LASIK, PRK & Refractive Lens Exchange

Most people don't love their glasses or contacts — they tolerate them. Fogged lenses, lost contacts, the constant reordering of solution and boxes, the blur the moment you wake up. Modern vision correction has made it possible for the vast majority of patients to trade all of that for consistently clear, natural vision.

There isn't one single "best" procedure for everyone. The right approach depends on your prescription, the shape and thickness of your cornea, your age, your lifestyle, and how your eyes are likely to change over the next decade. That's why every evaluation here starts with detailed corneal mapping and a real conversation, not a one-size-fits-all recommendation.

LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) is the vision correction procedure most people have heard of, and it remains one of the most studied and refined elective procedures in medicine. It corrects nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism by precisely reshaping the cornea with an excimer laser, changing how light bends as it enters your eye.

With today's advanced technique, the entire procedure typically takes well under 15 minutes for both eyes:

Most patients notice dramatically improved vision within hours and are back to normal activities, including driving, by the next day. Mild dryness or light sensitivity in the first few days is common and typically resolves quickly.

Often a great fit for: patients with healthy corneas of sufficient thickness, moderate prescriptions, and a desire for the fastest possible visual recovery.

PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) uses the same excimer laser technology as LASIK to reshape the cornea and correct the same range of prescriptions — the difference is in how we get there. Rather than creating a corneal flap, we gently remove the thin outer layer of cells covering the cornea (the epithelium), reshape the surface underneath, and allow the epithelium to naturally regenerate over the following several days, protected by a temporary bandage contact lens.

Because there's no flap, PRK removes any long-term consideration around flap displacement, making it a preferred option for patients with thinner corneas, certain corneal surface irregularities, or active lifestyles and contact sports where the eye faces a higher risk of impact. The trade-off is a longer initial recovery — vision is typically blurrier for several days to a week, with some light sensitivity and discomfort during healing — but by three to six months, PRK patients typically enjoy the same excellent, stable results as LASIK patients.

Often a great fit for: patients with thinner or borderline corneas, certain occupations or contact sports, or anyone who prefers to avoid a corneal flap altogether.

Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE), sometimes called Clear Lens Exchange, takes a different approach entirely. Rather than reshaping the cornea, we replace your eye's natural lens with an advanced intraocular lens (IOL) — the same premium lens technology used in modern cataract surgery, including options that correct astigmatism and expand your range of clear vision from distance through near.

RLE is often the ideal option for patients over roughly 45–50, when the eye's natural lens is beginning to lose flexibility (presbyopia) regardless of whether a cataract has formed yet, and for patients with higher degrees of farsightedness or nearsightedness that fall outside the range LASIK or PRK can safely correct. Because the natural lens is fully replaced, RLE patients also never develop a cataract in the treated eye later in life — the procedure and the lens are permanent.

Often a great fit for: patients over 45, higher prescriptions outside laser correction's range, early presbyopia, or anyone who wants to address both today's vision and tomorrow's cataract in a single procedure.

Here's a quick side-by-side — but the honest answer only comes from a comprehensive evaluation of your own eyes.

Because we offer LASIK, PRK, and Refractive Lens Exchange under one roof, our recommendation is never limited by what one procedure we happen to perform — it's based entirely on what's best for your eyes.