PRK was once the most common refractive surgery procedure.

PRK Laser Eye Surgery for Houston & Galveston from The Eye Clinic of Texas

Photorefractive Keratectomy or PRK Laser Eye Surgery was the  first type of Laser vision Correction performed in the  United States and has proven to be quite safe and effective over a long period of time. Until 1995, if you were one of the millions of people with a refractive error (which means that light rays do not focus precisely on the retina, causing you to be nearsighted, farsighted, or astigmatic), eyeglasses and contact lenses were the only options for correcting vision. But with the development of Laser Refractive Eye Surgery, some people are able to have their vision corrected with reduced dependence and often complete freedom from the hassle of glasses and contacts for seeing far away.

Photorefractive Keratectomy PRK is an outpatient procedure performed with topical anesthetic eyedrops. It takes only about 15 minutes. The epithelium, the outer cell layer of the cornea, is gently removed. An excimer laser, which produces ultraviolet light and emits high-energy pulses, is used to remove the thin layer of corneal tissue. Your ophthalmologist guides the laser with a computer, and the laser beam sculpts the surface of the cornea. By breaking the bonds that hold the tissue molecules together, your cornea is reshaped, which corrects your refractive error and eliminates or reduces the need for eyeglasses or contact lenses. Because no incisions are made, the procedure does not weaken the structure of the cornea.

Immediately following surgery, the eye is patched or a “bandage” contact lens is placed on the eye. Vision is blurry for several days following PRK. It may take a month or longer to achieve your best vision. You will also be prescribed an antibiotic and steroid eye drop that should be used used for 4-6 weeks following the procedure.

To be a candidate for the procedure you must have a stable and appropriate refractive error, be free of eye disease, and be at least 20 years old.