Patient Procedures at Empire Eye Physicians

The cornea is the smooth clear window of the eye in front of the colored iris that helps bend light rays, so they focus directly on the retina. If the corneal surface is rough or cloudy, the rays of light cannot focus properly on the retina and images appear blurry. Sometimes an irregular corneal surface can cause recurring eye pain.

In the past, a rough cornea was scraped smooth with a surgical blade, while a cloudy cornea required a partial or full cornea transplant. More recently, PTK has become an option for these conditions. The excimer laser allows some abnormal corneas to be treated with a cool beam of light that evaporates tissue. In opposition to conventional surgery, the excimer laser can create a smoother corneal surface than a blade and smaller amounts of tissue can be removed.