{"id":1965,"date":"2026-10-20T08:54:29","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T08:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/eye-health\/laser-eye-surgery\/lasik-vs-smile-vs-prk-which-laser-treatment-is-right-for-you\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T12:59:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T12:59:20","slug":"lasik-vs-smile-vs-prk-which-laser-treatment-is-right-for-you","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/en\/eye-health\/laser-eye-surgery\/lasik-vs-smile-vs-prk-which-laser-treatment-is-right-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Laser Eye Surgery: LASIK vs LASEK vs PRK vs SMILE, Which Is Right for You?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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  4. Laser Eye Surgery: LASIK vs LASEK vs PRK vs SMILE, Which Is Right for You?<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/div>\t\t\t

    Laser Eye Surgery: LASIK vs LASEK vs PRK vs SMILE, Which Is Right for You?<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    \"Excimer<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    LASIK, LASEK, PRK and SMILE are all laser eye surgery that reshapes the cornea. They differ in how the surgeon reaches the tissue: LASIK lifts a flap, LASEK and PRK treat the surface, and SMILE removes a small disc through a keyhole. Corneal thickness, dry eyes, prescription and lifestyle decide which suits you. At Laser Istanbul Clinic, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Sat\u0131c\u0131 and Op. Dr. Aysan Bayram lead laser surgery.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

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    What is the difference between LASIK, LASEK, PRK and SMILE?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t

    All four operations correct short-sightedness and astigmatism by changing the shape of the cornea, the clear window at the front of the eye. The NHS describes laser eye surgery as using a laser “to alter the shape of the outer layer of your eye (cornea)”. The real difference is the route the surgeon takes to the tissue that needs reshaping.<\/p>\n\t\t\t

    <\/th>LASIK (Femto-LASIK)<\/th>LASEK<\/th>PRK (including no-touch)<\/th>SMILE (SMILE Pro)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Route to the tissue<\/th>A thin flap is made, lifted and folded back<\/td>The surface cell layer is loosened with a dilute alcohol solution and moved aside as a sheet<\/td>The surface cell layer is removed<\/td>A small disc of tissue is removed through a keyhole tunnel of about 2\u20133 mm<\/td><\/tr>
    Flap<\/th>Yes<\/td>A flap of surface cells only, put back afterwards<\/td>None<\/td>None<\/td><\/tr>
    Laser<\/th>Excimer laser, plus a femtosecond laser or blade to make the flap<\/td>Excimer laser<\/td>Excimer laser<\/td>Femtosecond laser only<\/td><\/tr>
    Healing<\/th>The flap reattaches by itself<\/td>Surface cells regrow under a bandage lens (about 3\u20134 days)<\/td>Surface cells regrow; bandage lens out at about day 4\u20135<\/td>Small incision heals; no surface layer removed<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>

    Sources: American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) LASIK overview; EyeWiki (PRK, LASEK, SMILE); AAO Young Ophthalmologists’ introduction to SMILE. See Sources.<\/p>

    SMILE Pro vs ReLEx SMILE vs Femto-LASIK: what changed with VisuMax 800 <\/svg><\/a><\/div><\/div>\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

    How does LASIK work, and who is it for?<\/h2><\/div>

    LASIK is the best-known laser operation. The AAO explains that the surgeon makes “a paper-thin flap in the cornea tissue” with a microkeratome (a blade device) or a laser, lifts it, reshapes the tissue underneath with the laser and lays the flap back, where it reattaches on its own within two to three minutes. “Femto-LASIK”, also called blade-free LASIK, means the flap is made by a femtosecond laser instead of a blade.<\/p>\n

    Why people choose it:<\/strong> visual recovery is the quickest of the four, and it treats short-sightedness, long-sightedness and astigmatism. The AAO says about 9 in 10 people who have LASIK end up with vision between 20\/20 and 20\/40 without glasses or contact lenses.<\/p>

    What to weigh up:<\/h3>