It's not for everyone, but many surgeons who perform Epi-LASIK consider it a better option for some patients who will probably not do very well with LASIK. These include people who have thin corneas, with not enough tissue for a good LASIK flap. And those who have professions or hobbies that increase the chance of being hit in the eye (such as soldiers, police officers, boxers, and racquet sports enthusiasts) may find Epi-LASIK safer than LASIK because there's no risk of the flap being dislodged
My son went from 20/400 to 20/15 which is phenomenal --- cost for both eyes about $4,500 at the time. Insurance doesn't cover (ours didn't anyway). Everything great for about a year then it went south. Started having vision problems. Went to contacts. Had to change contact prescriptions about every month because his eyes were changing. Couldn't hit a baseball --- Doctor Rolando Toyos performed the operation and told my son he would NEVER have any additional cost and if he needed additional eye care they would take care of. They did pay for the contacts for 6 months and then told my son he was NOT a candidate for additional surgery to correct his problem and he would have to go elsewhere --- at his own expense.
Son later retired from baseball and is back wearing contacts although his eyesight is much better than before the surgery at about 20/40 --- 20/60 but not good enough to see a fastball without contacts.
BIO on Doctor Toyos:
Rolando Toyos, M.D. received his Bachelors degree from the University of California, Berkeley and his Masters degree from Stanford University. He completed medical school at the University of Illinois, College of Medicine, where he graduated as class president and with James Scholar Academic Honors. He completed his residency in ophthalmology at Northwestern University, Medical Center and Chicago Children's Hospital. Dr. Toyos is a leading surgeon who has performed more than 10,000 LASIK procedures and was the first surgeon in the United States to perform EpiLASIK. He is widely known for his expertise. Dr. Toyos has published numerous articles and book chapters, and he lectures across the United States and abroad about advancements in refractive surgery. He may be a great doctor but he does fall short as a human being!
Fungo