Laser Vision Correction
The most common refractive surgery procedure of the cornea is LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis). In LASIK, laser energy is used to reshape your cornea, essentially sculpting your prescription into your eye. If the laser energy were applied directly to the surface of your eye, the treated area would be sore for several days during the healing process.

To avoid this discomfort, a thin flap is cut on the surface of your cornea, then folded out of the way. Laser energy is then used to sculpt your exposed cornea to correct your nearsightedness, then the flap is put back into its normal position, covering the treated area. LASIK is nearly painless, highly successful, and you can see the improvement in your vision immediately after surgery.

A slightly different procedure, called LASEK (laser epithelial keratomileusis), uses a thinner flap, and is typically performed in people whose cornea is too thin or too flat for LASIK.

A third type of corneal refractive surgery is called PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) or Advanced Surface Ablation, which differs from LASIK and LASEK in that no flap is made—the laser directly sculpts the front surface of your cornea to flatten it.