SMILE
Considering SMILE Surgery?
Learn About a Safer Alternative at Park Avenue LASEK
Are you thinking about SMILE eye surgery to correct your vision? At Park Avenue LASEK, we understand the appeal of advanced laser treatments like SMILE. However, we also believe in providing you with all the information you need to make an informed decision about your vision correction options. We invite you to explore LASEK, a safer, non-cutting alternative that offers significant benefits compared to SMILE.
Understanding SMILE and LASEK: How Do They Compare?
SMILE (Small Incision Lenticule Extraction) is a newer type of laser eye surgery that involves creating a small incision in the cornea to extract a piece of tissue called a lenticule. While SMILE is less invasive than LASIK, it still involves cutting into the cornea, which may carry some risks, particularly for those with thin corneas or higher prescriptions.
LASEK (Laser-Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratectomy), on the other hand, is a non-cutting procedure. Instead of creating a flap or incision, the outermost layer of the cornea is gently loosened and the underlying tissue is reshaped using an excimer laser. This approach offers a safer, flap-free option for patients seeking vision correction, minimizing the risks associated with cutting into the cornea.
SMILE causes less dry eye that LASIK. LASEK has the least dry eye after the procedure.
Why LASEK May Be the Better Choice
No Cutting, No Flap: Unlike SMILE, LASEK does not require any incisions or flap creation, making it a less invasive procedure that preserves the integrity of your cornea.
Safer for Thin Corneas: If you have thin or irregular corneas, SMILE may not be the best choice. LASEK is ideal for patients who are not good candidates for other types of laser eye surgery due to corneal thickness.
Reduced Risk of Complications: Because LASEK does not involve cutting into the cornea, it significantly reduces the risk of complications such as flap dislocation, dry eye, or other issues related to corneal healing.
Better for Active Lifestyles: If you have an active lifestyle or participate in contact sports, LASEK is the preferred choice because it eliminates the risk of flap-related complications, providing greater long-term stability.
Your Vision, Your Choice
We understand that deciding on vision correction surgery can be challenging, especially with so many options available. At Park Avenue LASEK, our goal is to provide you with a thorough, honest assessment of your vision and help you explore all the possibilities.
SMILE is an effective procedure, but for many patients, LASEK presents a safer and more comfortable alternative, especially if you’re concerned about the risks associated with cutting into the cornea.
Book a LASEK Consultation to Explore Your Options
We offer consultations for those considering SMILE or other vision correction procedures to help you make the best decision for your eye health. During your consultation, we’ll assess your individual needs, explain the benefits of LASEK, and help you understand why it might be the better option for you.
Contact Us Today: Call us at (212) 741-8628 or fill out our online form to schedule your consultation. We accept all major medical and vision insurance plans, making it easier for you to access the care you need.
Why Choose Us
Most Experienced Eye Surgeon In The US
Dr. Chynn’s graduated from Harvard, Columbia, Emory, Dartmouth and NYU and has performed 1,000 PRKs, 5,000 LASIKs, 10,000 epiLASEKs, 15,000 LASEKs – more than any surgeon in the US.
100% Non-Cutting with No Flap Complications
LASEK is the most modern way to perform laser vision correction. Because it’s 100% non-cutting and 100% non-invasive, it’s 10x safer than LASIK. Dr. Chynn is the only surgeon in the world who has LASIK in one eye & LASEK in the other.
Medical & Vision
Insurance Accepted
Park Avenue LASEK is the only LASIK, LASEK, PRK and SMILE provider in NY, NJ, CT or PA who is authorized for all major medical insurance plans including GHI, Oxford, Cigna, BCBS, Emblem, Empire, Medicare, and Oscar (among others), as well as all major vision insurance plans, including VSP and EyeMed.
