Photorefractive Keratectomy

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is a well-established surface ablation procedure for the correction of refractive errors. Despite excellent visual and refractive outcomes, postoperative pain remains a significant concern, particularly during the first few days following surgery. This pain is primarily related to corneal epithelial removal, exposure of subepithelial nerve endings, and the subsequent inflammatory response. Effective pain management is therefore essential to enhance patient comfort, improve compliance with postoperative care, and increase overall surgical satisfaction. Therefore we will compare postoperative pain levels in patients undergoing PRK using ketorolac tromethamine 0.5%-soaked bandage contact lenses versus non-medicated bandage contact lenses.

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is a laser eye surgery used to ablate the corneal stroma to correct visual refractive errors . PRK was developed in 1983 by Dr. Steven Trokel and colleagues and first performed in 1987 by Dr. Theo Seiler in Berlin. After receiving approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996, PRK was briefly the preferred surgical treatment of ametropia as it provided more predictable and stable results than incisional keratotomy. However, the number of PRK procedures fell in the late 1990s with the growing popularity of laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). The study aims to compare the visual and refractive outcomes along with the pain score and patient satisfaction after photorefractive keratectomy in patients who underwent transepithelial or mechanical removal technique