Healthcare Acronyms

Photorefractive Keratectomy

A laser eye surgery procedure intended to correct a person's vision, reducing dependency on glasses or contact lenses, first performed in 1987. PRK removes the surface layer of the eye, while LASIK involves cutting into the eye, creating a flap, and correcting the deeper layers of the eye. The success of PRK versus LASIK is similar, however, PRK has a slightly longer recovery time (3-5 days), some people claim that after this period PRK patients experience less dryness than those of LASIK.