Whats the difference between PRK, LASIK, and RK?
In the early 1970s doctors began making radial incisions in the cornea to treat nearsightedness and astigmatism. The surgical procedure is known as Radial Keratotomy (RK). This procedure, while effective, was limited by the precision of the surgeon’s hands. 1980’s, they began looking at lasers to improve the precision and predictability of altering the shape of the cornea. Researchers found that the Excimer laser could remove tissue with up to 0.25 microns of accuracy from the surface of the cornea. The procedure was called Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK). And while this was an improvement over Radial Keratotomy, working on the very surface of the cornea still had some difficulties, especially concerning recovery time and hazing. Surgeons realized that they could slice a “flap” of tissue from the surface of the cornea, use the laser to remove tissue from the cornea, then replace the flap. This innovation eliminated most of the difficulties encountered with PRK.
You may have heard about PRK, which stands for Photorefractive Keratectomy, the medical name for the laser procedure. PRK and LASIK (Laser in-situ Keratomileusis) both use the VISX Laser System to remove corneal tissue in order to reshape the cornea. In the PRK procedure, the laser works on the surface of the cornea. With LASIK, the surgeon first creates a flap on the cornea and then uses the laser for treatment below the corneal surface. RK (Radial Keratotomy) is a non-laser procedure, in which the surgeon uses a diamond blade to make a series of radial cuts into the cornea. Both LASIK and PRK are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as “safe and effective”.
