Learn More About Cataract Surgery
Are you experiencing night driving problems? Are colors fading? If you are over the age of 50 years old you may be experiencing the onset of cataracts. Our doctors are skilled board certified cataract surgeons located in Portland, Maine. Our doctors take great pride in educating patients about their best options for success after cataract surgery. Please feel free to review our website to learn about new technology lens implants.
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Take Our LASIK Self Test
If you are seeking LASIK in Portland, Maine we are happy to help you learn about LASIK and your candidacy potential for this eye surgery. Please feel free to take our short LASIK self-evaluation test to get on the path to better vision. After taking this test you will be contacted by Maine Eye Center if you meet the pre-requisite requirements. All LASIK candidates will be required to undergo a pre-operative eye exam before candidacy is approved.
See Our Videos
Please feel free to watch our educational video series. Click here to see videos of our patients and doctors for better insight into the eye surgery of your choice.
Contact Us
Thank you for visiting the website of Maine Eye Center. We hope that you found our eye care website information useful. If you have additional questions or wish to contact our office please fill out our contact form.
PRK
PRK is very similar to LASIK and both of these eye surgery techniques are referred to as refractive surgery. PRK was the first laser refractive surgery approved by the FDA receiving final approval in 1995. PRK is a refractive procedure that utilizes the excimer laser to reshape the cornea and improve nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. The amount of tissue reshaped depends on the severity of the prescription. In most cases, 5 to 10 percent of the cornea is removed. Once the cornea has flattened, light rays are more easily focused upon the retina. PRK differs from LASIK in that no flap of tissue is created prior to resculpting the cornea with the excimer laser. In LASIK, this flap creation does enable a faster recovery period.
The procedure can be performed once the eye has been numbed with anesthetic drops. A speculum will be positioned to hold your eyelids back just like in LASIK so that your eyelids will not interrupt the actual surgery. The ophthalmologist will then remove the outer cornea cells and proceed with the actual laser treatment. The laser is then positioned to directly treat the cornea. This laser delivery takes less than one minute to complete for most patients. Once the laser treatment or refractive ablation is completed, the corneal curvature is reshaped, thus improving the refractive error. Your ophthalmologist will then place a bandage contact lens on the eye for improved comfort along with anti-inflammatory and antibiotic eye drops.
PRK is an effective alternative to LASIK for many potential refractive surgery patients. PRK results are very similar to LASIK results, at least for patients up to approximately -6.0 diopters of myopia (nearsightedness). In general, PRK patients will have a somewhat slower recovery period. Please feel free to consult one of our refractive eye doctors to better understand the advantages of PRK and whether or not this would be a good option for your vision.
Post-operatively, most patients will need to be re-evaluated one day, three days, one week, one month, two to three months, and four to six months following the PRK procedure. The bandage contact lens can usually be removed on the second or third post-operative day when the epithelium is healed. Most patients will only require eye drops to control healing during the first 6 to 12 weeks, but other patients may require topically applied medications for up to 6 months or more following the procedure. In general, the greater the refractive error, the more likely the patient is to require eye drop medications for a prolonged period following the procedure.