Seeing Better than 20/20 with PRK

I have already discussed in chapter 5 how you can achieve better than 20/20 vision with wavefront-guided LASIK. We use the same wavefront-guided method for PRK. We use a wavefront analyzer to measure the imperfections of your vision objectively at 1,200 different points in your eye. This information is fed into the laser, which then customizes a slightly different correction at each point of your eye to eliminate the imperfections. The result for many people is better than 20/20 vision with PRK.

The benefits of wavefront-guided LASIK have been demonstrated in a number of studies. We don’t have similar studies to prove the benefits of wavefront-guided PRK. Because most people get LASIK, no one has bothered to do the similar studies on PRK patients. The results of PRK and LASIK are the same in the long run, and the benefits of wavefront-guided LASIK are clear, so I’m a believer in wavefront-guided PRK, too, and I routinely treat my PRK patients with wavefront-guided technology.