Center for Laser Vision Excellence
at the Eye Institute of Southern Arizona

Surface Ablation Definitions

PRK
This is the original form of surface ablation, which was first performed on rabbits in the early 1980s.  The surface epithelium is mechanically removed by a special brush.  The epithelium is discarded and the laser is then applied to the corneal surface. (go back)

Epi-LASIK
This is one of the most recent forms of surface ablation.  The surface epithelium is removed with a blunt mechanical separator driven by a motor.  In order for the separator to contact the corneal surface, a suction ring is used to temporarily flatten and stabilize the cornea.  The raised epithelial sheet is typically discarded. (go back)

LASEK
This form of surface ablation requires no suction ring.  An alcohol solution is used to loosen the surface epithelium, which is then gently lifted off the cornea.  In the original form of LASEK, the raised epithelial sheet was restored following the laser treatment, but preservation of this tissue has not been shown to enhance rates of healing or comfort. (go back)

Advanced Surface Ablation
Modified LASEK, with the LADARVISION® CustomCornea® system for the correction of both low and higher order aberrations.  On the day of your procedure, a wavefront map containing aberrations of your eye is registered and aligned with the surface of your cornea.  During the laser treatment, a sophisticated eye tracker measures microscopic eye movements 4000 times per second.  This results in accurate delivery of the laser beam in the precise location (go back)

Please call for your complementary screening to see if you are a candidate