Radial Keratotomy (RK)

What is radial keratotomy?
Radial Keratotomy (RK) is a surgical procedure to reduce and/or correct nearsightedness (myopia). Although RK surgery remains controversial, surgeons gained experience over time and now they can operate both eyes simultaneously. Now, radial keratotomy is a minor surgery that takes about 15 to 20 minutes for each eye.

How does RK work?
In an eye with 20/20 vision, the cornea (the clear outside surface of the eye) helps to focus light rays on the retina (the back inside surface of the eye). In the nearsighted eye, the light rays are focused in front of the retina, resulting in blurred vision.

During RK surgery, radial incisions like spokes in a wheel are made in the cornea. This causes the cornea to flatten, resulting in a change in its focusing power and a reduction in nearsightedness by moving the focus of the image closer to the retina.