Which procedure is suitable for contact sports?
Contact sports are one of the situations where a surgeon may steer away from a flap procedure, because a flap can in principle be displaced by trauma even years later. Flap-free options are often discussed instead.
- Subject
- Vision correction
- Topic
- Comparing procedures
- Kind of question
- Which option…
- Procedures
- SMILE, PRK, LASIK
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
Balanced against that, recovery and comfort usually favour the flap procedure. Which way the balance falls depends on how much you play, at what level, and what your cornea looks like.
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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
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- Comparison LASIK vs SMILE
- Comparison LASIK vs PRK
- Comparison SMILE vs PRK
- Comparison SMILE Pro vs LASIK
- Non-surgical option Contact lenses
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.
- 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