LASEK (PRK)
PRK / LASEK may be performed when a patient isn’t eligible for LASIK
PRK / LASEK Surgery
LASEK and PRK laser eye treatments reshape the cornea to correct abnormalities in focus, as also happens in LASIK surgery. The difference here is that no flap is made in the cornea. These treatments are far less popular than LASIK, due to the significant pain post-operatively and the more prolonged healing (4 hours for LASIK and 4-7 days for PRK and LASEK).
Surface laser is chosen usually when the patient is not eligible for LASIK due to anatomical reasons.
Surface Laser Treatments
These treatments are sometimes called ‘surface laser’ to distinguish them from the LASIK approach. Most clinics perform LASIK for the majority of treatments and use PRK or LASEK in about 5-10% of cases. PRK/LASEK is especially suitable for those in contact sports or extremely active lifestyles.
In PRK and LASEK, the surface skins cells (epithelium) is removed and the underlying surface is exposed. After the laser application, the surface skin has to heal and this takes 3 to 4 days. It can be fairly painful during the first 3 days and the vision usually takes 3 to 5 days to be fairly clear. Patients often need several days off work.
PRK is usually chosen for anatomical reasons, typically a patient with thinner corneas where you want to avoid creating a LASIK flap. However, with the arrival of very predictable thin LASIK flaps, even some of these patients can now have the benefits of LASIK, e.g. no or little discomfort and very rapid clear vision, usually later the same day for LASIK.
Is PRK / LASEK safe?
PRK has been around for 25 years and is a relatively simple procedure compared to Z-LASIK. In expert hands and at a specialist clinic, the risk of complications is very low. But of course, laser treatment IS still surgery and you should approach having vision correction in the right manner.
We believe coming to a single specialist centre, owned by our Medical Director and chief surgeon, has advantages for you. You will see the same people each time and our surgeons are usually available immediately to see and chat with you if you have any concerns. There is no head office that we have to report to. All of our attention is on your clinical care, and offered by clinicians.
Whilst LASIK will be the choice of many people at Focus, PRK / LASEK is sometimes the way to go. We recently for example treated someone who is active in MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) – LASEK was more suited to this particular individual.
How much does PRK / LASEK cost?
Please visit our surgery prices page for more information. If suitable, you may wish to finance the surgery – please visit the pricing and finance section of the page for more information, as we have a variety of options.
Please call Focus Clinic on 0207 307 8250 to book your free consultation.
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100% 20/20 vision
Focus Clinic has a remarkable 100% success rate for 20/20 vision. We know of no other clinic that has matched these results. There is a big difference between, for example, 98% and 100% success, especially if you are in the 2%.
10 year guarantee
Your 10 Year Guarantee means you can return at any time if you have additional questions on the quality of your vision. If you have distance vision correction for short-sight then any repeat laser eye treatments to correct a return of myopia in the first 10 years are included free of charge.*
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We have the highest trust rating of any ‘eye treatment’ rated clinic, according to independent review site TrustPilot. With an outstanding 9.9 out of 10, when it comes to your eyes, choose the clinic that actual patients trust the most.
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