Laser Eye Surgery Forum

Can I have laser eye surgery if I have thin corneas?

This depends on how thin your corneas are and how high your prescription is. You may be recommended to have Lasek rather than Lasik as it is possible to perform Lasek on thinner corneas. Higher prescriptions require you to have thicker corneas.

I was told I had thin corneas when I went for my laser eye surgery so i ended up having lasek which although was a bit more painful i still ended up with 20:20 vision so im really happy!

A more up to date form of surgery called Trans-Epi or Trans-Epithelial LASIK is now available for patients with thin corneas. It is an 'all laser' procedure avoiding the need to use alcohol on the eyes. The laser smoothes the surface of the eye first and then applies the prescription. Recovering is quicker than LASEK.

Trans-epithelial Lasik is a misnomer. It is a Lasek (surface) technique. It may allow slightly thinner corneas to be treated than standard Lasek but the difference is debatable. Unlike standard Lasek, a laser is used to burn off the top(epithelial) layer rather than soften with alcohol and scrape/lift.