| PRK FAQs |
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As with any surgical procedure, it’s common to have questions and
concerns about recovery time, what to expect, or even the surgery
itself. At Carlsbad Eye Care, ophthalmologist Dr. Tracy takes great care
to ensure that all of his patients feel comfortable and informed while
in his care. If you’re thinking about receiving PRK eye surgery, please
read below to see some of the most commonly asked questions regarding
this laser eye surgery!
If you have a question that isn’t listed
below, please feel free to contact Carlsbad Eye Care by calling (760)
603-9910 today! Also, please visit the
PRK page on WebMD to learn more about this exciting procedure! |
Common PRK Questions
Question: How long should I expect my visit to be
with Dr. Tracy for my PRK eye surgery?
Answer:
Although the procedure itself takes only about ten minutes per eye, you
should plan on being at the surgery center for about two hours, to allow
for prep time and post-op care.
Question: What
does Dr. Tracy advise that I do to prepare for my PRK surgery? |
Answer: If you wear
contact lenses, you need to leave them out for 2 weeks (for soft
lenses) or 6 weeks (for hard lenses) before your surgery. Before
your procedure, be sure to arrange a ride to and from the
doctor’s office, since you will not be able to drive on the day
of your surgery.
Make sure that you can take 2-4 days off from
work. Pick up medications that Dr. Tracy has prescribed. You will begin using them immediately. You may want to eat a
light meal (no caffeine) a couple of hours before. Wear
comfortable clothes, and bring a sweater or sweatshirt, as it
can get cold in the laser suite. Do not wear any makeup,
perfume, or jewelry.
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Question: What can I expect
after my PRK surgery? What is recovery like?
Answer:
After the procedure, a bandage contact lens will be placed on
your eyes, to protect them while the epithelium is healing. So you may
feel like there is something in your eye for about a week after. Dr.
Tracy will remove the bandage contact lenses at your 1-week post-op
visit, once he is sure your epithelium has healed. You will need to use
the eye drops that have been prescribed – antibiotic eye drops, steroid
eye drops, and drops to prevent pain.
Question:
Will my ophthalmologist be present during my PRK procedure?
Answer: Yes, Dr. Tracy will be your ophthalmologist and surgeon, and he
will be with you every step of the way. He will be there for your
consultation appointment to perform your tests, he will perform the
surgery itself, and he will examine your eyes at your post-operative
appointments.
Question: Does it hurt?
Answer: You won’t
feel pain during the procedure iself, because Dr. Tracy will place
anesthetic eye drops in your eyes first. After your surgery, you will
use eye drops to prevent pain, and you may also use pain medication that
will be prescribed to you if necessary. Most patients report only mild
discomfort a day or so later.
Question: I’ve heard PRK surgery is
much more painful and has a longer recovery time than LASIK. What is the
reality on this procedure?
Answer: PRK does have a longer
recovery time than LASIK. With advanced surface ablation (PRK), the
epithelium (the thin outermost layer covering the cornea) is brushed
away, and this must heal before the vision really begins to get better.
This healing takes about 3-5 days. Most people see in the 20/40 range
the next day after and can drive. After the first week or so, recovery
is similar to LASIK. The discomfort after PRK is usually not severe, but
it is worse than LASIK. Most patients report that the eyes feel scratchy
for the first week. So for PRK patients, I prescribe eye drops to
prevent pain. As a result, the discomfort is generally very well
tolerated, and some patients notice no discomfort at all.
Question: PRK vs LASIK? I’m a Minus 8 with Dry Eye.
Answer: Just
like in any other specialty, each surgeon is going to have a different
opinion. Historically, PRK has been safer than LASIK because no flap is
created. Keep in mind the long-term results of the procedures are the
same. The difference is in the first month or so during the healing
process. I would recommend you ask the surgeon to explain WHY he is
recommending each procedure and then see whom you feel most comfortable
with and what procedure.
