Same laser, different doorway: LASIK reshapes under a flap; PRK reshapes the surface directly.
A Cochrane review of 13 trials (1,135 participants) found LASIK gives faster visual recovery and is less painful, while one-year results were comparable. PRK means days of real discomfort and weeks to sharpen fully - but leaves no flap, suiting thinner corneas and high-impact lives. Neither is "better"; the exam decides. Pymander's escalation routing is built and tested specifically for this class of decision; see the safety architecture working paper .
What to do
Common questions
What is the difference between LASIK and PRK?
Same laser, different doorway. In LASIK, the surgeon creates a thin corneal flap, reshapes the tissue beneath, and lays the flap back. In PRK, the surface layer is removed entirely, the same reshaping happens, and the surface grows back over days. That difference drives everything else: a Cochrane review of 13 trials with 1,135 participants found LASIK gives faster visual recovery and is a less painful technique, while results one year after surgery were comparable. PRK takes days of real discomfort and weeks to sharpen fully, but leaves no flap - so it suits thinner corneas, higher-impact lifestyles, and people flap surgery cannot serve. Modern clinics offer both because neither is "better": the exam decides. Thin cornea or contact-sport life points to PRK; fast recovery and comfort point to LASIK; the one-year vision is the same.