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LASEK, PRK and TransPRK: cost, recovery, and how surface laser compares with LASIK

Written By
Published on October 11, 2026

We’ll connect you with partner clinics, free of charge: we’re paid for referrals by providers, not by you. Laser eye surgery is a medical procedure and, as with any surgical procedure, carries potential risks and side effects. Results vary and not everyone will be suitable for treatment. You should seek advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional before deciding whether treatment is suitable for you.

LASEK is laser eye surgery without a flap, and costs £549 to £3,750 per eye at UK clinics. The surgeon loosens the cornea's thin surface layer with dilute alcohol and moves it aside, the laser reshapes the cornea beneath, and the surface regrows over about a week. PRK and TransPRK work the same way and differ only in how that layer is removed. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists says vision at three months is as good as after LASIK, but the first week is slower and the eye is "normally very sore". The £549 is Optical Express's lowest price, and 22.8% of the eyes it assessed in late 2024 qualified for it.

  • Price per eye: £549 to £3,750
  • Consultation: free to £195
  • Bandage lenses: out on day 4 to 7
  • Driving standard: 1 to 4 weeks

Watch: What LASEK is, how it is done, how PRK and TransPRK differ, and what it costs. 1 min 28 s.

Read the transcript

LASEK, PRK and Trans-PRK, explained.

LASEK is laser eye surgery without a flap. It reshapes the cornea to treat short sight, long sight and astigmatism.

Numbing drops go in, and a clip keeps your eyelids open.

The surgeon loosens the cornea’s thin surface layer with dilute alcohol, and moves it aside.

The laser reshapes the cornea beneath. Most people feel pressure rather than pain.

A bandage contact lens goes on, and the surface layer regrows over about a week.

PRK and TransPRK work the same way. In PRK the surgeon removes the surface layer. In TransPRK, the laser does.

The first week is sore. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists says vision at three months is as good as after LASIK.

It usually suits a cornea too thin or flat for LASIK, or a contact sport or job where the eye could be hit.

The surgeon measures your cornea, and says which treatment fits your eyes, if any.

At the 10 clinics we checked, surface laser costs from £549 to £3,750 per eye, depending on your prescription.

It isn’t usually offered on the NHS, and private health insurance doesn’t usually cover it.

Compare quotes from clinics near you.

Is LASEK right for me?

The Royal College gives one prescription range for every type of laser treatment, though Optegra describes LASEK as suited to low to moderate prescriptions. Surgeons tend to choose it when a flap is a poor fit, such as a cornea too thin or flat for LASIK, or a job or sport where a blow to the eye could damage a flap.

Usually suitable

  • Up to 10 dioptres of short sight, 4 of long sight or 6 of astigmatism, the Royal College's usual range for laser treatment
  • Over 18, with a prescription that has changed by no more than 0.5 dioptres in two years
  • A cornea too thin or flat for a LASIK flap. Optegra and Moorfields Private both say surface laser suits thinner corneas
  • A contact sport or a job where the eye could be hit. The College says LASIK patients wait at least a month for contact sports, and surface laser patients can go back sooner

Usually not, or needs a different treatment

  • You need to be back at work or driving within a few days. After LASIK most people do both the next day, Moorfields Private says
  • Short sight beyond 10 dioptres, where the College says a lens implant (ICL) is often a good alternative
  • Retirement age or early cataract, where the College says lens replacement is often preferred
  • Cataract or problems with the eye's surface, which the College says can rule laser out

A clinic measures your cornea and prescription at the consultation and tells you which treatment, if any, it recommends. The College's standards advise a week between that recommendation and surgery.

LASEK and surface laser prices at ten UK clinics

Published prices, read from each clinic's own website on 11 October 2026. Prices are per eye unless stated. Your price depends on your prescription and is confirmed at the consultation.