Question: I am 21, have a prescription
of -10 (Right) and -8 (Left) and corneal thickness of 485 for one eye
and 500 for other. I went to one clinic and they said I am not eligible
for LASIK. Now my question is am I eligible for PRK , as I read that it
is ideal for people with thin corneas, or is ICL the only procedure that
can be done for me?
Answer: ICL is the best option for you. It is
best to always leave at least 400 microns of cornea behind when doing
PRK. This is simply not possible in your case.
Question: I have
starbursts and glare when my eyes are dilated after I got PRK. It is
nearing 6 months and it hasn’t gotten any better since I first got the
surgery. My doctor has given my Alphagan (which cures all my night
issues) but I don’t want to be dependent on it for the rest of my life
since it gives me dry and tired feeling eyes. I am seeing 20/20 so
acuity is not an issue. What are my options? Will it resolve with time
or have I ruined my night vision?
Answer: The first thing to try
is definitely waiting longer, perhaps six more months. Most glare and
halos vanish after 6 months but they can last longer. For now they are
manageable with brimonidine and your vision is good. Most glare and
halos are caused by having a small amount of residual astigmatism that
is not enough to affect vision during daylight. If this persists once
your refraction stabilizes, you have the option of pursuing an
enhancement procedure to fix this, or glasses for nighttime driving. I
would be reluctant to perform an enhancement on a 20/20 patient unless
the glare and halos were debilitating.
Question: I’m 21 years old
with a prescription of 5.0 left+4.5 right (1.25 cylindrical). My corneal
thickness is 470 & 480 microns. My topography was good and I don’t have
any corneal abnormalities. My doctor recommended ICL treatment, even
though I’m eligible for PRK. What is my best option for corrective eye
surgery?
Answer: Given your youth and thin corneas, I would
personally not recommend laser surgery (PRK, LASEK, LASIK or Epi-LASIK).
You have too many risk factors for kerato-ectasia even if your scans are
normal. I do not personally perform ICL’s, but they are an effective,
FDA approved option if you are determined to have surgery.
Question: Before my PRK procedure by right eye was 6/60 (without
glasses) and my left eye was 6/36 (without Glasses). 20 days after my
procedure my right eye was 6/18 (without Glasses) and my left eye was
6/12 (without Glasses). My doctor tells me my vision should become 6/9
after 1 month. Is this true?
Answer: Everyone heals differently.
Unfortunately, no one can predict in advance when your vision will be
6/6 or 6/9 after PRK. At a month after surgery, you should be seeing
continuing improvement of your vision, but there is a lot of variation
in the specifics. If your vision is not improving, is getting worse, or
you develop new symptoms, you should see your surgeon right away.
Question: After PRK, I got my bandage contact lenses taken out and
had the worse pain in my left eye. I went back to the doctor and he
scratched my epithelium and put the contact lens on it again. My eye is
still painful, with a burning sensation, and not so good vision. What
happened and what should I do?
Answer: Sometimes when the contact
lens falls out prematurely, it takes a bit of the surface tissue
(epithelium) with it resulting in pain, redness, blurred vision. This
will generally improve over the next few days and in a week or so will
most likely be similar to the other eye.
Question: I have been
diagnosed as good for PRK, as I have thin corneas and dry eye. I know
there are risks with the dry eye. What’s your option on going ahead? I
have two prescriptions.
Answer: PRK uses less cornea than LASIK
and causes less dry eye. The outcomes are the same or better. If you are
a candidate for PRK and can tolerate the initial discomfort and blurred
vision, it is at least as good as having LASIK.
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Question: I had my PRK
surgery done last month, my right eye seems to do well and then
fluctuate throughout the day, however my left eye feels the same
as the day of surgery. What went wrong? Does my that mean my
left eye will need an enhancement? Is this normal and will it
get better?
Answer: A lot of things
may be going on here, depending on your prescription and other
factors. One month after surgery is usually too early to judge
whether you will need an enhancement. You may just need more
time to heal. The most important thing is for your surgeon to
make certain that you have no other eye problems (retinal
detachment, etc.).
