ABSTRACT
The current state of the art of excimer laser vision correction encompasses three basic types of surgical procedures: photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), laser in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK), and laser epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK). Given the recently acquired ability to extract detailed optical aberration information from ocular and corneal topography wavefronts, interest has turned to how these three procedures compare in terms of their average optical performance. Does the LASEK procedure generate fewer aberrations than PRK or LASIK, or does it produce a similar outcome? Although all three procedures use excimer laser ablation to reshape the cornea, the methods differ in complexity and in the complications that may arise during and after surgery. Some of these complications directly affect optical aberrations and visual performance.
