Photorefractive keratectomy at US Naval Medical Center San
Diego. Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and Laser-Assisted Sub-
Epithelial Keratectomy (or Laser Epithelial Keratomileusis)
(LASEK) are laser eye surgery procedures intended to correct a
person's vision, reducing dependency on glasses or contact
lenses. The first PRK procedure was performed in 1987 by Dr.
Theo Seiler, then at the Free University Medical Center in
Berlin, Germany. The first LASEK procedure was performed at
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in 1996 by ophthalmologist,
refractive surgeon, Dimitri Azar. The procedure was later
popularized by Camellin, who coined the term LASEK for laser
epithelial keratomileusis. LASEK and PRK permanently change the
shape of the anterior central cornea using an excimer laser to
ablate (remove by vaporization) a small amount of tissue from
the corneal stroma at the front of the eye, just under the
corneal epithelium. The outer layer of the cornea is removed
prior to the ablation. A computer system tracks