TransPRK refractive laser treatment available at HUSM

 

KOTA BHARU – Since June this year, some 100 patients have received refractive laser surgery, the latest eye care technology offered at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) here, said USM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Faisal Rafiq Mahamd Adikan.

He said the service which uses the transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (TransPRK) method helps to treat the problems of farsightedness, nearsightedness and glare due to ageing.

HUSM and the School of Medical Sciences through a strategic collaboration had procured a refractive laser machine worth RM4.8 million.

“This procedure corrects the focal point position of the eye by changing the shape of the corneal layer (the frontmost structural layer on the eyeball) and patients do not need the help of glasses or contact lenses after this treatment,” he told reporters after the launch of the Refractive Laser Services and Optometry Services, here today.

Elaborating, Faisal Rafiq said the TransPRK refractive laser system offers the advantages of the latest Schwind Amaris software technology, which is bladeless, without suction or contact on the patient’s eyeball during treatment, unlike other refractive laser procedures.

“The treatment requires a short period of time during which patients are more comfortable and the recovery time is much faster.

“We are targeting 30 patients between the ages of 20 and 40 a month and each treatment costs between RM5,000 and RM8,000,” he added.