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Procedures > Advanced Aspheric Lasek/PRK and Custom Lasek/PRK
 
In Photo-Refractive Keratectomy (PRK), numbing drops are first applied to your eye. Then the superficial covering of the cornea (the epithelium) is gently removed using alcohol and the excimer laser is applied on the exposed surface to reshape the cornea. A bandage-soft contact lens is then applied to minimize discomfort and enhance healing. Vision improves as the surface heals, usually from 3 to 5 days. 

During the few days required for healing, the patient may feel discomfort and his/her eyes can become sensitive to light. Unlike LASIK, PRK does not involve the creation of a flap. 

A hybrid of PRK and LASIK, “No-Cut” LASEK aims to preserve the corneal epithelium. Rather than creating a flap with a microkeratome (as in LASIK) or scraping and removing the patient's corneal epithelium (as in PRK), LASEK involves gently loosening a thin layer of corneal epithelium, rolling it to one side, and rolling it back after laser application. A bandage soft contact lens is then applied to further minimize discomfort and enhance healing. Vision improves as the surface heals usually from 3-5 days.

Advanced Aspheric LASEK or PRK can likewise now be done using the Mel-80 Excimer laser platform. This procedure helps maintain the cornea’s natural shape and reduces glare and halo that are sometimes observed by patients.

Aside from the basic errors of refraction like myopia, the eye can have other complicated optical defects called aberrations. Such defects can reduce the overall quality of vision. A state-of-the-art instrument called a wavefront aberrometer can measure subtle defects in each eye which can be as unique as one’s fingerprints. 

Custom LASEK/PRK takes advantage of this next-generation wavefront technology by customizing a unique computer-designed excimer laser treatment profile to guide the laser treatment of each eye. This allows the doctor to potentially improve upon the already excellent results available from the conventional procedure. Studies indicate that 5 percent to 10 percent of patients significantly benefit from Custom LASEK/PRK treatments while other patients may benefit to a lesser degree.

Key features of Custom LASEK/PRK 
  • capability to treat patients with thin or steep corneas and not good candidates for LASIK surgery 
  • treats both lower- and higher-order aberrations 
  • offers LASEK/PRK treatment to people with larger pupils 
  • reduces chance of night-vision disturbances, glare and halos for people at risk for higher-order aberrations 
    longer healing period than LASIK (good vision is achieved in 5 to 7 days)
Alcohol solution loosens
surface layer of cells
 
Surface layer of cells is 
moved aside
 
Laser energy reshapes the cornea
 
Surface cells are repositioned
 
Bandage contact lens aids 
in healing and comfort
 
 
 
   
CIKI
Medical tourism transparency award
 
St. Luke's Medical Center
279 E. Rodriguez Sr. Boulevard, Quezon City, 1102 Philippines
(632) 723-0101 | (632) 723-0301
St. Luke's Medical Center
32nd Street Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Philippines
(632) 789-7700
E-mail: info@stluke.com.ph
E-mail: vliei.bgc@stluke.com.ph
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