What laser eye surgery is better lasik or prk?Hertha
I want to become a navy fighter pilot and my eyesight is not 20/20 and i am not sure about lasik because people say that it can permanlety damage my eyes and i hear that lasik can ruin my chances of getting to fly for navy as a fighter pilot
Leonardo
I would like to divide your question into two parts. Whether you should undergo LASIK and What is better, LASIK or PRK.Regarding the first question, LASIK is not likely to permanently damage your eye and ruin you chances of becoming a fighter pilot. LASIK (especially Blade Free LASIK) is approved by the US FAA and Army. So you should not have such worries. Just remember though, that there might be specific vision requirements. If your Best Corrected Vision is not 20/20 before you undergo any vision correction procedure, it is not likely that you will be 20/20 after the procedure either.As far as LASIK or PRK is concerned, this is a common debating issue. PRK was introduced several years before LASIK, but today LASIK is more popular than PRK. There are several reasons for this:a) PRK is more painful than LASIK, especially on the first day after surgery. This pain can be excruciating sometimes.b) Vision Recovery after LASIK is much faster than with PRK. With LASIK, one can be back to work or studies or whatever within a day, which is not possible with PRK. Vision after PRK returns to normal only over several weeks.c) LASIK requires fewer post-operative visits to the eye doctor than PRK. This is also more convenient.d) Especially for higher refractive errors, PRK can sometimes lead to a severe inflammatory reaction characterized by corneal haze and a regression of the eye correction acheived. Because of all these reasons, LASIK is far more popular than PRK. However, there are certain times when PRK is preferred over LASIK - a) when one has a thin cornea, a situation in which LASIK has more risk than PRK b) when one has moderate to severe dry eye, because LASIK causes more dry eye than PRK, c) when one has a corneal epithelial disorder, because PRK will also correct the epithelial disorder, and d) when one wants to leave no trace of surgery, because lasik can leave faint marks on the cornea which are visible under high magnification.Some of these debates have become superficial as thin flap LASIK or SBK becomes more like PRK in terms of dry eye and corneal thickness, and techniques like Advanced Surface Ablation make PRK become more like LASIK in terms of pain and visual recovery.I think it is important to choose your laser vision correction provider well-not someone who is dogmatic over the procedure to do, but someone who chooses the procedure (PRK or LASIK) which is right for you. For more details, visit my blog http://lasikblogindia.com/
Darell
You should check with the navy what the requirements are before you proceed for Lasik.Lasik eye surgery is rather safe if only you are a suitable candidate. As with any surgery, there is a definite risk incurred. You must be screened for suitability and examined by the doctor personally. (Not the sales team to mislead you to get expensive package deal). If you are a suitable candidate, the risk maybe :- 1.)Dry eyes (temporary)2.)Regression/ enhancement 3.)Infection (3-5/20, 000 for the next 3 weeks)4.)Flap/ complication of treatment (rare)5.)Miscellaneous A suitable candidate for Lasik surgery, it depends on:-1.)Your corneal thickness2.)Your power3.)Your age4.)A centre with a doctor who is examining your eyes personally5.)Torough explanation to suit your lifestyleAlways insist on seeing the doctor performing the surgery for you. It is the due deligent of him or her to present the risk and benefit to you in detail personally.Dr. Yeoh Phee LiangConsultant Ophthalmologist www.advancevision.net.my
Carly
A lot depends on the doctor's expertise but I would go with Lasik. Before you decide ask the Navy if either will disqualify you to be a navy pilot.
Sylvia
a lot depends on the age. At 18 your eyes aren't finished changing. At 21, you have a better chance of it working for life.
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