I met Dr. Herschel and he was very nice and understanding. He explained all that would happen, how everything works, how long recovery will be, everything.
So, I agreed and start the process. I love the fact you always meet with Dr. Herschel at every appointment.
I now have 20/20 vision.
I'd highly recommend going to him for all of your vision needs.

Kelsea K. (Yelp), November 2019

Great surgeon and great staff. Do your research, Dr. Herschel is more than just a LASIK surgeon. He is certified and specializes in all areas of eye surgery so have peace of mind that you are getting one of the best. They use current technology and machines. More so, if your eyes aren’t ready for surgery he has no problem delaying 1-2 weeks until they are 100% good-to-go. He will not risk your health for the sake of money.

Dave T. (Yelp)
Are You A Candidate For LASIK?
Schedule A Free LASIK Consult Now
Are You A Candidate for Cataract Surgery?
Are You A Candidate for RLE Surgery?