LASIK Laser Eye Surgery Blog at Eye Surgery USA

A New Technique for Pre-PRK Epithelium Removal

The laser-scrape method may have several advantages over traditional techniques used to remove epithelium before PRK.

Most surgeons would agree that epithelium removal in photorefractive keratectomy is one of the procedure's most critical aspects. Expedient, uniform removal helps minimize stromal drying, which can increase the ablation rate and lead to overcorrection.

The scrape technique, using a PRK spatula or a blade, is widely used. Some surgeons first loosen the epithelium with alcohol. It is common to remove peripheral epithelium first, then central epithelium, to prevent excessive central drying. Unfortunately, this approach may cause excessive peripheral drying, which could lead to excessive peripheral tissue ablation and a steep central island.

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Labels: PRK

 

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