PRK for Presbyopia

PRK (Photo Refractive Keratectomy) is a surgery that uses the excimer laser and it is one of the most common in Europe. It is performed with an excimer laser that emits an ultraviolet ray of light with a very high specific energy, but low penetrating power in biological cells, causing photoablation (cells hit by the ray are vaporized and expelled); this happens for the molecular dissociation at infinitesimal levels, with no damage for adjacent cells.PRK is especially effective for treating presbyopia: the doctor removes the corneal epithelium, that is the most peripheral portion of the cornea, obtaining a curvature. Is is also used as a treatment for correcting hypermetropia and myopia.

PRK is performed in the clinic: patient is admitted and discharged without being hospitalized. Laser surgery requires just a couple of minutes and patients are awake during the procedure. In some cases a sedative can be given orally.

The majority of patients don’t experience any pain sensation during PRK: the eyes are under the effect of an anaesthetic eye drops. Patients lie down on the ophthalmologist chait and placed right under the laser instrument before starting the surgery.

For great results, it is fundamental to rely on a high quality excimer laser. Some lasers are best to cure myopia, some others are more appropriate for treating hypermetropia and presbyopia.
Dr. Badalà uses last generation lasers to cure presbyopia, in Milan and Catania; these lasers feature eye motion control (eyetracker) and pupil recognition.