Who should not have PRK?
Surface treatment is unsuitable where the cornea is unstable or too thin for the planned correction, where there is active surface disease or significant dry eye, and where the healing response is expected to be unpredictable. It is also a poor fit for someone who cannot follow a strict early aftercare routine.
- Subject
- Vision correction
- Topic
- PRK & TransPRK
- Kind of question
- Who can…
- Procedures
- PRK
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
What this answer depends on
- Corneal thickness and topography
- The state of the ocular surface
- Your ability to attend follow-up visits in the first days
Related guides
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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
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
- Refractive surgery and dry eye: an update
An update on how different refractive procedures affect the ocular surface, with attention to preoperative screening for dry eye.
Used for Why tear film assessment belongs in preoperative screening.
Link checked 22 September 2026