Clinic Surface laser price Consultation Aftercare included Paying monthly
Optical Express LASEK from £549
LASEKAdvanced (wavefront-guided) from £1,495		 Free 3 months, with drops; then £100 an optometrist visit and £200 a surgeon visit Finance available (through a panel of lenders)
Optimax LASEK £1,295, any prescription Free Until discharge Finance available over 10 to 48 months, £250 deposit an eye (V12 Retail Finance); 0% APR over 10 to 24 months, 9.9% APR representative over 36 or 48 months; representative example below
Optegra LASEK £1,495, including any enhancement needed Free, by video or phone 12 months, with medication and an out-of-hours line Finance available, minimum 10% deposit (Novuna Consumer Finance)
Precision Vision London LASIK, LASEK or TransPRK from £1,950; complex prescriptions or previous surgery may cost more Free; £100 holding fee, refunded when you attend and meet the eligibility checks 12 months of follow-ups and any enhancement in the first year Finance available over 12 to 60 months, £250 deposit (through Ideal4Finance, a credit broker)
OCL Vision (London) LASIK, LASEK or SmartSight £1,995 to £2,650 Free; £50 refundable 15 years of aftercare (the clinic's terms) Finance available for up to 60 months, £200 minimum deposit
Laser Vision (Portsmouth) LASIK, LASEK or TransPRK £2,150 £99 24 months, including any enhancement needed Finance available for up to 36 months on some treatments (V12 Retail Finance)
Focus Clinics (London) PRK or LASEK from £4,400 for both eyes
£6,000 for both eyes for high prescriptions or previous surgery elsewhere		 Free, by phone Not itemised on its price page Finance available over 12 to 60 months, £500 deposit
My-iClinic (North London) PRK from £2,400; top price not published Included in the price Included in the price Finance available; terms not published
Moorfields Private £5,682 for both eyes, whichever laser treatment, including PRK, LASEK and TransPRK £195 Follow-up to 3 months and drops, plus what Moorfields calls a 5-year commitment Finance available (Omni Capital Retail Finance)
London Vision Clinic PRK or LASEK £2,950 to £3,750, the same band as its LASIK and SMILE Free 30-minute consultation 12 months, with eye drops Finance available over 12 to 36 months (V12 Retail Finance)

Read from each clinic's website on 11 October 2026. Per eye unless stated.

  • Optical Express LASEK from £549
    LASEKAdvanced (wavefront-guided) from £1,495     Consultation: Free Aftercare included: 3 months, with drops; then £100 an optometrist visit and £200 a surgeon visit Paying monthly: Finance available (through a panel of lenders)
  • Optimax LASEK £1,295, any prescription Consultation: Free Aftercare included: Until discharge Paying monthly: Finance available over 10 to 48 months, £250 deposit an eye (V12 Retail Finance); 0% APR over 10 to 24 months, 9.9% APR representative over 36 or 48 months; representative example below
  • Optegra LASEK £1,495, including any enhancement needed Consultation: Free, by video or phone Aftercare included: 12 months, with medication and an out-of-hours line Paying monthly: Finance available, minimum 10% deposit (Novuna Consumer Finance)
  • Precision Vision London LASIK, LASEK or TransPRK from £1,950; complex prescriptions or previous surgery may cost more Consultation: Free; £100 holding fee, refunded when you attend and meet the eligibility checks Aftercare included: 12 months of follow-ups and any enhancement in the first year Paying monthly: Finance available over 12 to 60 months, £250 deposit (through Ideal4Finance, a credit broker)
  • OCL Vision (London) LASIK, LASEK or SmartSight £1,995 to £2,650 Consultation: Free; £50 refundable Aftercare included: 15 years of aftercare (the clinic's terms) Paying monthly: Finance available for up to 60 months, £200 minimum deposit
  • Laser Vision (Portsmouth) LASIK, LASEK or TransPRK £2,150 Consultation: £99 Aftercare included: 24 months, including any enhancement needed Paying monthly: Finance available for up to 36 months on some treatments (V12 Retail Finance)
  • Focus Clinics (London) PRK or LASEK from £4,400 for both eyes
    £6,000 for both eyes for high prescriptions or previous surgery elsewhere     Consultation: Free, by phone Aftercare included: Not itemised on its price page Paying monthly: Finance available over 12 to 60 months, £500 deposit
  • My-iClinic (North London) PRK from £2,400; top price not published Consultation: Included in the price Aftercare included: Included in the price Paying monthly: Finance available; terms not published
  • Moorfields Private £5,682 for both eyes, whichever laser treatment, including PRK, LASEK and TransPRK Consultation: £195 Aftercare included: Follow-up to 3 months and drops, plus what Moorfields calls a 5-year commitment Paying monthly: Finance available (Omni Capital Retail Finance)
  • London Vision Clinic PRK or LASEK £2,950 to £3,750, the same band as its LASIK and SMILE Consultation: Free 30-minute consultation Aftercare included: 12 months, with eye drops Paying monthly: Finance available over 12 to 36 months (V12 Retail Finance)

