In LASIK eye surgery, a femtosecond laser – which emits ultra-fast pulses of light allowing for extreme precision– is used to ‘cut’ a thin flap of corneal tissue, underneath which an excimer laser – utilising ultraviolet light – is applied. The flap is then laid flat at the end of the procedure.
Recovery after LASIK eye surgery is rapid with minimal discomfort, and most patients achieve driving standard vision the following day.
TransPRK, PRK and LASEK eye surgeries are all examples of laser treatments applied directly to the surface of the cornea (without a flap). LASEK and PRK both involve manually brushing away the corneal skin layer (epithelium). A more advanced technique, transepithelial PRK (TransPRK), reshapes the cornea through the epithelium. TransPRK with the
Schwind Amaris 1050RS laser using
SmartSurfACE technology, is the only 'no-touch' technique for laser refractive surgery - applying the laser light directly to the surface of the eye means no brushing, no cutting and no flap.