Both vision improvement procedures involve minimal pain. This makes both LASIK and PRK comfortable for patients to endure. Out of the two procedures, the most commonly used method is LASIK. Below, we discuss some of the pros and cons of both PRK and LASIK surgery.

LASIK

The LASIK procedure is a faster method with a shorter healing period than PRK. LASIK also requires very little post surgery care. If you are nearsighted, the LASIK will most likely be the best choice for you. If your vision is moderate you will probably be able to choose either procedure.

During the LASIK surgery, the surgeon uses an instrument called the microkeratome which helps the eye stay in place while proceeding. There will be at least a 5-6 hour discomfort during surgery. The cornea is being worked on throughout the surgery. Once completed, the microkeratome releases the eye lid to the normal position and finishing touches are in process.

One good pro about the Lasik procedure is there are no stiches are patches needed. An eye drop medicine may be given to you for the next week or so until your regular routine is resumed.

The term of the condition of your eyes is approximately 1-3 months.

PRK

The PRK procedure will include the similiar procedure. The top of the cornea is being exposed for the next 6 hours during the eye surgery. The pros are there are no needles or cuts taken place.

The surgeon takes every precaution with medications and contact lenses on the eye. This will prevent any type of infection or allergy to affect the eye. After about 2-4 days they are removed and your vision is more clear than before. The surgery is a success it will begin to heal immediately. Within about 3-4 months you will see a difference with your eyes.

Effectively the surgeon makes use of this tiny little blade to create a flap in the corneal tissue. Removes are certain amount of this tissue with an “excimer laser” and replaces the flap. There is also a newer type of bladeless LASIK in which a Femtosecond laser is used to create the flap, after which the same technique is used to remove the required amount of corneal tissue.

This surgery has been designed to assist people to see better, and many patients who have had to wear spectacles or contact lenses for years have been helped. The concept or rational for this surgery remains the same with every practitioner, however the tools they used to perform the surgery differ. For some ophthalmologists the terminology “LASIK” means all laser, while other still make use of microkeratome LASIK in which a surgical scalpel is used.

Mayo Clinic studies are available which compare bladeless and mechanical LASIK surgery, and these studies have found that both types of surgery have equal results. So you can rest assured that if your ophthalmologist is using a blade or a laser the results you will obtain from the surgery will be of equal quality.

Test subjects were examined six months after both these types of surgery had been completed, and no differences were found in respect of visual acuity. This particular study involved twenty patients, all of whom received surgery for astigmatism or nearsightedness.

The fact that both of these forms of surgery are available to patients who want to undergo this operation (it is elective surgery) indicates that either complete laser or microkeratome surgery are just as good as one-another. In actual fact, in the study it was found that back-scatter was more prevalent in patients who received all-laser surgery as apposed to microkeratome. Backscatter does not affect the quality of vision it can only be seen by the physician under testing conditions.