Frequently Asked Questions

LASIK

Alternatives to LASIK

Although LASIK is usually a vision correction procedure of choice for refractive surgeons, it is not always the best option for everyone wanting to become less dependent on glasses or contacts.

Some people are better suited to the following surgical procedures.

Photorefractive Keratectomy(PRK):

PRK is often recommended for patients with corneas that are too thin for LASIK. PRK and LASIK are similar and are performed with the same highly sophisticated excimer laser. However, instead of the surgeon creating and folding back a thin flap of tissue on the cornea to reveal the treatment area, in PRK surgery the surgeon actually removes the surface cells from the cornea before using the laser to reshape the cornea. The cells grow back naturally over several days following the procedure.

Implantable Contact Lens (ICL):

ICL is an alternative recommended for patients under 50 who are not good candidates for laser vision correction. An ICL that has been widely used in Europe was recently approved for use in the United States. From 1997 to 2003, American surgeons participating in a clinical study implanted this lens in more than 500 patients. Results showed over 84% achieved 20/40 vision or better without the use of glasses or contact lenses. Approximately 150,000 Verisyse ICLs have been implanted in Europe since 1990, but this lens is the first of its kind available in this country. Additional ICL options will likely be introduced in America over the next few years.

Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE):

RLE is often recommended for patients over age 50 and with high correction needs. RLE involves removing and exchanging the eye's natural lens with a plastic lens implant. This is done to correct moderate to high degrees of near and farsightedness. For each eye, the surgeon selects a lens implant that will enable the eye to focus as normally as possible. The results of RLE offer dramatic and quite predictable outcomes. RLE is essentially the same operation that is routinely performed on over 3 million Americans each year to remove and replace lenses with cataracts. The only difference between the procedures is the reason for removing the natural .lens--- it is removed and replaced to correct the eye's focusing power not because of decreased vision due to cataracts.