LASIK vs PRK vs SMILE vs ICL Guide
This free PDF is a simple planning tool for people comparing vision-correction procedures in the US. It gives general, educational information so you can ask better questions at a consultation, not decide your treatment on your own.
What this free guide is
Our downloadable procedure-comparison guide is a side-by-side worksheet for LASIK, PRK, SMILE, and ICL. It is made to help you understand the big differences before you meet a licensed eye surgeon.
Sightlume is not an eye clinic or medical provider. We do not do exams, diagnose eye conditions, or tell you which surgery to choose. We are a free matching service that helps people find licensed ophthalmologists for consultations near them. If you want help finding a surgeon, you can get matched.
The guide is especially useful if you feel overwhelmed by ads, pricing pages, or medical words in English. It puts the common options in one place so you can compare them more calmly.
What the guide helps you compare
The PDF is designed to help you look at the practical questions many people care about first:
- How each procedure works at a high level
- Typical recovery differences and what daily life may look like in the first days or weeks
- General candidacy factors that surgeons often check during an exam
- Typical US cost ranges so you can plan questions about budget
- Common risks and tradeoffs that should be discussed honestly
- Questions to ask at a consultation so you can compare surgeons, not just procedures
Typical price ranges are only estimates, not quotes. In the US, LASIK often runs about $2,000-$3,000 per eye, PRK about $1,800-$2,800 per eye, SMILE about $2,200-$3,200 per eye, and ICL about $3,000-$5,000 per eye. Both eyes are usually roughly double. Real cost depends on the procedure, your eyes, the technology used, and your area. Surgery is also rarely covered by insurance.
If you want more detail on options before downloading, see our services overview.
How to use the guide well
Use it like a prep sheet, not like a final answer.
- Read it once quickly. Get familiar with the main options.
- Mark your questions. Circle anything that sounds confusing, risky, or expensive.
- Bring it to consultations. Ask each surgeon the same core questions.
- Compare the exam findings. A real recommendation should be based on your cornea, prescription, tear film, eye health, and goals.
- Take your time. It is OK to wait, get another opinion, or keep glasses or contacts.
Many people are not good candidates for one procedure or for any elective surgery. A careful surgeon may tell you no, and that can be a sign of honesty, not a bad consultation. To understand how candidacy is checked, read candidacy and exam.
Important limits: this is not a diagnosis
The guide is helpful, but it has limits. It cannot tell you whether you personally qualify for LASIK, PRK, SMILE, or ICL. Only an in-person exam with a licensed eye surgeon can do that.
Every procedure has real risks. These can include dry eye, glare, halos, under-correction, over-correction, infection, flap-related problems in LASIK, slow healing in PRK, and rare vision loss. Results vary from person to person. No ethical source should promise perfect vision or guarantee that surgery is right for you.
If you want a fuller discussion of risks to review before your visit, read LASIK risks and side effects. This is still general information, not medical advice.
Download the free guide to compare LASIK, PRK, SMILE, and ICL in simple language, then use it to ask better questions at a consultation. It is not medical advice, and only an eye surgeon’s exam can tell you whether any procedure is a fit for you.