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Question: I had PRK 1 week ago and my right eye has
been in pain and right now I’m 20/40. Is that normal?
Answer: 20/40 is pretty normal a week after surgery depending
on your prescription. Having more pain in one eye than in the other is
also very common. If your surgeon has examined you and you are doing
well, most likely your vision will continue to improve in both eyes.
Question: I am 28, have a prescription of -3.0
(right) and -2.0 (left) and a central corneal thickness of 470 in both
eyes. Do you recommend ICL or PRK for thin corneas?
Answer: With corneas as thin as yours, I would be reluctant to
recommend LASIK or PRK. Using the standard Randleman criteria, you would
be classified as “high risk” for LASIK and “unknown risk” for PRK. If
you are determined to have a procedure, an ICL may be your best option.
But waiting until you are 30 to have anything done would reduce your
risk into the “moderate” category for LASIK and also give us time to
find safer alternatives. Until then, I prefer glasses to contact lenses.
Given your low prescription, you do not even need to wear your glasses
all the time if you can function without them.
Question: PRK instead of LASIK for thick cornea? What is the
healing time? My thickness for both corneas is 470 and 472. Is it safe
to go ahead with the procedure and can I go back to school on a Monday
or Tuesday if I have the surgery on a Friday?
Answer:
I would not recommend PRK or LASIK in a patient with such thin corneas,
ESPECIALLY if you are young enough to still be in school. I would wait
until you are 30 years old to consider any laser procedure given your
thin corneas.
Question: Since PRK, I have
blurry vision throughout the day and colors appear duller. I also have
ghosting day and night, halos and star bursts. Previously I has myopia
-5.50 and astigmatism -3.50 in both eyes. Will this improve?
Answer: You had a large treatment with significant
astigmatism in both eyes so your vision should continue to improve for
several more months. Having said that, after three months your vision
would generally be moving in the right direction. If you have seen no
improvement at all, it is possible you will need an enhancement at some
point. It would be best to have your surgeon take a look to make sure
that you do not have any problems unrelated to your surgery that might
be affecting your vision.
Question: I have
halos and starbursts one year after PRK. No scarring or haze, and 20/20
vision besides that. What are my options?
Answer:
The most common reason for glare and halos at night is that you have a
small amount of residual astigmatism in your eyes. This could
theoretically be treated by doing more laser, but if you are 20/20 and
able to drive at night the best course may be to leave it alone. Dry
eyes can contribute to GASH (Glare, Arcs, Streaks, Halos) and if you are
not taking artificial tears this may help. There are also drops such as
Alphagan P that get rid of glare and halos, but you would have to take
these drops nightly.
Question: Is it good
news to hear that, after 4 days post PRK surgery, that you are healing
extremely fast?
Answer: It is very good news. A
few days after PRK, the vision gets somewhat worse as the epithelium on
the eye heals, before beginning to improve again. This is typically the
same day the pain goes away. This may happen a bit sooner for you. Other
than being aware of that, healing fast is great.
Question: I’ve had my right eye scraped twice since PRK due to
hazing because of dry eye. Is this normal? Will my outcome be affected?
Answer: Scraping for haze so soon after PRK is
unusual. Haze normally forms a month after surgery and is often treated
with steroid drops and if that fails with superficial keratectomy and
Mitomycin C. Haze will eventually go away even if it is not treated, but
can take a year to resolve. Dry eyes can definitely slow down the
healing process. If you cannot tolerate the contact lenses it may be
best to let you heal without them and use a thick gel or ointment to
lubricate your eyes while healing.
Question:
I have examined my eyes thoroughly from specialist doctors. My eye side
weak is left (-2) and right (-2). After my examination the only problem
for me is central thickness of corneal which is 460 microns in my case.
