In case a person does not want to wear contacts or glasses for life long, then one decides to go through the laser eye surgery, as the possible and best solution. There are three viable and potential laser eye surgeries available in the contemporary medical industry and selecting the best and suitable one stands as the first significant deciding factor.
The three laser eye surgeries are Lasik, SMILE and PRK and are the safe, trusted and effective in terms of correcting one’s vision. And now the question is which procedure to choose?
PRK
Photorefractive Keratectomy stands as the first generation of vision correction using laser. The procedure can correct astigmatism, farsightedness and nearsightedness.
The Procedure
The procedure of PRK involves removing the outer cornea layer or epithelium, through a manual instrument. Then the cornea is reshaped by using a cool excimer laser for correction of the vision.
Is PRK a Good Option?
Some patients, who have irregular or thin corneas or suffer from chronic dry eye become potential candidates for the PRK. Usually fighters and boxers or anyone with similar lifestyles have possibility of direct contact to the eyes. In a nutshell, patients, who have dry eyes, thin corneas and high-risk occupations, can prefer PRK procedure and anyways they do not get qualified for the Lasik procedure.
Downsides of PRK
Among the three procedures, PRK stands at last position in terms of faster recovery time, as it takes very long time to heal. It needs the outer layer of the cornea to grow back and it takes minimum a week and usually more than a week to get back to normal conditions. If the procedure is conducted for both the eyes, the patient has to take an off for a week, from driving or work. And compared to the other two, this procedure results in higher post-surgery discomfort.
LASIK
Laser-Assisted Stromal In-situ Keratomileusis is the most familiar surgery to the people, in and out of the medical industry, as it is most commonly performed procedure today. LASIK is preferred to treat astigmatism, farsightedness and nearsightedness at mild to moderate levels.
The Procedure
The procedure involves creation of a small flap of corneal tissue, with the help of femtosecond laser and the same would be folded back. Then the underlying corneal tissue will be reshaped, using an excimer laser for correction of vision.
Is LASIK a Good Option?
From surgeon point of view, a person, who has enough or adequate corneal thickness is qualified for the Lasik procedure. It is because a flap is created and it needs adequate corneal thickness. So, technically a candidate is qualified for LASIK only under this condition, though most of the patients prefer this procedure, since it is mostly familiar. Hence, people with no adequate corneal thickness can prefer alternative procedures, either PRK or SMILE procedures. However, LASIK stands as a preference for most of the people, since it is safe, effective and trusted compared to the other.
Downsides
LASIK is safe and effective and at the same time, is has a downside that the procedure involves complex tasks, such as creation of flap and usage of two lasers. Hence technically, potential complications related to flap are possible post-surgery. Possible flap related complications are irregular astigmatism, microscopic wrinkles like striae, dry eye syndrome and epithelial ingrowth. Though these complications are rare and nullified by partnering with experienced surgeons, these are technically possible.
SMILE
Small Incision Lenticule Extraction, which is the latest laser procedure, has been approved by the FDA and is in practice widely in the US from 2012.
The Procedure and Benefits
The procedure is performed to cut very small or tiny incision within the cornea and then a lenticule or small corneal tissue pieces are removed, suing femtosecond laser. It eventually reshapes the cornea and the result is the vision improvement. The major difference between SMILE and other two procedures is that it does not make use of excimer laser, during the procedure. So, this procedure ends up quiet and odourless.
Comparatively LASIK, SMILE is less invasive surgery. The incision needed for SMILE is only 3mm compared to 8mm for PRK and 20mm in Lasik procedures. Hence it results in less disturbed corneal nerves and more corneal stability after the surgery.
There are no flap related complications with SMILE procedure, unlike with Lasik, after the surgery. SMILE is as accurate and safe as Lasik.
Downsides
SMILE procedure is performed for only nearsightedness currently but not for astigmatism or farsightedness. The recovery time is slightly more than Lasik procedure.