What Is Laser Vision Correction?

The National Consumer Advisory Board named Dr. Neil B. Griffin one of America’s Best Physicians in 2023.

Laser Vision Correction

Laser vision correction is the name for the set of eye procedures that uses a laser to reshape your cornea in order to create clearer vision . There are three major laser vision correction treatments available in the U.S. today. Leading LASIK surgeon, Neil B. Griffin, M.D., is the first laser vision correction surgeon to offer all three options in South Carolina and the Myrtle Beach area!

  • PRK: Photorefractive keratectomy
  • LASIK: Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis
  • SMILE: Small incision lenticule extraction


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Photorefractive Keratectomy

In this procedure, the thin outer layer of the cornea is first gently removed. Then an advanced excimer laser is used to reshape the underlying cornea area . The result is a cornea that more accurately focuses light on the retina. A bandage contact lens is placed over the eye until the epithelium grows back.

• Longer recovery time with some recovery discomfort
• Similar vision results as LASIK and SMILE
• Minimal surgical risks

Laser-assisted in Situ Keratomileusis

In this procedure a precise flap is created on the surface of the cornea . Then an advanced excimer laser is used to reshape the underlying cornea area . The result is a cornea that more accurately focuses light on the retina.

Today, doctors are able to create the LASIK flap in two ways. The first is using a handheld surgical device called a microkeratome . The second is using a fast and highly precise laser called a femtosecond laser. At Griffin Eye Center we use the latest technology of the Femtosecond laser.

• Thin flap
• Short recovery time with little recovery discomfort
• Similar vision results to PRK and SMILE
• Minimal surgical risks

Small Incision Lenticule Extraction

SMILE is the latest in laser vision correction for myopia (nearsightedness), providing LASIK-like visual outcomes in a minimally invasive procedure . In this procedure, a laser is used to create a thin, contact lens-shaped layer just beneath the surface of the eye and then a small opening through which that layer is removed, correcting your vision.

• Minimally invasive
• Short recovery time with potentially the least recovery discomfort
• Similar vision results to LASIK and PRK
• Gentle, comfortable patient experience
• Minimized surgical and dry eye risk


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