What types of vision correction are there?

Dr. Victor Derhartunian reports which laser eye surgery methods are available

We distinguish between several types of vision correction. The most common methods are laser eye surgery. We also distinguish between three large groups:

Surface treatments

One group is LASEK-PRK. This is a so-called surface treatment, where the laser is applied directly to the corneal surface.

Treatments with incision

Then we also differentiate between treatments with an incision, where we first make a small incision in the cornea, a small lenticule is opened up, the visual defect is corrected directly in the cornea and finally it is folded back. This is known as LASIK or Femto-LASIK. Femto-LASIK is a further development of mechanical LASIK.

Treatment without flap

The third group is ReLEx-Smile. This is a new method. It has been on the market since around 2011 and involves using a femtosecond laser to cut a lenticule out of the cornea without creating a flap.