Doctor would not recommended LASIK for this thickness. Please tell me
whether PRK will be better for me as I don’t want to wear glasses. My
age is 26 and there are no other diseases or complexities in my report
except corneal thickness. Please guide whether I will go for PRK or not?
Answer: From the risk factors you have mentioned,
you get four points on the Randleman Scale. This makes you a high-risk
patient. Most surgeons would not perform LASIK in your case and the
safety of PRK has not been positively established for patients with your
risk profile (although it is generally believed to be safer). I would
not do any laser procedure on someone in your situation. I don’t think
there is any reason to take risks with elective surgery.
Question: What should I expect from an enhancement PRK
surgery? Is it normal to have complete blurry vision two weeks after
surgery? It’s been about 10 days since my enhancement and I literally
can’t read a book in my lap without a struggle. I know I’m in the
healing process, but I’m just a bit concerned because I can’t really see
anything. My vision is way worse than before my enhancement. Is this
normal? Am I being impatient? Any suggestions?
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Answer: A lot depends
on the nature of the enhancement you had. Modern enhancements
are generally done by surface ablation rather then relifting the
flap. This is MUCH safer but leaves the vision blurred for
longer afterwards.
Also, far-sighted (positive spherical)
enhancements leave the vision blurry for longer. The most
important thing is to have your surgeon check you out if you
have not already done so. You’ll want to make sure there is
nothing else going on before you assume this is just normal
healing, although feeling impatient is certainly part of normal
healing also.
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Question: Should I be concerned about an uncomfortable sensation and
less clarity in vision two weeks after PRK surgery?
Answer: You
may have injured the surface of your cornea (the epithelium). If so,
your surgeon will want to put you on antibiotic drops while it’s healing
to keep it from becoming infested. Please see your eye doctor right
away.
Question: I had LASIK in 2001 and had PRK on 12/20/13.
During my first check up on 12/24/13, my vision was doing really well. I
was cleared to drive and the contacts were taken out. Three days later I
could see NOTHING. I went back to my doctor and I’m now farsighted (I
was nearsighted). I was told not to worry and that it would get better.
It is now 12/30/13 and it keeps getting worse. Should I be worried? I
can’t get in to see my surgeon until later.
Answer:
The symptoms
you have described sound normal for healing after PRK. The vision does
get worse after a few days as the epithelium (skin) on the cornea heals,
and then begins improving again very soon thereafter. If you are saying
your vision “keeps getting worse” day after day, I would see your
surgeon or another doctor right away to be sure you do not have another
eye problem.
Question: Are individuals 50 and older at a higher
risk for PRK under/over-correction due to the tissue being weaker? I
have heard that because the tissue is weaker, the laser could remove
more than the treatment zone and leave you with an over-correction or
under-correction.
Answer: The quality of the tissue is probably a
factor but even more so dry eyes. Older patients are more likely to have
dry eyes and dry eyes increase the chance of regression. As a result,
surgeons generally treat dry eyes aggressively in older patients before
considering refractive surgery. This is true for PRK and LASIK.
Question: I am looking to have PRK in my left eye. I have a corneal scar
in this eye. Is it likely to regenerate after PRK surgery?
Answer: A lot depends on the size and location of the scar. Small scars
associated with contact lens wear generally do not return after PRK.
Larger scars may need to be treated with PTK before PRK. In any case it
is best to use Mitomycin C after PRK to prevent scars from returning.
Question: I had surgery thirteen months ago. My vision is fine
but I still use eye drops (Hyabuak) because I feel my eyes dry. Not so
much as the beginning, but 3-4 drops every day. What is more, I drop
water to my face 3-4 times every day because I feel that this helps.
When will I stop the eye drops? Is it logical after one year to use
still eye drops?
Answer: Dry eyes after PRK does occur and can in
some cases last a year or more. Equally common is for patients to be
more aware of dry eye symptoms or ocular allergies because they no
longer have contact lenses covering their corneas. Using artificial
tears like Hyabuak is always healthy even for a patient who has not had
surgery. It is like putting moisturizer on the skin!
