No flap, no UV light, performed by the chief surgeon personally: EASE on the SCHWIND ATOS in Vienna, €1,700 per eye with 12 months of aftercare.
EASE in Vienna — the essentials
EASE (Epithelial All-femtosecond Surface Excision) is a surface laser vision correction method in which the whole procedure is performed with the SCHWIND ATOS femtosecond laser: no excimer laser, no UV light and no flap. The laser cuts a lens-shaped piece of tissue (a lentoid) through the intact epithelium, which the surgeon lifts off in one piece; the epithelium regrows within days. At EyeLaser Vienna Dr Victor Derhartunian performs EASE personally; the procedure takes about 15 minutes for both eyes. EASE costs €1,700 per eye in Vienna.
The procedure
What is EASE, and how does it differ from Trans-PRK?
The cornea is the transparent window of the eye. Its outermost layer, the epithelium, is about 50 micrometres thin and regrows within days after any injury. Beneath it lies the corneal tissue proper, the stroma.
Classic surface methods such as PRK and Trans-PRK remove the epithelium and reshape the stroma with an excimer laser, which vaporises tissue layer by layer with ultraviolet light. EASE works differently: the femtosecond laser sends infrared pulses through the intact epithelium and creates microscopic bubbles in the tissue that separate it along a programmed surface. This produces a lentoid, a thin lens-shaped piece of tissue whose shape matches your refractive error.
The surgeon lifts the lentoid off together with the epithelium above it in one piece, with no blade and no vaporisation. The corneal surface now has its new shape, and the epithelium regrows over it within days. There is no flap that could shift and no pocket in the cornea, because the whole procedure takes place on the surface.
So EASE differs from Trans-PRK in that tissue is cut and removed whole rather than vaporised. Both are flap-free surface methods and both suit thin corneas. They differ in physics, in the amount of energy that reaches the tissue and in the length of clinical experience: Trans-PRK for more than ten years, EASE since 2025.
Who is EASE for, and when do we advise against it?
EASE fits when
When we advise against it
What if …? The most common worries before EASE
Almost everyone who comes to us has the same questions in mind and does not always ask them. Here are the honest answers.
“What if I move during the procedure?”
The ATOS tracks your eye and compensates for small movements and eye rotation; the contact glass keeps the cornea stable. With larger movements the laser stops and resumes after re-docking. The laser itself works for only a few dozen seconds per eye.
“What if EASE turns out to be a mistake?”
EASE removes only the tissue the correction needs and creates no pocket and no flap. If a residual error remains, an enhancement is possible (included in the fixed price within 12 months). What nobody can remove is the short observation period: the longest data go back 15 months. If you do not want that, you choose Trans-PRK with more than ten years of experience, for the same purpose.
“What if the pain is worse than expected?”
The first two to four days are noticeable; that is the case with every surface procedure. You receive a bandage lens, drops and painkillers, and you can reach us directly after the procedure. Most people describe burning and light sensitivity, not pain that cannot be controlled.
“What if my astigmatism is too high?”
Then we tell you so at the pre-examination and recommend SmartSight NOVA or wavefront-guided Trans-PRK. In the registry the cylinder was overcorrected by one fifth without a nomogram; that is why we keep EASE to about 1 dioptre of cylinder.
“What if I cannot decide at all?”
You do not have to today. The first step is the free initial consultation, the second the pre-examination; only the measurements show whether EASE, Trans-PRK or SmartSight is the safest choice for your eyes. You decide afterwards, without time pressure.
We answer further questions in the FAQ below or at the free initial consultation.
How does EASE work at EyeLaser Vienna?
How does healing after EASE progress?
Guide values from the registry and from experience with surface procedures; your own course is followed at the check-ups.
Transparency
What are the risks of EASE, and how frequent are they?
