THE PROCEDURE LASIK
A few drops of an anesthetic will be placed in your eye
while you are
lying on a special, comfortable bed. You are then positioned
under the laser and a fine wire speculum is placed between your
eyelids so that you are unable to blink during the procedure.
A suction ring and a special instrument called a keratome are
then placed on the eye and the corneal flap is made in a matter
of only a few seconds. This procedure is painless. The corneal
flap is folded back and the laser then sculpts a new curvature
on the cornea. This takes 20 to 90 seconds, depending on the
amount of your prescription. The flap is then floated back to
its natural position and the surgeon waits 2 3 minutes
for the vacuum of the cornea to seal the flap in place. The typical
LASIK procedure usually takes about 10 minutes per eye.
THE PROCEDURE -- PRK
After a few drops of anesthetic are placed in the eye,
and you are lying comfortably under the laser, a fine wire speculum
is placed between the eyelids so that you won't blink. The first
layer (the epithelium) of the cornea is then quickly removed
with a circular brush. There is no discomfort felt because of
the anesthetic drops. The laser is then focused on the cornea,
and while you are looking at the red target light, the excimer
laser sculpts a new curvature of the cornea. This usually takes
less than 60 seconds. A special contact lens is then placed on
the cornea so that the epithelial cells, which were removed,
can comfortably regrow in a few days. The PRK procedure takes
about 5 minutes.
THE LASER MACHINE
The excimer laser is a unique laser because, unlike
all other lasers, it does not destroy any tissues. It acts by
breaking the bonds between molecules.
Dr. Fichman uses the most advanced laser delivery system in the
world. The Chiron Technolas 217 is a scanning spot laser.
This has the advantage over a conventional broad beam laser because
it leaves a much smoother corneal surface. This machine also
uses infra-red tracking cameras so that the laser beam is always
centered on the pupil of the eye. These cameras assure a well-centered
treatment even if there are small movements of the eye during
the laser procedure.
Comparison of PRK and
LASIK
. |
PRK |
|
LASIK |
Reshapes the surface
of the cornea to alter the focusing power of the eye. |
|
Reshapes the inner
layers of the cornea to alter the focusing power of the eye. |
Vision clears in
a 3-6 days depending on an individual's healing rate. |
|
Vision clears within
24-48 hours. |
Topical medications
used during the healing period from weeks to months. |
|
Topical medications
used for 1 week |
Mild to moderate
discomfort during healing for the first 3-4 days. |
|
Minimal discomfort
for 12 hours. |
Return to work in
3-5 days |
|
Return to work in
1-2 days. |