Question:
I
am 33 with a 15 year history of wearing contacts with -9.00 both eyes.
Corneal thickness is 630mm. I have been also seeing floaters for the
past couple of years, but all ophthalmologists I have went to said my
eyes are healthy. I went to couple of consultations recommending I do
LASIK. However, I am reading more about how PRK is less invasive and may
have lesser side effects (such as dry eyes). I am not worried about
healing time so which one would you recommend?
Answer:
PRK is
safer than LASIK in both the short and the long term, but has a longer
recovery. Complications are more common in younger patients like
yourself and in higher prescriptions like yourself. If recovery time is
not an issue and you want the safest procedure possible, then PRK may be
the better option for you.
Question: I had PRK (thin corneas)
seven years ago. Since then, I have had two pregnancies. I am currently
two months postpartum. I have noticed no changes during pregnancy to my
vision. However, in the past week I have noticed an “uneven balance” in
my eye sight. My left eye seems to be a tad blurry. I am not nursing and
still have not had a postpartum cycle. Should I be concerned about the
vision in my left eye or will it balance out?
Answer: There are a
lot of changes that can occur to the eye during pregnancy. Some of them
are serious, so please have your ophthalmologist see you as soon as
possible. It is true that a glasses prescription can change during
pregnancy and will generally go back to normal, but it is not safe to
assume that is your problem until you have had a thorough eye exam.
Question: My prescription is -9.00 in each eye, and corneas are 487
and 488 in thickness. I am 25-years-old and have no eye diseases and no
dry eyes. Am I a good candidate for PRK? Two surgeons at separate
clinics both said yes, but I’d like some other professional opinions,
please. Am I at significantly greater risk for complications?
Answer: I would not operate on you. By the Randleman criteria, you are
not a candidate for LASIK and the safety of PRK in your risk group has
not yet been determined (although it is generally believed to be safer).
If you wait until the age of thirty, your risk of complications goes
down, but honestly I would wait for more research to be published that
establishes the safety of PRK in your risk group. You may wish to
consider implantable contact lenses if you cannot tolerate glasses.
Question: Hi, Just looking for some thoughts on this. My eyes are
-2.75, and -3, corneal thickness of 445. Am I an eligible candidate for
PRK ? I don’t have any eye problem and I don’t have dry eyes.
Answer: I would not do any laser surgery on a cornea that thin due to
the risk of complications. If you are determined to have surgery you may
want to consider implantable contact lenses but please remember glasses
are always a safe and reliable option.
Question: I had LASIK
surgery in 2003 in both eyes which corrected me to 20/20. After 10
years, my near sightedness gradually regressed to roughly 20/40 or
20/60. I decided to consider an enhancement, and went back to my
original surgeon, who recommended PRK this time, one eye at a time. I
underwent the surgery in my left eye in November 2013. Nearly four
months later, best case, the improvement in my left eye has been
negligible. Should I be concerned? What questions should I ask at my
next appointment?
Answer: PRK is generally considered the best
way to perform enhancements after LASIK, since re-lifting the flap can
lead to so many complications. Four months is a relatively long period
to see no improvement. Your surgeon will want to asses if you have some
eye condition that is affecting your vision, if you have developed haze,
or if you have achieved the desired refraction (plano if this is a
distance treatment). Vision does improve for several months after PRK
and longer if you were hyperopic, so this may just be normal healing.
Question: Am I a candidate for PRk surgery? My age is 25 and my
cornea thickness is 450 and 452. I hate wearing glasses. Can I go for
PRK? My doctor suggested that I wear glasses for next six months.
Answer: Corneas of 450 microns are not considered safe for LASIK and
the risk is unknown for PRK. My recommendation is always to hold off
until there is research convincingly demonstrating safety before you
consider any surgery.
