Non Lasik Eye Surgery Alternatives:

Radial Keratotomy (RK)-

Radial keratotomy is a non-laser surgical procedure that is used to correct myopia (nearsightedness). The procedure involves a surgeon creating tiny radial incisions into the cornea with a guarded, diamond-tipped scalpel. These incisions weaken the outer layer of the cornea and pressure from inside the eye causes it to bend outward. This outward bend results in a flattening of the central cornea. As a result, light traveling through the cornea gets refracted at a more obtuse angle that focuses the light on or closer to the retina.

The Procedure:

• Before your surgery begins, your surgeon will give you a sedative as well as anesthetic and anti-inflammatory eye drops.

• You will then be covered in a drape and laid down on a table under a microscope.

• The surgeon will then place a lid-specula on your eye and ask you to stare into the light.

• Next, your doctor will put more anesthetic into your eye and re-measure its thickness with the ultrasonic pachymeter for the last time.

• The ophthalmologist will then mark the precise location of the four radial cuts and set the length of the diamond tipped blade with a micrometer.

• Once the location is marked and the blade has been adjusted, excess fluid is removed from your eye and the incisions are made (they are painless).

• The operation is now complete. Your surgeon will give you antibiotic eye drops and remove the lid specula and drape.

• Click here for information on post procedure activity.

Possible RK Side Effects/Complications

Overcorrection-

Many RK patients experience overcorrection, or a farsightedness sensation, for a temporary period after surgery. This sensation typically goes away after the patient has fully healed. In some instances, however, it does not.

Under correction-

If the cornea bends too little as a result of the surgery, RK patients can experience under correction (nearsightedness). This is typically an improvement from their condition prior to surgery, but not the ideal result. RK patients can also become more nearsighted if the eyeball elongates naturally over time.

Light Sensitivity-

Some patients experience glare, light sensitivity and blurred vision after surgery. These side effects are the most prevalent in dim lighting when the pupils are dilated. 

Scarring

Radial keratotomy can leave extremely small incision scars that most people never know exist. Unfortunately, however, some patients end up being able to see their scars, especially when their pupils are dilated. 

RK has shown consistent results on patients that suffer from mild myopia. The results, however, have been lower for patients with more severe myopia or astigmatism. There have been many advances in the practice of radial keratotomy over the years, but the procedure has gradually been phasing out of practice due to the technical advances and consistent results of lasik. Some of the advances in RK have been the development of the diamond-tipped blade, built in micrometers that can calibrate the length of the blade to the millionth of a meter, and the development of ultrasonic pachymetry to accurately measure the thickness of your cornea.

Astigmatic Keratotomy (AK)

Astigmatic keratotomy, or AK, is a non-laser surgical procedure that is used to correct mild myopic astigmatism. The procedure involves a surgeon creating tiny transverse incisions called “T-cuts” into the cornea with a guarded, diamond-tipped scalpel. These incisions are used to flatten the cornea’s steeper slope and make the overall slope of the cornea more uniform. As a result, light is refracted more uniformly from the cornea and converged to a single focal point on or close to the retina.

The Procedure:

• Before your surgery begins, your surgeon will give you a sedative as well as anesthetic and anti-inflammatory eye drops.
• You will then be covered in a drape and laid down on a table under a microscope.
• The surgeon will then place a lid-specula on your eye and ask you to stare into the light.
• Next, your doctor will put more anesthetic into your eye and re-measure its thickness with the ultrasonic pachymeter for the last time.
• The ophthalmologist will then mark the precise location of the four radial cuts and set the length of the diamond tipped blade with a micrometer.
• Once the location is marked and the blade has been adjusted, excess fluid is removed from your eye and the incisions are made (they are painless).
• The operation is now complete. Your surgeon will give you antibiotic eye drops and remove the lid specula and drape.
• Click here for information on post procedure activity.

The results of AK can be less predictable than those of RK, and the incisions tend to heal a bit slower. The possible side effects/complications are the same as RK and include;

Overcorrection-

Many RK patients experience overcorrection, or a farsightedness sensation, for a temporary period after surgery. This sensation typically goes away after the patient has fully healed. In some instances, however, it does not.

Under correction-

If the cornea bends too little as a result of the surgery, RK patients can experience under correction (nearsightedness). This is typically an improvement from their condition prior to surgery, but not the ideal result. RK patients can also become more nearsighted if the eyeball elongates naturally over time.

Light Sensitivity-

Some patients experience glare, light sensitivity and blurred vision after surgery. These side effects are the most prevalent in dim lighting when the pupils are dilated. 

Scarring

Radial keratotomy can leave extremely small incision scars that most people never know exist. Unfortunately, however, some patients end up being able to see their scars, especially when their pupils are dilated.