It's been two months since my epiLASEK surgery with Dr. Chynn and I'm really happy with the results: better than 20/20 vision and my close up screen vision is still perfect.I had a straightforward case of myopia (-1.5) and I can now go cycling in the rain, see how truly dirty my shower is, and I never have to shop for glasses again.I'm a software engineer so I was a little worried that improving my distance vision would come at the cost of my close up vision. But my vision when I'm staring at a screen all day has remained perfect. I was also worried about the possibility of dry eye, and only experienced it briefly for the first few weeks after the surgery.I got the comfort package so I was very relaxed during the procedure. The surgery itself is actually no big deal. I had to look at a flashing light for 10 seconds in one eye and 15 in the other. If you can follow instructions diligently, you'll get a great outcome.I'm the type of person who does extensive research before buying anything expensive. In my view, the vacuum-assisted epiLASEK surgery that Dr. Chynn offers is simply superior, and worth the extra cost. The trade off compared to regular LASIK seems to be recovery time; for me, the cost of keeping my eyes closed a few extra days during recovery is worth having the best vision I can get for many years to come.What's nice is the price transparency and I like that there are several options to help reduce the cost. You can go on the website and download the pricing form to see exactly how the cost of your surgery will be calculated. Pricing feels very fair, unlike most LASIK places.I admire that Dr. Chynn does things his own way and is focused on the very best outcomes for patients. I feel fortunate to have found Park Avenue LASEK. In particular, I appreciate the clear and detailed aftercare instructions, cautious follow-up exams, and systematic regimens to minimize side effects like MGD.Dr. D., Constantin, and Britney have been handling my follow up appointments and they have been great. It's been really satisfying to see my vision improve with every visit. 10/10
M P.
19:27 20 Jul 26
He is a nice guy and helped me out a lot:)
William C.
20:43 17 Jul 26
Dr Chynn was very nice and helped me out for free
Sadik D.
18:30 14 Jul 26
Amazing staff and Dr Chynn is the most experienced eye doctor when it comes to LASEK, I suggest everyone going to see him for the free consultation.
David R.
16:07 14 Jul 26
I had astigmatism and Dr. Chynn and his friendly staff helped reassure me that everything worked out great. I'm seeing better than with glasses.
nathan d
02:11 09 Jul 26
I had an extreme prescription before getting LASEK surgery and it improved not even a week after surgery. LASEK is a safer, no cutting. No dry eyes, no halos, no night glare. You should choose Dr Chynn and Park Avenue Lasek for your laser eye surgery
MARY M.
19:15 01 Jul 26
Very professional staff and very clean office. I’m so happy with the results of my surgery. I can read!!!! I highly recommend Dr. Chynn
dayan S.
17:24 24 Jun 26
I had an extreme prescription, unable to receive LASIK treatment. Dr. Chynn was the only doctor in the tri-state area able to treat my type of condition.
Gisellys A.
16:04 24 Jun 26
Great place! I came in for a free LASEK consultation today and they did a great job. They measured my vision and checked the thickness of my cornea to check for any underlying issues. Highly recommend
Sahil M.
17:59 15 Jun 26
Helpful experience and had amazing advice 10/10
Stanley R.
21:44 10 Jun 26
I have nystagmus and no other doctor could help me. Dr Chynn helped me. my vision is so much better after getting Lasek without glasses or contacts. very happy, highly recommend
Mirlinda M.
18:31 04 Jun 26
Zohaib F.
22:24 03 Jun 26
Really nice friendly understanding not complicatedWent everywhere to try to get diagnose he was the only one that could doNow I know ! Appreciate it
Ambrosia
17:59 03 Jun 26
Thanks for the topographic scan
Noreen A.
21:26 12 May 26
I decided to leave a review because I saw a few people saying "fake 5 stars reviews" and I am too grateful to let that slide. I had my surgery 11 years ago, June or July of 2015. I still have great vision and no complaints about surgery. This surgery was the best decision I've ever made.
Vielka J.
13:57 11 May 26
jacee j
15:30 07 May 26
I appreciated getting an orb scan and looking at options for someone with thin corneas.
Timothy M.
18:22 06 May 26
Great place wonderful experience
Derrell B.
14:34 05 May 26
Excited for my consult today for noncutting lasek since they said i have thin corneas at another center. I appreciate them being thorough and giving me a complimentary orbscan
Sahil K.
18:07 22 Apr 26
Nancy P
21:18 09 Apr 26
Dr. Chynn is truly exceptional—brilliant, precise, and an absolute expert in his field. From start to finish, the entire process was seamless, professional, and thoughtfully handled.I chose him for his deep experience with Asian eyes, and his expertise is undeniable. He understands the nuance and delivers results that feel both natural and highly refined.The non-cutting approach made the procedure far less intimidating, and recovery has been incredibly manageable. I’m beyond happy with my decision—he is genuinely one of the best at what he does!
Sara S.
16:04 09 Apr 26
The service was excellent and the staff made everything easy and comfortable. Highly recommend! Had my Orbscan done here
Diet Q.
