Departments

Department of Refractive Surgery

Alternative laser techniques

Until now we have developed the lasik technique which is the main force in refractive surgery and is used internationally in most refractive surgery centers.

One of the alternative correction procedures of the various ametropias is the PRK technique (photorefractive keratectomy). In PRK, no flap is formed, only the epithelium of the cornea is removed and the laser is directly placed. In the end of the procedure, a therapeutic contact lens is placed until the epithelium has healed. It is basically the technique with which laser refractive surgery begun which is again modern due to the wavefront technology. It is mainly indicated for low myopias (up to 3-4 degrees), but can also be performed with slightly higher myopias, when the cornea’s thickness does not allow us to perform lasik.

A more up-to-date technique is LASEK (laser in situ epithelial keratectomy). This technique was created recently in Italy and is an intermediate technique between PRK and LASIK. Basically, with this technique, a very thin flap is created which consists in a cornea epithelium only that is not removed. After applying the laser, the epithelium is put back in place, is flattened out evenly and a contact lens is placed. It is indicated for higher myopias since there is more tissue for photoremoval than in LASIK, while at the same time, the complications from the removal of the epithelium in PRK are avoided, such as postoperative pain and corneal haze. More and more refractive surgeons adopt this technique which has very good results, worldwide.