I Have a Contact Lens Rx of -6.5 and -7.0. My Cornea Thickness is 470 and 460 Microns. PRK?

Question

Am I a good candidate for PRK? I have one opinion of yes but even though I'm a candidate I don't know if I'm comfortable with just making the cut to being a candidate. I don't know what other information to give about my eyes. I was given a rx for mitomycin and told to take vitamin c to help decrease my chances of having corneal hazing. Is this accurate?

Ilan Cohen, MD · Answer

You may be a candidate for PRK but you would be towards the edge of candidacy. You may also be a candidate for ICL but more information is needed in order to know for sure. Corneal thickness and your prescription are not the only factors involved. I would seek another opinion from a fellowship trained corneal surgeon who can perform all types of refractive surgery. Before deciding, a thorough discussion of the pros and cons of each type of surgery should take place.

Emil William Chynn, MD, FACS, MBA · Answer

i like the fact that your surgeon is stressing MMC and Vit C, as without these you will scar, so it's good that he knows about both and is comfortable working with MMC

	i am not as happy w the fact that he will be performing a PRK in 2012. i performed my last PRK in 1999. in my opinion, LASEK has replaced PRK for every indication in 2012

	it is untrue that you are at the limit for PRK. this is simple math. your Rx will require about 60-70 microns of tissue removal, leaving you with about 400 microns in each eye. the safe limit for LASIK and PRK is 250. i use a safer limit of 350, but even with this safer limit, you could actually have a LASEK up to -9.5 without any difficulties in terms of residual thickness

	some surgeons prefer ICL to treat high myopia and thin corneas. in my opinion, this is a riskier procedure, as it is intraocular, meaning inside your eyeball, not on the surface. it is also more expensive, and often requires you to go to a hospital. i would normally reserve ICL for Rxs worse than -10, but again, that is personal surgeon preference

	good luck, and ask your surgeon why he doesn't perform a LASEK instead of a PRK to decrease your chance of scarring and decrease pain and recovery time

I Have a Contact Lens Rx of -6.5 and -7.0. My Cornea Thickness is 470 and 460 Microns. PRK?

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