17:23 30 Mar 26
Dr. Emil Chynn is a very nice Dr and treated me with upmost respect
Juan R.
04:31 25 Mar 26
Made me feel comfortable & explained the whole procedure. Highly recommended.
Morris B.
01:54 25 Mar 26
He's a nice guy
Jerron W.
19:01 24 Mar 26
Dr Chynn was very kind to me😃👍
Danny
17:01 24 Mar 26
Dr Chynn was very kind and gave me some free new things that were his mom's when she died:)
Veronica A.
21:09 23 Mar 26
I went for a LASIK consultation at Diamond Vision but was diagnosed with Keratoconus. They didn’t bother referring me to a cornea surgeon; they just said it wasn’t safe to do LASIKI googled & found that Dr Chynn is the only surgeon adding LASEK to CXL, so I’d see better afterwards, instead of only “not worse”He accepted my insurance for the CXL & I had to pay a few thousand dollars for his special noncutting LASEK procedure. But I thought it was worth that to see betterNow 2 months after my surgery, I’m seeing even better than I was in glasses or contacts!Anyone who has KC & needs CXL, or anyone who can’t get LASIK should see Dr Chynn. So you can meet your desire to see BETTER, instead of just “not worse”
Keren A.
17:39 10 Feb 26
I had very bad vision and now can see fantastic 🤗I had a high prescription (-11) and a retinal tear, and Dr. Chynn took great care of me. Highly recommend LASEK Park Ave.
Nataliya L.
23:29 23 Jan 26
i had an extreme Rx of -12! so i was past LASIK parameters. my dad did a lot of research so figired out that i COULD get the non-cutting LASEK. i’m now 2 months out & legal to drive day or night. before my LASEK without my glasses, i could only see shapes, i wouldn’t even be able to see the big E. so anyone who was told that they can’t get LASIK should see if they might be able to get LASEK!;)
Nick F.
23:13 10 Dec 25
Dr. Chynn is excellent. I’ve been wearing reading glasses for awhile and now I’ll never need to wear them again. I’ll refer all my children, family and friends. Safest center in NYC!
Keral K.
22:15 10 Dec 25
I’m so happy that I discovered this place ! I got rid of my reading glasses which I didn’t know was possible. I’ll never need to wear reading glasses again. This was safe and not painful. I’d recommend it to any of my friends and family. Thank you DrChynn!
Curry P.
21:58 10 Dec 25
I’m in ortho-k lenses because that’s common in China so I came here for new ones. I lost a lens so they gave me a replacement soft lens for free. Eventually I’ll just get LASEK & forget about those lenses forever
Zhang Y.
20:22 10 Dec 25
Dr Chynn is clearly a very brilliant surgeon with a deep understanding of his field. I've struggled with redness in both eyes for many years, but one in particular has caused me more issues. Constantly gets inflamed at many different times every day, and when very red can be quite embarrassing. Dr Chynn seemed to be the only surgeon able to safely address red veins on the conjunctiva. I only had one area treated, I wasn't looking for perfection, only improvement, and it has definitely improved. Procedure is relatively quick - less than 30 minutes maybe - and didn't hurt due to the numbing drops. Would definitely recommend Dr Chynn if this problem really bothers you.
Rob
03:12 12 Nov 25
Dr Chynn is the best, he is most experienced and knowledgeable person, I ever meet. He is a wonderful person to work with.
Jignesh K.
21:35 03 Nov 25
So, I'm going to make this a comprehensive review so everyone knows what they're walking into. Firstly, without a doubt if you are choosing park avenue lasek you are doing so because you have an opportunity to work with the world's best eye surgeon. Dr Chynns credentials speak for themselves, let alone the fact his innovations mean in the 21st century we have access to an eye surgery procedure (LASEK) that covers any concern anyone might have had about traditional lasik, or the arduous healing time of regular prk.I had my lasek procedure a month and a week ago. My left eye is doing great, and my right needs some further correction. Is this a problem? No. I get free corrections for a whole year. The post-op care is beyond belief, any time and day of the week, I have a question or concern I've been answered by Dr Chynn or the sweet and amazing Dr D. Dr Chynn, figured out on my post op follow up yesterday I needed cautery as my eyes were losing tears (puncta was too large) - leading to very dry eyes. He did my right eye totally free of charge, and for the first time in years I woke up with a normal feeling right eye.Is it scary if your eye isn't perfectly corrected first time round? Yes. But, the service here covers that, and I know I'm going with the best procedure possible on the market in 2025. There are some concerns in negative reviews about how Dr chynn treats his staff. I'll just say that no doubt Dr Chynn is a total taskmaster and is meticulous about how his office is run. And is definitely wry and exacting in character, But, if you want to trust someone with your eyes, wouldn't you want to have someone be totally on top of their shit?All the staff in the office are lovely, Dr D is the yin to Dr Chynns yang, and divine has been the sweetest person to correspond with at the front desk.Looking forward to my final correction next month and thanks to the whole team for their care!BestGeorge
George W.
