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Clarity Vision Center — San Francisco
CORNEAIRISLENSRETINAOPTIC NERVELASER

Your eyes, explained
in the next three minutes.

Ninety seconds of laser. Twenty years of morning clarity. Here's everything you need to know before you decide.

Check Your Eligibility — 60 Seconds

No appointment needed. No email required to start.

90-second procedure·Permanent results·99.5% patient satisfaction·No flap — SMILE available·20/20 or better in 95% of patients·FDA-approved since 1999·0% APR financing·12-month post-op included·90-second procedure·Permanent results·99.5% patient satisfaction·No flap — SMILE available·20/20 or better in 95% of patients·FDA-approved since 1999·0% APR financing·12-month post-op included·

Am I a candidate?

Four questions. One honest answer.

This isn't a sales funnel — it's the same screening logic our surgeons use in first consultations, distilled to 60 seconds.

Eligibility Check1/4

Step 1 of 4

What's your current prescription?

Check the number on your glasses box — it starts with a minus sign if you're nearsighted.

Mild (–0.5)-3.0High (–12.0)

Mild myopia — excellent LASIK range

LASIK vs PRK vs SMILE

What's the difference, really?

Tap any row to read a plain-English explanation. No jargon, one analogy per answer.

Comparison
LASIK
PRK
SMILE

Think of LASIK recovery like rebooting a computer — it's fast because the surface stays intact. PRK is more like reinstalling the operating system: slower, but the end result is identical. SMILE sits in between.

The LASIK flap is a 0.1mm hinged layer of corneal tissue lifted to allow reshaping underneath. It heals securely in most patients. PRK and SMILE never create a flap, making them preferable if you play contact sports or have thinner corneas.

Most patients needing between –1.0 and –9.0 diopters are candidates for all three. Outside that window, your surgeon will map your corneal thickness and curvature to find the safest fit.

LASIK patients typically describe 4–6 hours of grittiness, then clear comfort. PRK involves a surface removal that feels like a mild sunburn on your eye for 2–3 days. SMILE patients report less dryness because more corneal nerves are preserved.

LASIK severs more corneal nerve fibers than the other two, which temporarily reduces tear stimulation. If you already have dry eyes, your surgeon may lean toward SMILE or PRK and prescribe lubricating drops for the first three months.

Cost reflects laser time, pre-op mapping, and the surgeon's fee. SMILE commands a premium because the femtosecond laser does the entire procedure in one pass. Most clinics offer 0% APR financing — ask specifically about monthly payment options.

A healthy cornea is roughly 550 microns thick — the width of five human hairs stacked. LASIK removes tissue to create a flap, requiring a minimum residual bed of 250 microns. PRK and SMILE preserve more tissue, opening eligibility to thinner corneas.

A direct blow to the eye can theoretically displace a LASIK flap years after surgery — rare, but documented. Martial artists, rugby players, and anyone regularly taking hits to the face should strongly consider PRK or SMILE.

Tap any row to read a plain-English explanation. All data reflects 2025 clinical guidelines.

Check Your Eligibility — 60 Seconds

Recovery

What the first three months look like

The procedure is 90 seconds. Here's what happens after you sit up from the chair — hour by hour, then week by week.

90 sec

Procedure complete

Both eyes reshaped. You're sitting up and already seeing better — blurry like a rainy windshield, but better.

All procedures
4 hours

Rest at home

Light sensitivity and tearing are normal. Most LASIK patients watch TV comfortably by evening.

LASIK
24 hours

Post-op check

Your surgeon measures your vision. 95% of LASIK patients test 20/20 or better at this appointment.

LASIK
3 days

Back to work

Screen work is fine. PRK patients may still feel mild grittiness — lubricating drops every 2 hours.

PRK / SMILE
1 week

Drive independently

Cleared to drive when you pass the standard vision test. Most patients clear it within 3–5 days.

All procedures
1 month

Full outdoor activity

Swimming, contact sports, and dusty environments are now safe. Night halos typically resolve this week.

All procedures
3 months

Vision stabilized

Your prescription is locked. If a touch-up is ever needed (5–8% of patients), it's performed at no additional charge.

