There are many different types of eye surgery procedures being offered in the market right now, for example, LASIK, PRK, LASEK, wavefront LASIK, IntraLase LASIK and many more. Some of the older procedures are no longer practised as they are either not as efficient or leave unfavourable complications after surgery. In contrast, the newer surgeries need to get FDA approval before it can be accessed by the public. Regardless of the type of surgery, it is good to consider the varying types of eye surgery options available to you.

LASIK surgery (LASIK stands for laser assisted in situ keratomileusis) is the procedure whereby an instrument called microkeratome is used to cut out an outer part of the cornea. This flap of cornea is opened up to allow an excimer laser to burn out specific areas of the inner cornea. After this reshaping step, the flap of cornea is replaced over the gap and is reattached. During the actual procedure, a retainer is used to hold over the eyelids and eye drops are instilled into the eye to numb the cornea and to keep it from getting dry. This procedure should not be uncomfortable to the patient. IntraLase LASIK is almost the same as traditional LASIK surgery, except that a femtosecond laser is used to cut out the flap of cornea, rather than a microkeratome.

One of the other eye surgery options is PRK, which stands for photorefractive keratectomy, and is a procedure where only the excimer laser is used. The excimer laser is actually a chamber with argon and fluorine gas. Under extreme pressure and voltage, the argon and fluorine gas molecules combine to form an argon-fluoride molecule. This unstable molecule breaks down and releases high-energy radiation, which when absorbed by a biological macromolecule, causes it to fall apart. This process is called photoablation and is directed specifically to the outer cornea. During the actual surgery, you will be fully awake and be able to hear a snapping sound and smell a burnt-tissue scent.

LASEK surgery (LASEK stands for laser assisted epithelial keratomileusis) is similar to LASIK surgery however; it uses a different instrument, which is called a trephine. The surgeon would instil local anaesthesia before using the trephine to cut open the corneal epithelium.  The cornea would then be covered by a diluted alcohol solution for about 30 seconds to loosen the epithelium. The surgeon would then use a tiny hoe-like instrument to lift the edge of the epithelial flap and then fold it back. The excimer laser would then be applied, similarly to LASIK, and then the epithelium would then be placed back over the eye.

Wavefront LASIK is one of the more expensive options as it uses a machine to create a 3D map of the eye prior to LASIK. This results in a more accurate eye surgery and results in a reduced chance of induced aberrations, loss of contrast sensitivity, experiencing night time glare or haloes and a greater chance of achieving 20/20 vision or even better. Due to the precision of wavefront, this allows the surgeon to customize the LASIK procedure specifically to your unique visual requirements.

Of course, there are several more other eye surgery options available to you, such as conductive keratoplasty (CK), corneal inlays/outlays and several others. But it is best to choose an option that is well known to the public, which will mean that it is also more widely practised by eye surgeons. This ultimately means that you will be able to correct your vision with laser eye surgery with minimal risk.