Phototherapeutic Keratectomy (PTK)

PTK uses an excimer laser to remove a tiny portion of tissue from the front of the cornea. This procedure can be extremely effective in patients with opacities in the top layer of the cornea, such as patients with dystrophies or superficial scars. With the advent of this procedure corneal transplants can be delayed or avoided altogether for some patients. This surgery is performed as an outpatient procedure in the Wills Eye Laser Center. Dr. Rapuano was involved in the FDA studies in the early 1990s for PTK using the VISX excimer laser. He has lectured and published extensively on the subject, and 2003 published a major research paper on the results of PTK. He performs all the PTK procedures for this practice.