When PRK is a Safer Alternative to LASIK in San Jose

If you qualify for laser vision correction in San Jose, your surgeon must decide with what procedure he'll treat you. If your corneas are adequately thick, you're likely to become a San Jose LASIK patient. The defining element of the San Jose LASIK procedure is the creation of a corneal flap. If LASIK is contraindicated, you're likely to have LASEK or PRK in San Jose, procedures which do not require the creation of a corneal flap.

Let's say your San Jose laser vision correction surgeon detects an unusually thin area of corneal tissue. He's then likely to reject LASIK in favor of making you a San Jose PRK or LASEK patient. Why? Because if he creates the flap, the incision could potentially weaken the eye. San Jose LASIK patients who suffer this effect, could find their prescription changing unpredictably over time.

LASEK and PRK in San Jose

If you have irregular corneas, your San Jose laser vision correction surgeon is likely to choose a surface ablation approach like LASEK or PRK instead of LASIK.

If you're a San Jose LASEK patient, here's what you can expect: your surgeon will loosen (often with an alcohol based solution or blunt instrument) and then lift the thin, outer membrane of your cornea, called the epithelium (epi) layer. He'll then treat the exposed area with the laser, and finally reposition the epi tissue over this treated area.

If you're a San Jose PRK patient, your surgeon will loosen and then remove the epi layer over the targeted treatment area, then treat the exposed tissue with the laser. A new epi layer then grows over the treated area, preserving the new corneal contour.

Even though a San Jose LASIK patient is also typically a candidate for LASEK or PRK in San Jose (but not vice versa), there's a simple reason why most San Jose laser vision correction patients choose LASIK over the surface ablation approaches: LASIK produces less post-operative pain and faster visual recovery. On the other hand, whether you're a San Jose LASIK patient or a San Jose LASEK or PRK patient, your final post-op visual result will be comparable. So make sure you discuss your options when you meet with your San Jose laser vision correction surgeon.

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