Can PRK treat a high prescription?
It can, within the limits the cornea allows, and surface treatment is sometimes chosen precisely because it conserves tissue compared with creating a flap. Higher prescriptions remove more tissue wherever the treatment is applied, so the measurement matters more than the technique.
- Subject
- Vision correction
- Topic
- PRK & TransPRK
- Kind of question
- Can I…
- Procedures
- PRK, ICL
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
What this answer depends on
- Corneal thickness and the depth the treatment requires
- Whether a lens-based option would be safer
- The haze risk associated with deeper surface treatment
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Vision correction & laser eye surgery in PRK & TransPRK . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- Procedure PRK
- Procedure TransPRK
- Comparison LASIK vs PRK
- Comparison SMILE vs PRK
- Condition Myopia (short sightedness)
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)
The equivalent clinical reference chapter for LASIK, used so that comparisons describe both procedures symmetrically.
Used for How LASIK creates and manages a corneal flap; LASIK complication categories.
Link checked 22 September 2026