What Happens If PRK Doesn’t Work?
Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) is a procedure that aims to eliminate, if not reduce the need for contact lenses or prescription glasses. It reportedly burns away a portion of your corneal tissue to change the way light reaches your retina. This is an aggressive eye procedure that may or may not be the right one for you. Your eye may respond differently during and after the procedure. The result may not be as expected. If you are considering having a PRK procedure, here’s what you should know in case the procedure doesn’t work.
Another PRK
To improve the first PRK procedure, a second PRK might be performed by your eye surgeon. It has been reported that a second PRK exposes you to elevated risks of corneal ectasia, postoperative regression, and corneal haze. Another run of the procedure would prolong the pain you experience until your eye reaches post-operative full re-epithelialization.
Thin-Flap LASIK Xtra Enhancement
Your visual recuperation is faster if you have LASIK Xtra enhancement after your PRK. This procedure is a refractive surgery that creates a flap with a femtosecond laser or a microkeratome. Your eye surgeon is likely to perform a corneal crosslinking (CXL) at the same time to decrease the corneal strength after the LASIK. CXL also prevents the formation of post-op corneal ectasia.
LASIK Xtra takes only a few minutes longer than the regular LASIK. While the thin flap is still up, the nude stroma will have a riboflavin dose for 90 seconds. The riboflavin will then be rinsed out with some saline solution before the flap is brought back to its correct position. The eye surgeon will expose your cornea to UVA for about 75 seconds.
Thin-Flap LASIK Enhancement
If your PRK procedure is not successful, this may be an option for you. Also known as the sub-Bowman’s keratomileusis, LASIK uses thin flaps to keep the stromal tissue intact to decrease the risk of corneal ectasia. Research also suggests that this procedure lowers your likelihood of having a post-op dry eye caused because it would only sever a lower number of corneal nerves.
Phakic IOL Implantation
This procedure is only for residual defects in vision, which is quite rare. Implanting intraocular lenses (IOLs) is another option for correcting a PRK procedure. There are cases where the implantation of these lenses results in more predictable and much better vision. In this procedure, the Phakic IOLs are placed behind the iris or between the iris and the cornea. These lenses work from inside your eye and can even improve the effects of your regular contact lenses. They offer long-term correction of your myopia once they’re in place. You won’t be able to feel these IOLs in your eye at all and they don’t need any form of maintenance.
If your PRK procedure doesn’t work, these options are available to enhance your vision. At Laser Vision Delaware, we will guide you during the procedure and the healing process. You can visit us at our clinic in Wilmington, Delaware. To set an appointment, you can call us at 302-656-2020.
