Epi-LASEK

Epi-LASEK is the most modern and safest form of laser vision correction available on the planet today. Dr Chynn has performed more epi-LASEKs than any other surgeon in the world, because he helped perfect this procedure over the past decade.

Dr Chynn has performed thousands of procedures of every type available, so please don’t think he’s saying epi-LASEK is superior because he’s trying to “sell” it. It’s because he chose this one as best. Here’s why in his own words:

“I performed about 1,000 PRKs from 1997-2000. It’s a barbaric procedure where the surgeon manually scrapes away the epithelium, which causes extraordinary pain, delayed healing, & an unacceptable risk of scarring which would cause visual loss. So if any surgeon offers you PRK today, you should shut your mouth & run the other way”

“I performed about 5,000 LASIKs from 1997-2004 & got LASIK in my left eye in 1999, which means I was the 1st eye surgeon in NY NJ or CT to get LASIK myself. Unfortunately because LASIK requires a cornea flap to be cut, most of the corneal nerves are permanently killed, which causes permanent mild dryness in 90% of LASIK patients & permanent severe dryness in 1-3% of patients. The cornea flap also never heals so your cornea will be in 2 pieces forever, which causes mild night vision problems in 90% of LASIK patients, & severe night vision problems in 1-2% of LASIK patients. Every LASIK patient if hit in the eye for the rest of their life has the risk of the flap being torn off & never seeing well in that eye. The problem is we’ve been trying for 30 years & don’t have any test to show who will get severe night glare or dry eyes, or we’d just perform a non-cutting procedure in those people, & cut the rest for a faster recovery. After I got moderate dry eyes & severe night glare myself after my own LASIK, and unfortunately causing the same problems in 50-100 patients over 7 years, I decided that I could not ethically continue to perform LASIK, so I stopped performing cutting surgery in 2004”

“I’ve performed over 15,000 LASEKs from 2004 until today. LASEK was invented at Harvard by 2 of my colleagues when I was there, & we published a paper together in 1997. It’s much less painful & has a much faster recovery than PRK (which takes 2-4 weeks to heal; LASEK takes about 5 days). It’s also much safer than LASIK & doesn’t cause permanent dry eyes or night glare. So LASEK provides the advantages of these 2 procedures. I’ve performed more LASEKs than any other surgeon in the USA”

“I’ve also performed almost 10,000 epi-LASEKs. This is a procedure I helped invent & popularize. So much so that I’m the one who helped get it renamed epi-LASEK instead of epi-LASIK, because it’s closer to LASEK than LASIK. This procedure uses an epi-keratome & suction ring so alcohol isn’t needed to delaminate the epithelium from the underlying cornea. Therefore the healing is even faster than LASEK—about 3 days. I also published a paper back in 2010 showing healing is faster if you don’t replace the epithelium. I’ve performed the most epi-LASEKs of any surgeon in the USA. In 2020, I performed epi-LASEK myself on my right dominant eye, to prove it’s so safe I could do that, as it’d be impossible to cut a LASIK flap in myself. This procedure is the safest, most modern one available today. How can you trust me? Because I chose it for myself!”