LASIK And TransPRK

You should first consider if you are one of those who like to rub your eyes or who intend to do rugged contact sports. If yes, then TransPRK will be strongly recommended over LASIK as with TransPRK there is no cut flap and thus no fear of incurring flap dislodgment or dislocation injury. This is why MMA enthusiasts and professionals alike seek TransPRK as their preferred procedure of choice. Next you should consider your risk aversion towards developing dry eyes.

A main concern for glaucoma patients undergoing other laser vision correction procedures like LASIK or ReLEx SMILE is the use of the suction ring intra-operatively, which will cause a sustained increased eye pressure for a minute and this may cause irreversible damage to the already damaged optic nerve. However with TransPRK, there is no suction ring device applied to your eyes. If your glaucoma is mild to moderate and is well-controlled with medications, you should be suitable for the TransPRK procedure even if you have glaucoma.

It is a myth that the recovery process for TransPRK is “much slower and really uncomfortable”. With modern TransPRK, the cornea treatment surface area is only about a small 8 mm diameter area. After treatment, a protective high oxygen permeable contact lens is placed immediately upon the treated cornea surface to protect and to promote good and fast surface healing for four to five days after which it is removed. At the same time, NSAID eyedrops, antibiotic and steroid eye drops are prescribed.

If you are considering laser vision correction but you have dry eyes or tend to rub your eyes a lot, then you may want to opt for TransPRK which has the lowest risk of dry eyes and zero risk of corneal flap dislodgement complication. Unlike the other laser vision correction methods, TransPRK do not cut any flap or internal lenticule making it a true no cut procedure. There is thus also no cutting of the thousands of cornea nerve endings. As such, there is zero risk of flap complications simply because there is no cut flap.