PRK and LASEK
No flap before laser is formed in cornea in both methods. This is preferred in patients with thin and plane corneas or lower degree of visual impairment at whom LASIK surgery cannot be applied. LASEK is a relatively new application which is a modified form of PRK.
PRK is the application of laser to sublayer skinning the thinnest tissue called epithelium on the top of cornea. The differences between LASEK and PRK are epithelium which is removed using alcohol to be put back into its place, lesser pain and the rate of recovery.
In both applications, patients wear contact lens for 3 or 4 days period to accelerate the epithelium’s process to renew itself and protect the eye.
Patients feel pain, watering and increased luminous sensitivity for 2 or 3 days. Vision is blurred during this period. They reach to the clear vision level in 3 or 4 weeks.