Questions About Lasik Vs Prk

William asks…

Lasik vs PRK, advice?

I'm going to join the Army, and I'm thinking of having lasik eye surgery before leaving for boot camp. I am nearsighted and I have large pupils, I don't know if this would be a problem (for the halo effect at night etc).
Are serious complications common (besides dry eyes and temporary side effects)? Does PRK have less risks than lasik?

admin answers:

I know people that have had lasik and they still cant see well or they need glasses still for reading Prk is better is what i am saying.You can get a lasik consult for free and they will tell you which one would be better for you.

Michael asks…

Lasik VS PRK?

Has any one had any experience with PRK? I'm getting PRK done in the next couple of days and getting a bit nervous. I'm not a good candidate with Lasik. Please let me know your experiences if you can. Thank you!

admin answers:

I had PRK done in both of my eyes back in 2003 and I have no regrets. At the moment I was in the military and I heard all the pros and cons and why the don't allow marines or special forces to get the lasik, and decided on PRK. I can tell you that the surgery is unconfortable but very short and the first 4 days will not be fun or enjoyable when it comes to light sensitivity (no joke), even watching tv hurts (even with the pain medication)... But it will be over and you'll never have to worry about that again. Make sure to use the drops (that will leave an awful taste in your mouth) religiously and to wear the sun glasses all the time, even on cloudy days to avoid scaring, which is one of the main concerns after PRK. You'll probably experience seeing halos around lights, specially at night, but don't freak out, that goes away with some time. BE PATIENT. After every surgery there is a process... First you'll be sensitive to the light, then the contact lens will bother you, then you vision will be a little blury, and the taste of the drops, etc... But at the end it will all be worth it!

Oh, and if you can get away with not looking at a computer screen for the first couple of days, that will also help..

Good Luck!

David asks…

Lasik vs PRK? Which Laser? Thin cornea. Can't decide...?

Hi,
I am trying to decide the best option for my laser vision correction and I am really conflicted. I went to one doctor that measured my cornea at 466 and said that it's too thin for Lasik, and he would definitely recommend PRK with the custom wavefront technology with a VISX S4 laser. Another doctor measured the cornea at 500 and said either Lasik or PRK are fine to do, with the Intralase Blade and VISX S3 laser. Both doctors claim to have the best technology. The second doctor said that I don't need the custom wavefront b/c the VISX S4 takes off more tissue, which I don't need. The first doctor is a smaller office with one doctor doing all the pre and post-op care, and the surgery. The second doctor is with a big lasik center, and i'll have one doctor doing the surgery and another doctor doing the pre and post-op care. Any advice? Which procedure should I do? Any thoughts on the different lasers, and if the VISX3 is really better than the VISX4? Why would one doctor recommend only PRK, and the other has no preference.

admin answers:

If its really 466, thats probably too thin.

"Why would one doctor recommend only PRK, and the other has no preference."

b/c people have different opinions. Some people are more aggressive than others. There are no "rules" for who can have lasik vs prk & who needs what. Its really all up the the surgeon who does the procedure.

Mary asks…

Lasik vs. PRK?

OK...I do know all the differences between them and the after care and blah blah blah. My Dr. thinks PRK is better for me although he said I could do either. The reason is, that I play contact sports, my job has a potential for violence everyday and I'm into MMA. Now I can avoid all of the potential risks for awhile until it has fully healed but does it ever become "fully" healed? I know why PRK is a better choice but I'm not really looking forward to the longer and more uncomfortable recovery time. My question is...how long until the flap from Lasik is fully recovered and reattached and there is no risk of it coming off or dislodged etc. Or will it always have the potential to become detached, dislodged etc. etc? If it will always have that potential then I know PRK would be better. Please tell me about the flap and it's reattachment if it does reattach.

admin answers:

My husband had LASIK and at his 24 hour followup appointment, the flap had already healed at the level of the epithelium. The cornea heals from the outside in. He was advised by the surgeon not to rub his eyes at all for the first two weeks...then corner dab if needed for a third week.

I found the articles below and hope that helps you with making your decision. From the way I understand it, nontraumatic flap injury doesn't happen often at all. But it sounds like, with your playing contact sports and possible violence on a daily basis (see the 2nd article), PRK may be a better choice since the epithelium grows back as a whole.

I did read one case report (I wish I could give you that link, but you need a password to get to it) where a 40 something woman had LASIK and an enhancement 5 years later. Six years after her enhancement, she had a traumatic eye injury with a tree branch. The corneal flap didn't detach, but got folded, necessitating a surgery with corneal sutures. Total time between initial LASIK and her injury: 11 years. She had a good visual outcome, but with increased astigmatism due to the sutures.

From the information you have given, and I had PRK...so I understand the healing process 100%...and your surgeon is recommending PRK approach versus the LASIK flap...I would listen to your surgeon and follow his advice, especially with a very active, potential eye injury, lifestyle.

Good luck!

Lisa asks…

LASIK vs PRK which is better?

admin answers:

It's not a question of better, but a question of which is better for you...
PRK is used by eye surgeons as a secondary treatment to Lasik. Which means the surgeon would rather do Lasik, but for some reason (ie, corneal thickness, corneal scarring, you are a professional fighter, ect) the doctor has selected PRK. More than likely the surgeon has selected to do PRK because of corneal thickness, which I like to hear. It sounds like the surgeon is acting in your best interest if that's the case.
With Lasik, you do the treatment, sleep for 4 hours, wake up and you are pretty much good to go. However, this treatment uses more cornea. If you have thick corneas it shouldn't be an issue, even if you need an enhancement (a re-treatment).
With PRK, it is a MUCH more difficult recovery process. You will do the treatment and surprisingly for the first couple days you will be fine. You will enjoy your vision and the discomfort will not be too bad. But at about day 3, you will be extremely light-sensitive and you will notice your visual acuity will be decreasing. You will feel as if the treatment is fading away. It won't be at all like taking your glasses off now, but you won't be 20/20 and you probably won't get to 20/20 for a couple month after the treatment.
In PRK, there is no flap what so ever, which is great! But in PRK they are rubbing the epithelium (the protective skin) of your eye off and putting in a bandage contact lens which will stay in your eyes from anywhere from 3 days to a week. Your epithelium regenerates itself, but you have a take a week off work and your vision just won't be as good for a couple months and you will be in some pretty severe discomfort. If you do PRK, I advise take a multi-vitamin and take extra vitamin E... This will increase your ability to heal.

So if a Dr, has said PRK is the only option... There's no real better choice. But if you have the choice it's up to you
No flap and long, hard recovery
or
flap, but quick recovery.

I chose Lasik, but it's because I have super thick corneas and can do several enhancements if needed.

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