Don"t Risk Your Vision By Going Under The Knife Before You Know What"s What In Refractive Surgery!
RK, PRK, LASIK, and CK.
What's What??!! With all the new procedures out there for decreasing our dependence on glasses, how does one choose or even know what they mean?Welcome to Refractive Surgery 101.
RK (radial keratotomy)-one of the first and initially most popular forms of refractive surgery (i.
e.
surgery to decrease dependence on glasses by reshaping the cornea and in effect, putting your glasses prescription on the surface of your eyes).
Cuts were made in the cornea to relax it's curvature and thus reshape it.
Over time its results were not as stable in some patients as are the procedures used today.
Very few surgeons now perform RK because of this.
PRK (photorefractive keratectomy)-a very thin top layer of the cornea (the epithelium) is removed by various methods including alcohol, brush, or laser.
The laser then reshapes the cornea with great precision which leads to a much more predictable and stable result.
The top layer is then left to regenerate itself over 3-7 days.
The patient wears a "bandage" contact lens during this period for comfort.
The recovery of vision is slower than with Lasik and the patient may experience some discomfort during the regeneration period.
Lasik (laser in situ keratomelusis) -an instrument is used to create a thin circular flap with one edge left attached, serving as a hinge.
Imagine how a portable CD player door opens on its hinge.
The flap is flipped open; laser is performed to reshape the cornea just like PRK.
The flap is then placed back into position.
Visual recovery is rapid and the discomfort level is minimal.
CK (conductive keratoplasty) - the latest addition to refractive surgery.
It uses radiofrequency waves rather than laser to reshape the cornea.
The limitations of the procedure is that it can only be performed on patients that are farsighted or presbyopic (those needing reading glasses), and "touch-ups" are somewhat common after 6 months - 3 years.
The very unique advantage of this procedure is that in many cases it can provide some distance AND near vision in a single eye!!
What's What??!! With all the new procedures out there for decreasing our dependence on glasses, how does one choose or even know what they mean?Welcome to Refractive Surgery 101.
RK (radial keratotomy)-one of the first and initially most popular forms of refractive surgery (i.
e.
surgery to decrease dependence on glasses by reshaping the cornea and in effect, putting your glasses prescription on the surface of your eyes).
Cuts were made in the cornea to relax it's curvature and thus reshape it.
Over time its results were not as stable in some patients as are the procedures used today.
Very few surgeons now perform RK because of this.
PRK (photorefractive keratectomy)-a very thin top layer of the cornea (the epithelium) is removed by various methods including alcohol, brush, or laser.
The laser then reshapes the cornea with great precision which leads to a much more predictable and stable result.
The top layer is then left to regenerate itself over 3-7 days.
The patient wears a "bandage" contact lens during this period for comfort.
The recovery of vision is slower than with Lasik and the patient may experience some discomfort during the regeneration period.
Lasik (laser in situ keratomelusis) -an instrument is used to create a thin circular flap with one edge left attached, serving as a hinge.
Imagine how a portable CD player door opens on its hinge.
The flap is flipped open; laser is performed to reshape the cornea just like PRK.
The flap is then placed back into position.
Visual recovery is rapid and the discomfort level is minimal.
CK (conductive keratoplasty) - the latest addition to refractive surgery.
It uses radiofrequency waves rather than laser to reshape the cornea.
The limitations of the procedure is that it can only be performed on patients that are farsighted or presbyopic (those needing reading glasses), and "touch-ups" are somewhat common after 6 months - 3 years.
The very unique advantage of this procedure is that in many cases it can provide some distance AND near vision in a single eye!!