Best Refractive eye surgery is non-essential eye surgery used to improve the refractive state of the eye and decrease or eliminate dependency on glasses or contact lenses. This can include various methods of surgical remodeling of the cornea (keratomileusis), lens implantation or lens replacement.
Get Rid of Spectacles; Bladeless Lasik
- Most advanced Lasik Laser (FDA approved machine) to get rid of spectacles.
- Trans epithelial Lasik.
- PRK / Advanced surface ablation.
- Lasik Laser management for high refractive errors.
Why choose TransPRK over LASIK?
When it comes to comparing TransPRK to LASIK today, things have certainly changed. Modern bladeless and touch-free transPRK is not comparable to the original PRK method from the 1990s. Also, a transPRK is safer than LASIK surgery.
Fifteen years ago, when refractive surgeries were performed, 90% of the time it used to be LASIK, and only 10% of the time it would be PRK. Today, that ratio is completely the opposite.
We can (and do) perform both, using the latest equipment, as we have all of the lasers and other equipment needed to do it.
So why the change?
The answer is simple: science. Trans-PRK today is very different to the technique that was known as “PRK” in the early 1990s, and our understanding of the cornea – and what laser refractive surgery does to the cornea – is far more advanced nowadays.
Let us debunk some of the myths around modern Trans-PRK.
Myth 1:
Trans-PRK causes substantially more pain than LASIK One of the advantages LASIK once had over PRK was that it caused less pain in the few days after surgery, but that isn’t the case thanks to advances in modern pain management over the last 15-30 years. When we see patients 24 hours after surgery that just had one eye operated on, the sclera is as white as the non-operated eye, and patients either report little to no pain. It’s also worth noting that Trans-PRK avoids the scraping away of the corneal epithelium with a blade. Today’s Trans-PRK doesn’t even touch the cornea with anything other than laser energy (“bladeless surgery”). Myth 2: Trans-PRK takes weeks for vision to improve This is no longer the case. Our latest-generation SCHWIND AMARIS excimer laser is light years ahead of lasers from the early 2000s. The technology has advanced so much in terms of how it ablates the cornea; Trans-PRK with the AMARIS now leaves a far smoother surface which causes less inflammation and results in a faster healing response. It also means that visual recovery is considerably more rapid than before: typically, our patients see up to 60% on day 2, and often reach even 80-100% on day 4. Trans-PRK is just as effective as LASIK in correcting your vision (it uses the same excimer laser after all). But the most important reason why we prefer Trans-PRK is the fact that it leaves a stronger cornea. It’s all about safety. And a Trans-PRK is safer than LASIK surgery. Fact: Trans-PRK is safer than LASIK surgery There is no debate: PRK leaves the cornea stronger than LASIK. Removing corneal tissue with a laser does weaken it – but normally, the cornea has lots of strength to spare. LASIK involves making a flap in the cornea (much like a tin-opener does with a can of beans) which exposes the lower part of the cornea, which then gets lasered. The flap is repositioned – but once cut, it no longer contributes to the strength of the cornea. In Trans-PRK, the laser starts ablating tissue at the surface of the cornea – no flap is required, that this leaves the cornea stronger. Why corneal strength is important !! One of the most feared complications of laser refractive surgery is “ectasia” – where the cornea is weakened too much by the surgery, to a point where it struggles to contain the pressurized contents of the eye. The cornea starts to bulge progressively, making vision worse and worse. Ninety percent of the time, it’s LASIK that is responsible for this, not PRK. We are firmly of the belief that it’s better not to cause it in the first place. As Hippocrates said: “First, do no harm.” All of these laser refractive procedures are very safe. The risk of problems (sight-threatening or otherwise) is very small. Nevertheless, we feel that if you can avoid the risk, why take the risk? This is why, unless there are good reasons to perform a different procedure, we believe Trans-PRK is the best solution for most patients. It offers the best-possible vision correction – along with LASIK – but it leaves the cornea stronger for the rest of your life, leaving you with a more stable correction, with a much lower risk of ectasia.