The effect of photorefractive keratectomy in Korea

To assess the predictability and accuracy of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in myopia, we reviewed the charts of 182 patients who underwent PRK and were followed up for more than 12 months. The mean visual acuity was improved from 0.11 to 0.80 at 12 months postoperatively, and the mean refraction change shows from -7.94D to -0.89D. 47% of the treated eyes achieved final visual acuity of 1.0, and 97% achieved 0.5 or better. In the case of postoperative refraction, 96% of cases who were less than -6 D myopia achieved final refraction within +/- 1D, while 66% of cases who were more than -6 D myopia did. These results suggest that PRK is a safe and predictable procedure in treating mild to moderate myopia.