Brief Answer: PRK is PHOTO REFRACTIVE KERATECTOMY. Detailed Answer: Hello, Welcome to Health Care Magic Iam Dr. Dadapeer K and I answer health problems related to eye. It seems from the history that you are 32 years old, with refractive error and wearing spectacles for last 14 years with stable refractive power for last three years. Normally laser refractive surgery is advised in people with refractive errors myopia or hypermetropia who are Aged more than 21 years With stable refraction for more than 1 year duration Since you fulfill both the above mentioned criteria you can undergo laser refractive surgery. The most commonly performed refractive laser surgery is LASIK which involves creating a corneal flap and application of laser to correct the refractive errors. The other method employed is PRK, photo refractive keratectomy. It is done by removing the corneal epithelium and application of laser energy to correct the refractive error. The advantage of LASIK is since epithelium of cornea is not removed it will not cause postoperative pain and discomfort and healing period is very less and vision returns to normal as early as by 2-3 days. But the disadvantage is it leads to weakness of cornea and it can be performed in people with thin corneas. The advantage of PRK is it can be performed in people with thin corneas as corneal flap is not required here. However the disadvantages of PRK are since epithelium is removed it will lead to postoperative pain and discomfort and time is required for healing of epithelium, hence vision returns to normal by 1-2 weeks. PRK is indicated in people with thin corneas,and who are involved in injury prone jobs or in sports. The major disadvantage with PRK is pain and discomfort in the post operative period, because of which the surgery is less popular compared to LASIK. However in people with thin corneas which makes them not suitable for LASIK, PRK is the surgery of choice. However normally in routine course both surgeries are safe with minimal side effects like mild to moderate dryness of eyes. Hence I advice you to undergo all the tests before laser refractive surgery like measurement of corneal thickness, corneal topography and then decide the type of surgery accordingly in consultation with your surgeon Hope I have answered your query. I will be happy to answer if you have any other queries. With regards Dr. DADAPEER K

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Brief Answer: THESE COMPLICATIONS ARE RARELY SEEN. Detailed Answer: Hello, Thank you for the follow up query Since you have undergone all the tests which I had mentioned and found eligible for all types of laser surgery, it is time for you to decide on the type of surgery. I can advice you that if you are alright with postoperative pain and discomfort you can undergo PRK, which is more safer than LASIK. If you do not want postoperative pain and discomfort you can undergo LASIK. If you are planning for LASIK then you can think of getting customized lasik or intralase lasik which are recent advances and provide superior quality of vision compared to LASIK or PRK. Coming to your questions, Is there any chance that I need to wear spectacles again? There will be a chance for undercorrection or overcorrection thereby making it necessary to wear glasses later. However with accurate measurements this can be easily avoided. Laser surgeries can correct upto -10 dioptres of myopia, +4 dioptres of hypermetropia and 4 dioptres of astigmatism. I hope that your refractive power is within this range. Coming to second question, Will there be any difference in the vision compared to wearing glasses after 3 months especially vision in the night.? This complication used to be there in older days surgeries but with recent advancements and the equipments which measure the pupil size and do the surgery this complication is very less. Infact surgery is done only when the pupillary size is smaller than 6.5 mm in dim light to avoid diminution of vision in night. Coming to your last question, Almost all the eye surgeons that I met who are doing this surgery, all wearing glasses. Why they don't undergo these surgeries.? The answer for this question I really don't know. Infact one truth is Iam also wearing glasses!!!! I have never thought that spectacles are discomfort to me and never even thought of laser surgery. But I have know few number of eye doctors who have undergone laser surgery and quite happy. I think it is their personal preference without any specific reason. Hope the information is helpful to you. With regards Dr. DADAPEER K

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