Beyond LASK at Schneider Vision Correction Centers

The great news for patients who do not qualify for custom All-laser LASIK is that today there are many procedures to help improve the vision of our patients. As you would expect, Dr. Schneider has been at the forefront of study and training bringing only the best in advanced surgical technique and technology to his patients.

PRK or Advanced Surface Ablation

PRK, or Advanced Surface Ablation as it is often called, is a similar procedure to LASIK and is the second most common refractive surgery procedure performed in the United States today.  During your complimentary consultation with Dr. Schneider, testing may indicate that there is not enough corneal thickness to perform the All-laser LASIK procedure. In this case, Dr. Schneider may recommend the PRK procedure.

Both PRK and All-laser LASIK at Schneider Vision Correction Centers treat nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism by using the VISX Star4 excimer laser technology to reshape your cornea to correct your vision. During the All-laser LASIK procedure, Dr. Schneider uses the IntraLase laser to create a corneal flap. This flap of tissue is then folded back, exposing the inner cornea where the treatment will take place.

The custom PRK procedure differs in that Dr. Schneider accesses the cornea’s inner layers by gently removing the thin outer layer of the cornea, called the epithelium. This layer of the cornea is then treated with the excimer laser. After your PRK procedure, Dr. Schneider will place a bandage contact lens on your eye which you will wear for several days to promote healing.

Utilizing advanced Wavefront™ technology, Dr. Schneider can tailor a custom PRK treatment to the unique vision correction needs of each patient. This custom PRK procedure corrects lower order visual aberrations (nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism) and treats higher order aberrations that affect the quality and clarity of vision.

Both LASIK and PRK produce similar vision correction results, but it typically takes a little longer to recover from PRK. PRK is advantageous for patients who are not good candidates for All-laser LASIK due to eye conditions such as thin corneas or corneal scarring.

“The good news is that with Custom PRK, our patients can still achieve the same great visual results and reduce or eliminate the need for glasses and contact lenses”.

Dr. Mark Schneider