Alternative Laser & Refractive Treatments
The overwhelming majority of our patients that desire independence from glasses and contact lenses using a vision correction procedure benefit the most from either LASIK or Refractive Lens Exchange, depending upon your age. There are certain scenarios in which your doctor would recommend an alternative procedure. Dr. Rush will discuss these other less common options with you if they offer an advantage to achieve your best possible outcome.
Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK)
uses the same excimer laser used in advanced LASIK but is done directly over the surface of the eye without the creation of a flap. We favor LASIK in most cases as PRK requires a longer healing time on the surface of the eye and has more discomfort in the postoperative period. Excellent outcomes can be achieved using this technique, and it remains a good alternative treatment option that we may recommend for you in certain scenarios. Some providers may refer to this same procedure as “epi-LASIK”, “advanced surface ablation”, or “LASEK”, all of which are minor variants of PRK.
Phototherapeutic Keratectomy (PTK)
also uses the same excimer laser used in advanced LASIK but is done in a setting in which disease such as corneal scarring or keratoconus is present. PTK can correct for your refractive error while simultaneously removing scar tissue or otherwise smooth out a misshapen cornea. Oftentimes, simultaneous LASIK can be done in the fellow eye in the absence of disease. PTK can also be done in combination with advanced corneal collagen cross-linking procedures.
Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE)
is a laser correction treatment using a femtosecond laser to carve out a small portion of the corneal tissue to correct nearsightedness. It has limited ability to correct high amounts of refractive error and astigmatism.
Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL)
is a type of lens implant that is placed internal to eye to correct for refractive error. It has the advantage of being able to correct extremely high amounts of nearsightedness. It is unable to correct significant farsightedness and astigmatism.
Light Adjustable IOL
Patients undergoing cataract surgery at Rush Eye Associates have access to the first FDA-approved Light Adjustable Lens™. The Light Adjustable Lens allows for superior refractive outcomes owing to the fact that it can be customized for your vision after the procedure has already been performed