All procedures

95%

achieve 20/20 or better at 24-hour check

90 sec

total laser time for both eyes

< 1%

serious complication rate

12 mo

post-op care included at no charge

Questions patients actually ask at 1am

Every fear, answered plainly.

Written at eighth-grade reading level. One concrete analogy per answer. No clinic-speak.

No upper age limit exists for LASIK — the relevant factor is whether your prescription has been stable for at least 12 months. Patients in their 40s and 50s often opt for LASIK or SMILE for distance vision, then use reading glasses only for fine print. Patients over 60 with significant near-vision loss may be better served by Refractive Lens Exchange, which corrects distance and near simultaneously.

A gentle speculum holds your eyelids open — blinking is physically impossible during the 90-second procedure. The laser also tracks your eye's position 1,000 times per second. If your eye moves more than 0.5 mm, the laser pauses automatically within 2 milliseconds. Think of it like a modern car's lane-departure system: the safety net is faster than human reflexes.

All three reshape the cornea to redirect light onto the retina. LASIK creates a thin flap, lifts it, reshapes underneath, and replaces it — fastest recovery. PRK removes the surface layer entirely, reshapes the cornea, and lets the surface regenerate — best for thin corneas or contact sports. SMILE uses a single femtosecond laser to remove a small lens of tissue through a 3mm keyhole — no flap, lowest dry-eye risk, comparable outcomes.

Light walking and indoor cardio are typically fine within 48 hours. Avoid swimming pools and open water for 4 weeks (infection risk). Contact sports should wait 4–6 weeks for LASIK (flap protection), or 1–2 weeks for SMILE and PRK. Your surgeon will give you a specific clearance date at your 1-week check.

Serious, vision-threatening complications occur in fewer than 1 in 1,000 LASIK procedures — a rate lower than annual contact-lens-related eye infections. The most common side effect is temporary dry eye (30% of patients for 3 months, resolving with drops). Night halos and starbursts affect 15–20% initially and resolve within 3 months for most. Undercorrection requiring a touch-up occurs in 5–8% of cases and is typically covered at no charge.

The fee covers: pre-op corneal mapping (a 45-minute diagnostic session using 3 different instruments), the surgeon's time, the laser system itself (which costs $500,000+ and requires annual calibration), post-op visits for 12 months, and enhancement coverage if your vision drifts. Clinics advertising $299/eye are typically quoting only the laser time — ask specifically what the all-inclusive fee includes.

Patient Stories

The morning after.

Three patients. Three different procedures. Three different reasons they stopped reaching for their face.

Portrait of Marcus Delgado, Senior Software Engineer, Austin TX

Marcus Delgado

Senior Software Engineer, Austin TX

LASIK
“I spent eleven years squinting at two monitors through progressive lenses. Day one post-op I read the building sign across the street. I actually laughed out loud.”

20/15 vision — better than corrected

Portrait of Priya Nair, Trail runner & physical therapist, Denver CO

Priya Nair

Trail runner & physical therapist, Denver CO

SMILE
“My prescription sports goggles slid off every descent. I had SMILE on a Thursday, ran a 10K that Sunday morning — no goggles, no contacts, just trail. Worth every penny.”

20/20 — cleared for sport at day 4

Portrait of Jordan Whitfield, First-time consulter, Chicago IL

Jordan Whitfield

First-time consulter, Chicago IL

PRK
“I had bookmarked six Reddit threads about flap complications. My surgeon explained the anatomy in five minutes and suggested PRK since I play jiu-jitsu. Three months later — 20/20 and zero regrets.”

20/20 at 3-month check

Not ready to call?

Download the Complete Vision Guide

32 pages covering anatomy, procedure comparison, recovery, and the ten questions to ask your surgeon — written at reading level 8, reviewed by three ophthalmologists.

Ready?

Read the street sign three blocks away.

Your eligibility check takes 60 seconds. Your coordinator call takes 10 minutes. Your procedure takes 90 seconds. The clarity lasts a lifetime.

Check Your Eligibility — 60 Seconds(415) 555-0192

Mon–Fri 8am–6pm · Sat 9am–2pm · San Francisco, CA