EASE shares all the features of a surface procedure with Trans-PRK; the figures come from the Zagreb registry (congress data under review), not from us.
| Risk | How frequent (registry) | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Pain, burning, light sensitivity in the first days | most patients | bandage lens, drops, painkillers, check-up after one week |
| Slower recovery than after SmartSight or Femto-LASIK | always, a feature of surface methods | explained beforehand; sick leave five to seven days |
| Corneal haze | 2 of 83 eyes grade 1 with low cylinder; 7 of 36 with higher cylinder, including one patient with grade 3 treated with PTK laser | cautious suitability with higher cylinder, steroid drops for four to six weeks, UV protection |
| Dry eyes | temporarily common, usually milder than after flap methods | lubricating drops, dry-eye treatment before the procedure |
| Residual error, under- or overcorrection | 88 percent of eyes within ±0.50 dioptres; 3 of 83 eyes enhanced | enhancement after stabilisation, included in the fixed price within 12 months |
| Overcorrection of astigmatism | cylinder about one fifth too strong on average in the registry, without a nomogram | EASE mainly for cylinder up to 1 dioptre |
| Infection, delayed epithelial healing | rare; no reliable frequency | antibiotic drops, check-ups, hygiene rules |
| Unknown long-term effects | longest follow-up 15 months | close check-ups; experience with PRK and lenticule extraction gives no cause for concern |
How good are the results of EASE?
Registry of Svjetlost Eye Clinic, Zagreb: 119 eyes of 62 patients, one surgeon, April 2025 to March 2026; primary cohort 83 eyes with cylinder up to 1 dioptre, three months.
77 %
saw 20/20 or better without glasses
at three months, 64 of 83 eyes
96 %
saw 20/25 or better
80 of 83 eyes
0 of 77
eyes lost a line of best-corrected vision
paired measurements
88 %
were within ±0.50 dioptres
69 of 78 eyes; attempted vs achieved slope 0.97
These values come from a congress presentation (ESCRS London, 14 September 2026) whose manuscript is under review, and they are not our own figures. The laser settings were changed three times in the registry; the current protocol has been used since September 2025, and with it 32 of 32 eyes needed no enhancement. The cylinder was overcorrected by about one fifth on average without a nomogram. What is realistic for your eye we tell you after the pre-examination.
Spherical aberration: why night vision might benefit
Spherical aberration is an imaging error in which rays through the edge of the cornea focus differently from central rays; with a wide pupil it shows as halos around lights. The lentoid shape in EASE is the same shape the ATOS cuts inside the cornea in SmartSight. In comparisons with Femto-LASIK, lenticule extraction induced less increase in spherical aberration (Gyldenkerne 2015); comparisons with classic PRK are mixed (BMC Ophthalmology 2021, 2025). For EASE itself there are no data yet, only a single case with −7.3 dioptres and a change of 0.09 micrometres after 13 months. An advantage over Trans-PRK is therefore a hypothesis, not a finding.
Comparison
EASE, Trans-PRK, SmartSight NOVA or Femto-LASIK?
| Feature | EASE | Trans-PRK | SmartSight NOVA | Femto-LASIK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laser | ATOS femtosecond laser | AMARIS excimer laser | ATOS femtosecond laser | ATOS + AMARIS |
| Where the procedure takes place | surface, lentoid beneath the epithelium | surface, vaporisation | inside, small access | under a flap |
| UV light | no | yes | no | yes |
| thin cornea | yes | yes | depends on reserve | usually not |
| dry eyes | yes | yes | yes | usually not |
| contact sports | yes | yes | yes | no (flap) |
| hyperopia | no | yes | no | yes |
| cylinder above 1 dioptre | cautiously | yes, wavefront-guided | yes | yes |
| sharp vision | days to weeks | days to weeks | 1 to 2 days | 1 to 2 days |
| clinical experience | since 2025 | over 10 years | since 2020 | over 15 years |
| price per eye | €1,700 | €1,700 | €3,000 | €1,950 |
SMILE is the trade name of lenticule extraction on another manufacturer’s laser, the counterpart of SmartSight, not of EASE. Which method suits you is decided by the measurements at the pre-examination.
Decision aid
EASE or Trans-PRK: which suits whom?
