Photorefractive keratectomy involves which of the following?

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Multiple Choice

Photorefractive keratectomy involves which of the following?

Photorefractive keratectomy reshapes the cornea’s front surface with a laser after removing the epithelial layer. By removing tissue from the anterior corneal stroma, the laser changes the curvature of the cornea, thereby altering its refractive power so incoming light is focused more accurately on the retina. This surface ablation targets the anterior stroma, unlike approaches that address deeper layers or intraocular structures. It’s distinct from removing the lens (which corrects vision by changing the eye’s internal optics) and from removing conjunctiva, which isn’t used to correct refractive errors. It’s also different from procedures that create a corneal flap (like LASIK); PRK achieves reshaping without a flap.

Photorefractive keratectomy reshapes the cornea’s front surface with a laser after removing the epithelial layer. By removing tissue from the anterior corneal stroma, the laser changes the curvature of the cornea, thereby altering its refractive power so incoming light is focused more accurately on the retina. This surface ablation targets the anterior stroma, unlike approaches that address deeper layers or intraocular structures. It’s distinct from removing the lens (which corrects vision by changing the eye’s internal optics) and from removing conjunctiva, which isn’t used to correct refractive errors. It’s also different from procedures that create a corneal flap (like LASIK); PRK achieves reshaping without a flap.

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