Corneal Abrasion:Abrasions of the cornea are problematic with Lasik, All-Laser Lasik, Epi-Lasik, CK, RLE, and P-IOL.

Corneal Abrasion

Abrasions of the cornea are problematic with Lasik, All-Laser Lasik, Epi-Lasik, CK, RLE, and P-IOL.

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A corneal abrasion is a scratch on the cornea. When there is trauma to the cornea, such as with a finger or object, the epithelium, Bowman's layer, and stroma of the cornea can be scratched, resulting in a corneal abrasion. A patient with a corneal abrasion undoubtedly should not have conventional or custom wavefront Lasik, All-Laser Lasik, or Epi-Lasik until the corneal abrasion has healed.
Conventional or custom wavefront Lasik, All-Laser Lasik, or Epi-Lasik all require the use of a microkeratome that can cause a corneal abrasion or exacerbate an existing abrasion. Newer mechanical microkeratomes that use a metal blade exert less lateral stress on the surface of the cornea and are therefore less likely to cause an abrasion. The Intralase femtosecond laser microkeratome induces very little lateral stress on the surface of the cornea and would be less likely to cause a corneal abrasion.
Lens-based refractive surgery techniques P-IOL and RLE do not involve the surface of the cornea in the same manner as cornea-based refractive surgery and do not have the same probability of causing a corneal abrasion, however a distressed epithelium is predisposed to corneal abrasion in all situations. Maladies such as ABMD need to be diagnosed and treated before considering refractive surgery. To avoid corneal abrasions, a detailed examination of the health of the eye performed by a competent eye physician is advised.
People with a corneal abrasion will often complain of pain and foreign body sensation. The eye will often be red. Light sensitivity is often reported. Visual acuity may decrease slightly, greatly, or fluctuate.
There are may very serious maladies of the eye that have the same symptoms of eye pain, redness, sensitivity to light, and decreased vision but are not corneal abrasion. Any person who is experiencing these symptoms should be evaluated by an eye physician.
Although the corneal surface will often rapidly heal on its own, it is very important that an eye doctor carefully monitor the progress of healing. The patient may require antibiotics for the eye or other medications.
For some types of corneal abrasion, PTK is a recommended treatment. PTK is essentially PRK for purposes other than refractive error. For this reason, PRK and its cousin LASEK may (emphasis on "may") be appropriate. Similarly, in some instances Epi-Lasik may be appropriate.
If you are ready to choose a doctor to be evaluated for conventional or custom wavefront Lasik, All-Laser Lasik, PRK, LASEK, Epi-Lasik, NearVision CK, RLE, or any refractive surgery procedure, we highly recommend you consider a doctor who has been evaluated and certified by the USAEyes nonprofit organization. Locate a USAEyes Evaluated & Certified Lasik Laser Eye Surgery Doctor.