Is EBK a mild laser vision correction method?

A laser vision correction method called EBK is used to treat refractive error when LASIK surgeries (so called ‘flap procedures’ such as LASIK, SBK LASIK or FemtoLASIK) are contradicted due to medical reasons.
Sometimes they are also called iLASIK or IntraLASIK (same procedure but with a different name – a brand of AMO company). These are not medical, but strictly commercial names of LASIK procedures performed with a femtosecond laser and excimer laser manufactured by AMO company.

EBK (Epi Bowman Keratectomy) is a modification of the PRK-type surgeries, which are the oldest of currently used methods. First of them – PRK was invented in 1985. EBK (presented in 2013) is one of the superficial methods (PRK/TransPRK, LASEK/Epi-LASIK) which involve removal of corneal epithelium. They only differ in terms of the tools used to prepare the eye for the laser surgery. In EBK method a device called Epi-Clear ‘sweeps’ the epithelium inside, leaving and open wound on the cornea. Then a dressing in from of a lens is applied to the cornea for a couple of days. As soon as the anaesthetic eye drops wear off the patient starts to experience a great deal of pain which lingers until the cornea is fully healed (usually takes a few days). A return to normal life after a superficial procedure (such as EBK) is possible after about a week. Recovery is painful and very uncomfortable. What is more, a sick leave and admission of analgetics are imminent. Because of that, a correction using superficial methods is typically firstly performed on one eye and then, if both eyes are to be corrected, on the other eye.

Virtually, a very small percentage of patients is qualified for the EBK procedure as the vast majority meets the requirements for the most common and surely more comfortable LASIK surgeries. The popularity of LASIK methods is mainly caused by the short recovery period; the patients can go back to their everyday routine as soon as the next day after the procedure (including driving).

Of course – PRK surgeries (such as EBK) are cheaper than LASIK-type methods due to lower costs of the equipment and materials used during the procedure. The price of the device used in EBK is dozens of times lower than the cost of LASIK equipment (microkeratome and femtolaser) and its maintenance. Furthermore, EBK surgery, just as every PRK procedure, is easier and safer for the surgeon performing it. It also requires less experience, lower manual skills of the operator and no investments. This is why it is proposed to the patients. But it is the patient who makes the final decision after hearing about all of the advantages of the possible ways of correcting his refractive error.

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