You’ve Been Told you can’t Have LASIK…
…and it’s pretty disheartening, I know. But, fear not! You may still have vision correction options available to you. If you were told you can’t have LASIK, your doctor may have mentioned that you should consider PRK. PRK, or photo refractive keratectomy, is LASIK’s ancestor that is still widely performed today. The outcomes of LASIK and PRK are virtually the same (in fact, some doctors argue that their PRK patients see slightly better 6 months after surgery when compared to their LASIK patients). Some people with high levels of nearsightedness may not have thick enough corneas for LASIK. With PRK, the laser treatment is performed directly on the surface of the eye as opposed to under a corneal flap as in LASIK. For this reason, you may have enough corneal tissue for PRK but not for LASIK.
Another option may be implantable contact lenses (ICLs) like Visian and Verisyse. The surgeons at Eye Doctors of Washington, Dr. Clinch and Dr. Kang, tend to use the Visian ICL because it’s a foldable lens requiring a smaller incision and it’s placed behind the iris so it’s not visible to the naked eye. ICLs were designed for individuals with very high degrees of nearsightedness, up to a -22.0D! Since it doesn’t permanently alter the cornea like LASIK, some patients with moderate levels of nearsightedness elect to have the Visian lens implanted. And your natural lens is left in place, so the Visian procedure is technically reversible.
If you have specific questions about what vision correction procedure best meets your needs, be sure to contact Eye Doctors of Washington to schedule your complimentary consultation.