15:04 31 Oct 25
Still 20/20 17 years later! Just had my annual check-up…amazing!!Dr. Chynn is the best!
marlene L.
11:26 30 Oct 25
I am a physician and was looking into getting LASEK as I was previously told my corneas are too thin for LASIK. I found Dr. Chynn from a google search. He sees you personally for the initial consult, which is not something every practice does. The procedure itself was not as scary as I imagined it to be, and was over quickly. The cost was also cheaper than I thought, and you can finance it with CareCredit.I’m about 1 month out, and I have 20/15 vision, which is better than I was seeing in glasses/contacts. Initially had some dry eyes but that has mostly gone away, which is a side effect that is notably more prominent in LASIK. Would highly recommend this practice and this procedure!
Eric Z.
11:37 29 Oct 25
Dr.Emil William Chynn the best eye Lasek surgeon!He’s work life changing!Done the surgery and my life changed completely!I felt no pain and surgery was very quick and easy!Highly recommended for everyone Park Avenue Lasek!Because i had astigmatism and high precipitation and had big scar on right eye after herpetic ceratit disease none of the other eye surgeons was able to cure my poor eyesight!They been telling me that with this eye conditions it’s impossible to do laser surgery on my eyes until i found Dr. Emil Chynn and park avenue lasek!Highly recommended for everyone!!!Dr.Emil Chynn the best Laser surgeon in NYC!Thanks for making my life brighter Dr.Chynn and park avenue lasek team!
Iftikhor A.
19:59 22 Oct 25
Great experience with none cutting lasek. No dry eyes and I am seeing 20/20 now after 2 months post-op. Was recommended by my aunt who came 20 years ago, would still recommend for others!!
Jenna G.
16:21 15 Oct 25
Jared Z.
20:04 14 Oct 25
Dr. Chynn performed my eye surgery over a decade ago, and it went perfectly. Even 10 years later, when I reached out with a few questions, he was incredibly responsive—answering me on WhatsApp while traveling abroad for his birthday! Truly outstanding customer service and an exceptional surgeon.
Eva B.
22:40 06 Oct 25
Park Avenue LASEK is such an amazing place. I had severe dry eyes and an astigmatism. But Dr. Chynn changed all of that for me, he’s indeed a miracle worker! Thank you so much PAL Staff.
Brian R.
21:46 16 Sep 25
My entire experience at Park Ave LASEK with Dr Chynn and his team had been amazing. If - like me - you know you want to ditch your glasses/contacts but you’re nervous and stalling (I kept “needing to do more research”…), do yourself a favor and just pop into the Park Ave LASEK office. Hands-down one of the best things I’ve done for myself.What to expect: Dr Chynn is THE guy to go to for LASEK. Not only an amazing and knowledgeable doctor, but also incredibly thorough and kind.The team is AMAZING. My initial consultation with Tarek, the office manager, totally put me at ease. Divine, Brittany, Constantine, and Marissa are all so incredibly patient and friendly. And Dr Dovzhuk was amazing and so kind on the day of my LASEK. They really do treat you like family.Good to know before you go: if you’re not a WhatsApp user like me, download and familiarize yourself with it. It’s the offices’s primary form of communion.
Roger
17:28 16 Sep 25
Hello I came to the noncutting lasek office today they took care of me all the staff was amazing especially Britney & Marissa. They walked me through everything and answer all my questions about testing and recovery. I’m excited to learn more about laser vision correction and get rid of my glasses!
Mariama B.
14:42 16 Sep 25
Excelente atención fueron muy amables y su información muy acertada a la hora de recomendar lo mejor para el paciente
Darwin M.
21:16 12 Sep 25
Get Directions to Park Avenue LASEK
102 E 25th St, New York, NY 10010