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Saturday, January 24, 2009

PRK vs LASIK - How similar are they?

By John Parker

Many of my friends has used LASIK and have raved how it can help us achieve perfect eyesight. However, not many of us have heard of the term Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK). PRK is also a very common vision correction sugery that has been practiced in many countries for at least 2 decades.

So, we will compare PRK vs LASIK. What are the similiarities and the differences. At the end, you will need to know which procedure is suitable for you. This article will help you gain the good enlightenment so that you can consult the eye doctor more intelligently.

Here are some similarities between PRK and LASIK:

1) There is no pain during the entire process

2) Both require medication for the eyes for a few days after the surgery

3) Both require a few months to recover from the surgery

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

The interesting thing is that both processes have nearly the identitial outcome in getting the perfect eyesight. A lot of patients have experience good vision with either PRK or LASIK.

However, The interesting thing is that both have different procedures, but 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, not LASIK

2) PRK patients would usually have to wear a lens "bandage"

3) LASIK has one more step which involves 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. If you want to know which procedure is better for yourself, you have to consult a well-known eye surgeon who will examine your eyes to decide what is best for you. With this article as your knowledge, you should be able to converse with an eye surgeon with more confident.

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