PRK in San Diego - Dr. Burns
Serving Patients from San Diego, Temecula, Hemet, Sun City, Murrieta

Dr. Burns offers his patients a variety of highly effective laser eye surgery procedures, including LASIK, LASEK, LTK and PRK. He often recommends PRK for patients with thin corneas and/or large pupils - two factors that might disqualify them form LASIK. While different from LASIK, PRK delivers similar results, allowing many San Diego, Temecula, Hemet, Sun City and Murrieta patients achieve clear vision without glasses.

What is PRK?

PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) is a laser vision correction procedure that was invented in the early 1980s. Like LASIK, PRK is used to treat nearsightedness, farsightedness and/or astigmatism. The goal of this surgery is to eliminate or significantly reduce a patient's dependence on glasses and contact lenses. While LASIK and PRK procedures use different surgical techniques, they deliver similar vision correction outcomes.

Visit our contact page to schedule a one-on-one consultation with Dr. Burns to find out if you can benefit from PRK, LASIK or any other San Diego laser eye surgery procedure.

PRK Procedure

PRK vision correction procedure usually takes less than 10 minutes to complete. First, Dr. Burns administers numbing eye drops and places special retainers on your eyes to keep your eyelids from moving. After preparing your eyes, he uses a special excimer laser to reshape the corneal surface. Following the completion of your PRK procedure, Dr. Burns places a soft contact lens over the treated area. This lens acts as a protective bandage.

Unlike LASIK, PRK does not require the creation of a corneal flap. Instead, a tiny layer of epithelium (the outermost layer of the eye) is completely removed to access the corneal tissue. It takes three to five days for this layer of cells to grow back, during which time PRK patients often experience mild discomfort, such as eye irritation, watering and light sensitivity. To ease these symptoms, Dr. Burns provides his San Diego PRK patients with protective lenses, eye drops and pain medications. Vision improvement after PRK surgery is gradual, with most patients obtaining their best vision within three months after the surgery.

Why Choose PRK?

There are several good reasons why certain patients choose PRK. Photorefractive keratectomy offers the following benefits:

Candidacy. Many patients who are not candidates for LASIK can and do qualify for PRK. This includes people with thin corneas, large pupils and corneal scars.
Safety. PRK has a lower risk of complications than LASIK. This is mainly because PRK does not require the creation of the corneal flap and thus eliminates flap-related complications, such as flap dislocation and infection under the flap.
Results. Most people who undergo PRK achieve 20/20 vision or better. A remarkable 95 percent of PRK patients see at least 20/40 without glasses or contact lenses.

PRK Alternatives

While PRK is appropriate for a wide range of patients, this procedure is not a cure-all. For example, if you suffer from glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy or cataracts, PRK will do little to alleviate your condition. Instead, San Diego cataracts patients should inquire about the advanced refractive cataract surgery offered by Dr. Burns. This procedure involves removing your eye's clouded lens and replacing it with an artificial lens implant (IOL). Dr. Burns offers his San Diego IOLs patients several sophisticated lenses, such as ReStor and Crystalens, which can help them achieve crisp, clear vision at all distances.

PRK in San Diego - Dr. Burns Serving Patients from San Diego, Temecula, Hemet, Sun City, Murrieta

What is PRK?

PRK Procedure

Why Choose PRK?

PRK Alternatives

PRK in San Diego - Dr. Burns
Serving Patients from San Diego, Temecula, Hemet, Sun City, Murrieta