Question: What to do after unsatisfactory
PRK results? I got my PRK two and half months back. At the start it was
awesome, but after one month I felt that my right eye vision was
slightly dim. Then after 45 days my doctor stopped me from taking
artificial tears and put me on some low potency steroids. After that day
my vision started to decline progressively. I cant see the faces
properly and in dark or dim light the condition is worse. I rechecked my
vision and its 4/6 in each.
Answer: There are a number of reasons
your vision may get worse a month after surgery. As long as your doctor
has made sure that you do not have a serious eye disease, the most
likely are haze or regression. Haze usually forms a month after surgery
and is often treated with topical steroids. Haze eventually resolves on
its own but can take up to a year to do so and as a result surgeons with
often remove the haze with an Amoyls brush and then soak the cornea in a
drug called Mitomycin to break up haze if it does not resolve with
topical steroids. Regression involves the eye regaining some of its
original error after the surgery. If this happens your surgeon will wait
until your vision is stable and then retreat with more laser.
Question: Dry eyes after sixteen months of PRK surgery. Will it
continue? If so, how I can heal this symptom?
Answer: Dry eyes
almost always resolve six months to a year after PRK. If your dry eyes
persist you may have other risk factors such as allergies, ocular
rosacea, or floppy eyelid syndrome. Your surgeon can recommend
appropriate treatments for these depending on the severity, from
punctual plugs to Restasis to Intense Pulsed Light Therapy.
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Question: Will I have
to use eyedrops forever due to dry eyes after PRK surgery? I had
a PRK surgery 15 months ago.
I still use eye drops (Hyabuak)
because I feel my eyes dry. I would like to know if I will use
eye drops for all of my life.
What is more, if it is
logical to see better from one eye. Furthermore, sometimes I
feel a little pain in my eyes. This one is appeared last 2
months. Maybe because I join in army and here the environment is
not so clear.
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Answer: Dry eyes almost always resolve six months
to a year after PRK. If your dry eyes persist you may have other risk
factors such as allergies, ocular rosacea or floppy eyelid syndrome.
This could also be the cause of your eye pain. The two eyes are usually
very similar in vision after 15 months. Since your symptoms are new, the
best first step is to see your surgeon. If you have dry eyes, he can
recommend appropriate treatments depending on the severity from punctual
plugs to Restasis to Intense Pulsed Light Therapy. He can also treat
allergic conjunctivitis from seasonal allergies which sounds possible
since your symptoms have occurred so long after surgery.
Question: Is the healing time of PRK faster if you have
a lower prescription? I have a low prescription to help with seeing
anything far away from me. I wondering if the healing time of PRK is
better for people who do not have terrible eye sight?
Answer: It is a little faster, but with modern techniques the
healing time after PRK is much less burdensome than it once was. With
the most advanced methods, a patient a week out from PRK is very
comparable to a day out from LASIK and with much less chance of
complications.
Question: Sixteen months
after my PRK surgery, I developed blepharitis which is giving me pain
and dryness. Is this linked to my PRK surgery?
Answer:
Blepharitis is not linked to laser surgery. Most often it is generic and
caused by a condition of the skin called rosacea.
Question: Vision getting worse 13 days after PRK surgery? I had
PRK surgery twelve days ago and my vision has been great but I’m
noticing today that I have pain in one eye that I didn’t have before and
my vision seems to have gotten worse. Is this normal?
Answer: That is not normal. This is a new symptom. See your
doctor right away. Most likely you have gotten something in your or
scratched your cornea but the only way to be sure is to be seen at once
to be certain it is not something serious.
Question:
Which is safer: PRK or INTRALASE LASIK? I am a candidate for both.
Answer: PRK is safer than any other refractive
procedure. The advantage to iLASIK is more rapid recovery but at higher
risk.
Question: I have had 4 cornea
abrasions since my PRK surgery a year and a half ago. Since then, I have
had a total of four cornea abrasions between both eyes. Every night
before bed, I put Muro 128 ointment on my water-line so my eyes stay
lubricated (the abrasion usually occurs when I open my eyes in the
morning). I also have trained myself not to open my eyes when I first
wake up without putting in wetting drops in each eye. I feel like I am
doing everything possible yet this is still continuing to happen to me.