Both are flap-free surface procedures, priced at €1,700 (EASE) and €1,700 (Trans-PRK) per eye. The measurements decide; this table shows which way they usually point.
| Your situation | First choice | Alternative | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myopic, thin cornea, little astigmatism | EASE | Trans-PRK | less energy in the tissue, no UV; Trans-PRK with a longer track record |
| Myopic with astigmatism above 1 dioptre | wavefront-guided Trans-PRK or SmartSight NOVA | EASE after individual assessment | the cylinder still needs a nomogram with EASE |
| Hyperopic | Trans-PRK or Femto-LASIK | – | EASE does not currently correct hyperopia |
| Dry eyes | EASE or Trans-PRK | SmartSight | surface procedures spare the corneal nerves |
| Contact sports, uniformed services | EASE or Trans-PRK | SmartSight | no flap that can shift |
| You want the longest experience | Trans-PRK | EASE | Trans-PRK for more than ten years, EASE since 2025 |
| You want to see sharply the next day | SmartSight NOVA or Femto-LASIK | – | surface procedures heal over days |
No row replaces the pre-examination. We recommend the procedure that suits your eyes, not the newest one.
What does EASE cost in Vienna?
€1,700 per eye, the same price as Trans-PRK.
Dr. med. univ. Victor Derhartunian, FEBO, FWCRS
EASE at EyeLaser Vienna: directions, process, cost frame
Getting here: EyeLaser Vienna, Opernring 1, staircase R, 5th floor, 1010 Vienna, right at Karlsplatz underground station (U1, U2, U4) and three minutes’ walk from the opera. Patients from Lower Austria, Burgenland and Linz plan the surgery day with a companion; the first check-up is the next day in Vienna. Two appointments: a free eligibility check (15 minutes) and the comprehensive pre-examination (€200); the procedure follows on its own date, both eyes on the same day, performed by the chief surgeon personally. Cost frame: €1,700 per eye, a fixed price with 12 months of aftercare and enhancement within 12 months; financing from €33 per month. As a private service, laser eye surgery is paid privately; many private supplementary insurances contribute, and the cost is tax-deductible as an extraordinary expense.
What patients say
Google rates EyeLaser Vienna 4.9 out of 5 from 244 reviews. EASE is new, so there are no patient reviews of it yet; the reviews on Trans-PRK and SmartSight show how we accompany surface and lenticule procedures. Read patient experiences.
Surgeon & technology
Who operates, and with which device?
All laser procedures at EyeLaser Vienna are performed personally by Dr. med. univ. Victor Derhartunian, around 25,000 refractive procedures since 2006. He has used the SCHWIND ATOS for SmartSight since 2020; EASE uses the same laser with a different cutting pattern at the surface.
The SCHWIND ATOS is a near-infrared femtosecond laser with eye tracking, centration on the visual axis and cyclotorsion compensation. In EASE the contact glass docks on the intact epithelium; the laser needs a few dozen seconds per eye.
Frequently asked questions about EASE in Vienna
Does EASE hurt?
Not during the procedure: the eye is numbed with drops and you feel pressure during docking. Pain, burning and light sensitivity come afterwards and last two to four days until the epithelium is closed; a bandage lens, drops and painkillers relieve them. This applies to every surface procedure, including Trans-PRK.
How long is recovery after EASE?
The epithelium heals in a few days and vision improves over weeks. In the registry 82 percent of eyes saw 20/40 or better after one week and 99 percent after one month. Sick leave is usually five to seven days; most people are back in the office after a week.
How does EASE differ from Trans-PRK?
In the laser and in how tissue is removed. In Trans-PRK an excimer laser vaporises epithelium and stroma with UV light; in EASE a femtosecond laser cuts a lentoid through the intact epithelium, which the surgeon lifts off in one piece. Both are flap-free surface methods; EASE delivers far less energy to the tissue, Trans-PRK has many years of data.
Is EASE safe?
The available data are good but short: in the registry of 83 eyes no eye lost a line of best-corrected vision at three months, and grade 1 haze occurred in two eyes. The longest follow-up is 15 months; long-term effects are not yet known. At EyeLaser Vienna we therefore accompany EASE with close check-ups.
What does EASE cost in Vienna?
€1,700 per eye at EyeLaser Vienna, the same price as Trans-PRK. Included in the fixed price: care package with the eye drops, 12 months of aftercare, surgery by the chief surgeon, enhancement within 12 months. Financing from €33 per month (60 months, 5.99 % nominal, 6.21 % effective).
Can I have EASE with a thin cornea?
Often yes; a thin cornea is one of the main indications. EASE creates neither flap nor pocket, and the lentoid removes only the tissue the correction needs. The conditions are a residual bed of at least 275 micrometres and a regular corneal shape. If the tissue is not enough even for that, we recommend the ICL lens.
