PRK2025-01-31T12:06:37+00:00

Free yourself from glasses and contacts with PRK laser eye surgery

Discover how this longstanding laser procedure can end your dependency on glasses and contacts even if you’re unsuitable for LASIK or SMILE

Free yourself from glasses and contacts with PRK laser eye surgery

Discover how this longstanding laser procedure can end your dependency on glasses and contacts even if you’re unsuitable for LASIK or SMILE

It’s a little slower than its alternatives

You’ll feel great about your vision after PRK, but you’ll need to manage your expectations on how you’ll feel immediately afterwards

3 easy steps to free yourself from glasses and contacts

Laser vision correction options can be confusing. We’ve made the journey as straightforward as can be

Get in touch

Not everyone is suitable for laser eye surgery. The first step is to get a clear answer on whether laser eye surgery can help you or not. Give our friendly team a call on 0800 99 2020 or use our easy online calendar to book a free laser assessment.

We’ll meet

At your assessment, we’ll answer your questions and give you a clear and honest recommendation based on your lifestyle. You’ll leave with a  confident understanding of the best eye treatment option for your unique eyes.

Enjoy freedom

After treatment, New Zealanders across the country tell us how surprised they are by how quickly their life changed. They also mention that they wish they had done it years earlier! When people say yes to eye treatment, they say yes to a new life, free from the limitation of glasses and contacts!

Break free from the restraints of glasses and contacts

Don’t let anything stand in the way of you and beautiful natural vision

Embrace beautiful natural vision

If you’ve worn glasses and contact lenses your whole life, you’ll be familiar with the many trials and tribulations that can accompany them. Glasses can make you feel inconvenienced, self-conscious and restricted, while contact lenses can be uncomfortable, cause dry eyes and increase your risk of eye infections.

After PRK laser eye surgery, you’ll have freed yourself from their limiting nature and can enjoy life with the beautiful natural vision you deserve.

When frustration turns into freedom

Studies have shown that the transition from visually dependent to visual liberation can do amazing things for your quality of life. Our patients report feeling more confident, healthy and more eager to join in on social events and activities.

REMOVING BARRIERS

Whether you’re into extreme sports, gentle walks or morning talks over coffee, there’s nothing more distracting than your glasses slipping down your nose, fogging-up or falling-off. Contact lenses can be just as bad; they can slip out of place, require constant cleaning and storing, and can cost a small fortune over time!

After PRK, our patients no longer have to endure the inconveniences of glasses and contacts and find they have more energy and drive to devote to their hobbies, careers and the people around them.

Don’t settle for anything less

If poor vision and a life of glasses and contacts are all you know, it can be easy to accept their drawbacks and just carry on.

Don’t settle! Not many things are as precious as sight, and the experiences and opportunities that amazing natural vision can give you are priceless. Our patients will tell you that their only regret is that they didn’t do it sooner.

With PRK, even those who are unsuitable for LASIK and SMILE™ can enjoy life without glasses and contacts

Discover how this straightforward treatment gives you visual freedom

PRK suitability criteria

You may be suitable for PRK laser eye surgery if you have a stable prescription.

What is PRK?

Custom surface PRK, also known as Surface Treatment or Surface Ablation, is a type of laser eye surgery used to correct myopia (shortsightedness), hyperopia (longsightedness) and astigmatism. It was the first type of laser surgery for vision correction and the forerunner to LASIK. We sometimes use PRK as an alternative to LASIK for people who have very thin or flat corneas.

Procedure time: About 10 minutes per eye.

How does PRK work?

The surgeon removes the cornea’s thin outer layer (called the epithelium) and then reshapes the underlying corneal tissue with an excimer laser. By removing tiny amounts of tissue from the surface of the eye, your surgeon can correct your vision. The main difference between the PRK and LASIK procedure is the first step of the procedures.

In LASIK, the surgeon creates a thin flap on the cornea with a femtosecond laser. The surgeon then lifts the flap to reveal the underlying corneal tissue and then replaces it once they have reshaped the cornea with the excimer laser.

Healing times are generally a little longer for PRK than for LASIK surgery because the cornea’s outer layer needs to grow back again. It usually repairs itself and grows back within a few days. A protective lens is placed over the eye after surgery to help the healing process. The surgeon will leave the lens in place for the first 3-4 days. We will arrange an appointment with you for the removal of the contact lens.

