What is the difference between PRK and LASIK?
PRK removes the cornea’s outer layer and lets it regrow, while LASIK lifts a flap and replaces it. PRK involves no flap but a slower, more uncomfortable first few days.
- Subject
- Vision correction
- Topic
- Comparing procedures
- Kind of question
- What is…
- Procedures
- PRK, LASIK
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
The clinical reasons to prefer one over the other usually relate to corneal thickness, corneal surface health and the risk of eye trauma in your occupation or sport. Comfort and speed favour LASIK; the absence of a flap favours PRK in some situations.
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Vision correction & laser eye surgery in Comparing procedures . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- Procedure LASIK
- Procedure Femto LASIK
- Comparison LASIK vs SMILE
- Comparison LASIK vs PRK
- Place LASIK in Dubai
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- Comparison of clinical outcomes of LASIK, Trans-PRK, and SMILE
A comparative study of three commonly used refractive procedures, including a summary of proposed advantages of each.
Used for The procedure comparison page, particularly the PRK discussion.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)
The equivalent clinical reference chapter for LASIK, used so that comparisons describe both procedures symmetrically.
Used for How LASIK creates and manages a corneal flap; LASIK complication categories.
Link checked 22 September 2026