PRK Results:Experience has shown us that the excimer laser procedure has been overwhelmingly successful in reducing myopia and astigmatism. While vision improves following the procedure, the degree of improvement may vary from individual to individual. Overall, between 90%-95% of typical PRK patients achieve 20/40 vision or better after one procedure, which means they can drive legally, play sports, and join the police or fire departments, all without their glasses. Most patients are within one or two lines on the eye chart of 20/20 vision. Patients may receive a second enhancement procedure (at no additional cost, for a period of two years) to further improve their results, if their vision is below legal driving level. In general, there is a 10% chance that a patient will require an enhancement procedure. This chance is less in patients with mild myopia (i.e. 2% chance) and greater in patients with extreme myopia (i.e. 25% chance). LASIK Results:The majority of patients who would benefit greatly from LASIK are those with more severe degrees of myopia and astigmatism, and the results are both more rapid and more dramatic than with any other refractive procedure. Like all refractive procedures for the correction of myopia and astigmatism, the goal of LASIK is to dramatically reduce people's dependence upon glasses; but their use may not be completely eliminated, even after an enhancement procedure is performed. Approximately 75% of patients with a prescription between -6.00 and -15.00 D, and 60% of patients with a prescription above -15.00D (all of these patients represent the most severe 1% of the population), will achieve vision within 3 lines of their best vision after only one LASIK procedure, which is typically good enough to drive legally without eyeglasses. Many of these 'severe and extreme myopes' may require much thinner glasses or contact lenses for certain activities such as night driving or poor weather driving, and all will still suffer from presbyopia, requiring reading glasses at age 40-50. Meeting your expectations is TLC's most important measure of success. During your pre-operative consultation your doctor will assess your eye and provide you with your statistical chance of achieving a successful outcome, based upon our patient experience and your specific case. This will facilitate your decision as to whether you should proceed with the excimer laser procedure, and which procedure, PRK or LASIK, is better suited to you.
|