Following this, we will arrange subsequent appointments at 1-2 weeks and 1-3 months post-PRK.

Don’t worry if you live outside of Auckland; we can arrange these visits with your optometrist on your return home.

Advantages
  • PRK can treat people with thin corneas
  • PRK does not involve the creation of a flap which means there is less risk of flap-related complications
  • PRK preserves the corneal biomechanical strength following surgery
  • PRK can regularise corneal scarring following trauma
Disadvantages
  • PRK requires you to wear a contact lens for 3-4 days after surgery. This is to help with the healing process.
  • Vision can fluctuate for a few weeks after surgery.
  • Dry eyes. This can be managed with drops and generally improves.

Risks include:
  • Infection
  • Under or over correction that may require further laser refinement
  • Dry eye
  • Hazy vision

If we find that your corneal thickness is too thin for even a PRK treatment, an alternative option may be implantable contact lens (ICL) surgery.

What to expect from PRK

PRK is quick, painless and highly effective, so there’s no need to feel nervous. Even if you are a little worried, our friendly, highly trained team will make sure you feel completely at ease before, during and after your procedure.

The surgery

First, we administer anaesthetic eye drops to numb the eye. Then, we gently place a device on the eye to help keep it open. The surgeon will remove a microscopic layer from the surface of the cornea.

The surgeon will then apply an excimer laser to the cornea to precisely reshape the eye’s surface. Afterwards, a protective lens is placed over the eye to help it heal.

You will need to rest for a short period after your surgery before you can return home. Naturally, someone else will need to drive you.

Patients often have 20/20 vision without glasses or contact lenses.

Discover if you could be free from glasses and contacts

Everyone deserves a life free from glasses and contacts, but not everyone is suitable. The best way to find out if vision correction is right for you is to book a free laser assessment. You’ll get a clear and honest answer on your suitability and treatment options.

Discover if you could be free from glasses and contacts

Everyone deserves a life free from glasses and contacts, but not everyone is suitable. The best way to find out if vision correction is right for you is to book a free laser assessment. You’ll get a clear and honest answer on your suitability and treatment options.

BOOK A FREE LASER ASSESSMENT
Do glasses or contact lenses hold you back?

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Affiliations and memberships

We are proud to be a part of these professional bodies

Watch the best patient education videos on laser eye surgery in New Zealand

Get a quick overview of everything you need to know about gaining visual freedom

Take this quick quiz to discover if you can be free from glasses and contacts

Not everyone can benefit from laser eye surgery. You have many different options depending on your eyes, age and lifestyle. Take this quick 2-min quiz to find out which type of laser eye surgery or other vision correction treatment might be right for you.

Additional resources on PRK

Learn more about this bladeless laser eye treatment from authoritative sources

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) was introduced in the late 1980s to correct myopia. The purpose of this study was to assess its long-term efficacy and safety, analyzing patients with at least 20-year follow-up. Click here to read the study.

Note: These links will take you off our website

Meet our world-class surgeons

Our industry-leading experts are here to guide you every step of the way

Dr Nick Mantell

MB ChB

Dr Peter Ring

MB ChB

Dr Adam Watson

MB ChB

Dr Shanu Subbiah

MBCHB FRCOphth

Dr Liz Insull

FRANZCO

Prof Helen Danesh-Meyer

MB ChB FRANZCO GNZM MD PHD FRANZCO

Dr Narme Deva

MBChB MD FRANZCO

Dr William Cunningham

MBChB FRANZCO

Dr Jay Meyer

BS MPH MD

Prof Charles McGhee

MB ChB ONZM PHD FRANZCO FRCOphth

Dr Graham Reeves

MBChB FRCOphth FRANZCO

Dr Kaliopy Matheos

BSc MSc MBChB FRANZCO

Dr Peter Hadden

FRANZCO

Dr Sophie Hill

MBBS FRCOphth

Dr Baswati Sahoo

FRCS MS DNB FRANZCO

Dr Shira Sheen

MD PgDip Ophth

Dr Kevin Dunne

FRANZCO

Dr Ammar Binsadiq

FRANZCO

Dr Edward Hutchins

FRANZCO

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TAKE A STEP TO FREEDOM

Discover if you could be free from the hassle of glasses and contacts.

Take the first step by getting your free laser suitability assessment to check if your eyes are suitable and which treatment option is right for your eyes.

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