Carter Coleman - Department of Ophthalmology
Many have heard of LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) as a method of surgically correcting the vision refraction problems that leave an individual with poor vision. An ophthalmologist can perform LASIK by first cutting a flap in a person’s cornea, which can then be folded over so the target site can be reached. This target site is then reshaped via an excimer laser, which uses UV light to mold the cornea so that light can be accurately focused, thus producing good vision.
However, LASIK is not the only surgery that can be used to correct poor vision. Emerging around the same time as LASIK and gaining FDA approval 2 years after it in 1998, a second corrective eye surgery technique called PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) can be utilized. Unlike LASIK, PRK does not create a flap to get to the correct corneal layer. Instead, the layers are mechanically removed via a blunt spatula or laser, revealing the correct layer for the excimer laser to effectively remodel the cornea for improved vision1.
Even so, LASIK has become established as the dominant corrective eye surgery in the vast majority of patients, due to its shorter recovery time and reduced post-operative pain. However, PRK is still the indicated procedure if a patient has thin corneas or dry eyes. With LASIK, there is also the risk of potential flap dislocation during the healing process, but this only becomes a threat in individuals with a high risk of dislocation, such as pilots or professional athletes1. With that being said, a new method in eye surgery named SMILE (small incision lenticule extraction) appears to offer even better control and recovery time than its predecessors2. As surgical technology inevitably improves and techniques are optimized, a future of safer and more efficient corrective eye surgery is possible.
References:
Somani, S. N., Moshirfar, M., & Patel, B. C. (2023). Photorefractive Keratectomy. StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
Ang, M., Gatinel, D., Reinstein, D.Z. et al. Refractive surgery beyond 2020. Eye 35, 362–382 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-020-1096-5
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