My eye doctor has really been great helping me understand what is
happening and what steps are appropriate for me. The last time I had an
abrasion on my right eye (two months ago) I wore a bandage contact for
four weeks. For me, wearing a contact over night would eliminate this
problem I am having since each abrasion I have had has happened over
night.
Answer: Using Muro 128 ointment at
bedtime plus Muro drops 4 x/day for six months is effective about 90% of
the time in eliminating recurrent corneal erosions. Another option is
PTK (a laser treatment) followed by Muro for six months. The two
together are effective about 98% of the time.
Question: What is your advice on swimming after PRK? What is
your advice on swimming, paddling or having sea/river water splashing on
the eyes after PRK? I had my surgery ten days ago. Can I go swimming
yet? I’ll protect my eyes with goggles.
Answer:
You should not go swimming until your epithelium (the surface of the
eye) is healed. Two weeks is usually sufficient but the only way to be
certain if it is safe to swim is to have your surgeon check your eyes.
Question: Why is there a difference in residual
stromal bed for PRK and LASIK? I have recently been considering eye
surgery to correct my myopia. My glasses prescription is -6.5 with -0.5
astigmatism in both eyes. My corneal thickness is about 494 in one eye
and 516 in the other. I’m pretty sure LASIK is out of the question but
just wondering about PRK? I’ve read that the ideal residual stromal bed
for LASIK is 250 whereas for PRK it’s 400. This seems like a huge
difference and I was just wondering why this is?
Answer:
You certainly may be a candidate for PRK, depending on your age and
other factors. There are large studies demonstrating greater safety for
LASIK with a residual bed of 300 or more. There are not yet comparable
studies for the optimal bed depth after PRK so many surgeons (including
myself) err on the side of caution and like to leave a bed of 400 or
more.
Question: If I received an eye exam
from an optometrist, would he/she be able to tell I had PRK if I didn’t
tell them? I’m curious if a doctor can tell by looking in the eyes if a
patient had PRK. If they can, does it require the eye to be dilated or
can the doctor tell during a regular eye exam?
Answer:
No one can tell you had PRK just by examining your eyes. In some cases
it may be possible to tell using a corneal topographer (a scan of your
cornea), but in most cases there is no way for anyone to know you have
had surgery unless you tell them.
Question:
What is the best laser technology for PRK? I’ve read that different
types of lasers are better for different procedures. Of the lasers out
there, which tend to be best suited for PRK?
Answer:
The VISX system is the one that has been used in the most clinical
studies and therefore is the most predictable. It also uses a unique
wavescan for each individual unlike the Allegretto. In most studies, the
outcomes with the VISX have been slightly better than with other lasers.
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How Much Does Laser Eye Surgery Cost?
LASIK eye surgery cost can vary based on the technology and
equipment used, surgeon experience, and geographic area. It can
typically cost between $2,000 and $4,000 per eye. Be careful of some of
the lower fees advertised, as they may be bait-and-switch techniques,
involving unreasonable conditions and restrictions, or the laser center
may be using older, outdated technologies such as the
microkeratome blade.
San Diego Ophthalmologist Dr. Tracy utilizes
the most advanced technologies and equipment, performing blade-free,
all-laser surgery. We charge one flat fee for your procedure, which
includes all pre-operative evaluations, surgery, and post-operative
care. At Carlsbad Eye Care, Dr. Tracy performs all pre- and post-op care
himself, including the initial evaluation. We offer no-interest Credit
Care financing and payment plans to help make the cost of your procedure
affordable. This will allow you to make small monthly payments over a
period of time in accordance with your budget. |
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Call
Carlsbad Eye Care Today!
To schedule your free
consultation with a LASIK expert in Carlsbad, please call us at (760)
603-9910.
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