It's important to note that LASEK eye surgery, like LASIK, employs an excimer laser to ablate or burn off the cornea beneath the epithelium. LASEK eye surgery has an advantage when your eye surgeon uses LASIK Wavefront or eye-mapping lasers and spot-tracking lasers (.8 to 2 mm diameter) that can better treat astigmatism. Wavefront guided lasers, in particular, give a more detailed picture of your corneal problems than traditional refractive surgery.
While eye-mapping lasers improve LASIK results overall, if you have thin corneas, your LASEK eye surgeon will work with all 250 microns of cornea underneath the epithelium, giving you, with your thin corneas, better results than you might have achieved with LASIK, especially if you have monovision and you're opposed to a microkeratome laser. However, thin corneas may be an issue because Wavefront mapping may reveal the need to remove more tissue than is safe for LASIK treatment. Consult your surgeon, especially if your surgeon has recommended LASEK eye surgery over LASIK. Both of you need to agree on what procedure is best in your case. Don't overlook the value of the surgeon's experience.
Dr. Massimo Lombardi and his highly qualified staff are at the cutting edge in this field. Schedule an appointment for a consultation at the Lombardi Eye Clinic in Rome, Italy, by sending in the request form provided.