Doctor Wallace says:
Michael is a very talented graphic designer with a very strong nearsighted prescription. With myopia in the -11.00 range he was near the uppermost limit of my comfort zone for correction by laser sculpting. We determined that in fact he was not a candidate for LASIK, due to the depth (amount) of sculpting required to correct this high-range prescription. I offered him either surface treatment (aka “PRK”) or the option of having what we call “phakic lens implantation” (“PLI,” previously called an “intraocular contact lens”).
With PRK, the laser treatment is rendered after removing the front lining cells covering the collagen layer of the cornea. With phakic lens implant, a small lens is inserted just behind the cornea. Both are safe and effective methods of correcting higher-range nearsightedness. Michael opted for PRK.
The advantage of PRK is that treatment is rendered to slightly more superficial part of the cornea than with LASIK. The disadvantage is that it can be associated with several days of discomfort, and with a slower recovery of sharpest vision compared to LASIK. Once we got Michael through the first 3 days of healing, he was comfortable, but there were some rocky moments in the first and second day after treatment. We are all pleased that he now has sharp, comfortable 20/20 vision in both eyes.