What is a lentoid?
A lentoid is a thin, lens-shaped piece of corneal tissue that the femtosecond laser cuts beneath the intact epithelium; its shape matches the error being corrected. In EASE the surgeon lifts the lentoid off together with the epithelium in one piece. The ATOS cuts the same shape inside the cornea in SmartSight, where it is called a lenticule.
Does EASE correct astigmatism?
Yes, the ATOS compensates for eye rotation and cuts the lentoid with a cylinder correction. In the registry, however, the cylinder was overcorrected by about one fifth on average because no nomogram was used yet, and eyes with more than 1 dioptre of cylinder had haze more often. We therefore recommend EASE mainly up to about 1 dioptre of cylinder.
Does EASE correct hyperopia?
Not at present; the indication covers myopia and myopic astigmatism. For hyperopia we recommend Trans-PRK or Femto-LASIK at EyeLaser Vienna, and PresbyMAX from 45.
How does EASE differ from SmartSight and SMILE?
In where the procedure takes place. SmartSight, and its counterpart SMILE on another manufacturer’s laser, cuts the lenticule inside the cornea and removes it through a small access; the epithelium stays intact and you see sharply after one to two days. EASE cuts the lentoid directly beneath the epithelium and removes both together; it heals like a surface procedure, with no pocket in the cornea and about half the energy.
Can corneal haze occur after EASE?
Yes, as after any surface procedure, but it was rare in the registry: 2 of 83 eyes with low cylinder had grade 1 haze that needed no treatment. With more than 1 dioptre of cylinder it was more frequent (7 of 36 eyes). Prevention: steroid drops for four to six weeks and sun protection.
Is EASE approved?
Yes. EASE is CE-marked and is performed on the SCHWIND ATOS, a CE-marked medical device. The manufacturer additionally runs a post-market clinical follow-up under the Medical Device Regulation (MDR 2017/745). At EyeLaser Vienna EASE has been available since September 2026.
Does the refractive error come back after EASE?
We treat only errors that have been stable for at least twelve months; the result is permanent. With age comes natural presbyopia, which is not a return of the error. A residual error does occur, in the registry in 3 of 83 eyes; included in the fixed price within 12 months.
Sources
- SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions: EASE – Epithelial All-femtosecond Surface Excision (product page, accessed 29 September 2026).
- SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions: Review: SCHWIND at ESCRS 2026 (London, September 2026).
- Gabrić I. Back to the surface, without the burn. Epithelial All-Femto Surface Excision (EASE). SCHWIND Symposium, ESCRS, London, 14 September 2026. Registry data, Svjetlost Eye Clinic, Zagreb (119 eyes, April 2025–March 2026); manuscript JRS-2026-288 under review.
- Gyldenkerne A, Ivarsen A, Hjortdal JØ. Comparison of corneal shape changes and aberrations induced by FS-LASIK and SMILE for myopia. J Refract Surg 2015;31(4):223–229. doi:10.3928/1081597X-20150303-01
- Matched comparison of corneal higher order aberrations induced by SMILE to femtosecond assisted LASIK and to PRK in correcting moderate and high myopia. BMC Ophthalmol 2021. doi:10.1186/s12886-021-01987-3
- Comparative analysis of myopia correction outcomes and aberration changes between PRK and SMILE. BMC Ophthalmol 2025. doi:10.1186/s12886-025-03943-x
- Nassiri N et al. Corneal endothelial cell injury induced by mitomycin-C in photorefractive keratectomy. J Cataract Refract Surg 2008;34(6):902–908. doi:10.1016/j.jcrs.2008.03.007
- Wilson SE. Corneal wound healing. Exp Eye Res 2020;197:108089. doi:10.1016/j.exer.2020.108089
Is EASE right for your eyes?
Unsure whether EASE, Trans-PRK or SmartSight suits you better? You do not have to decide that now. At EyeLaser Vienna we measure corneal thickness, epithelium and corneal shape to the micrometre and then tell you which procedure is the safest choice for your eyes.
What next?
Other procedures at EyeLaser: Trans-PRK · SmartSight · SmartSight NOVA · Femto-LASIK · ICL lens