Focus and Moorfields price both eyes together, which works out at £2,200 and £2,841 an eye. Prices change, so check before you book.

Optical Express publishes that 22.8% of the eyes it assessed between 1 September and 28 December 2024 qualified for its £549 LASEK price. It doesn't publish its highest LASEK price. Focus Clinics and Moorfields Private price both eyes together, which works out at £2,200 and £2,841 an eye. Prices change, so check with the clinic before you book.

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LASEK, PRK or TransPRK: what differs

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists groups all three as surface laser treatments and says they give similar results. They differ in how the cornea's surface layer comes off.

LASEK PRK TransPRK
How the surface layer comes off Loosened with dilute alcohol, then moved aside by the surgeon Removed by the surgeon Removed by the laser as part of the reshaping, over the smallest area needed
Recovery Surface regrows over about a week Surface regrows over about a week 1 to 2 days shorter than PRK and LASEK, the College says
Vision at three months Same as LASIK Same as LASIK Same as LASIK
Clinics in our table that price it Optical Express, Optimax, Optegra, Precision Vision, OCL Vision, Laser Vision, Focus, London Vision Clinic Focus, My-iClinic, London Vision Clinic Precision Vision, Laser Vision
Price per eye £549 to £3,750 £2,200 to £3,750 £1,950 to £2,841

All three give similar results, the Royal College says. They differ in how the surface layer comes off.

  • How the surface layer comes off LASEK: Loosened with dilute alcohol, then moved aside by the surgeon PRK: Removed by the surgeon TransPRK: Removed by the laser as part of the reshaping, over the smallest area needed
  • Recovery LASEK: Surface regrows over about a week PRK: Surface regrows over about a week TransPRK: 1 to 2 days shorter than PRK and LASEK, the College says
  • Vision at three months LASEK: Same as LASIK PRK: Same as LASIK TransPRK: Same as LASIK
  • Clinics in our table that price it LASEK: Optical Express, Optimax, Optegra, Precision Vision, OCL Vision, Laser Vision, Focus, London Vision Clinic PRK: Focus, My-iClinic, London Vision Clinic TransPRK: Precision Vision, Laser Vision
  • Price per eye LASEK: £549 to £3,750 PRK: £2,200 to £3,750 TransPRK: £1,950 to £2,841

Moorfields Private offers all three at one price for both eyes, which is the £2,841 in the TransPRK range. A 2018 analysis of 18 trials and 1,423 eyes found no difference between PRK, LASEK and TransPRK in vision, accuracy, haze or healing time.

What happens, from consultation to settled vision

  1. Consultation Free at most of the clinics above

    Your cornea is mapped and its thickness measured. A cornea too thin or flat for a LASIK flap points towards surface laser. The surgeon says which treatment fits your eyes, or that none does.

  2. A week to decide At least a week after the recommendation

    The Royal College of Ophthalmologists' standards say surgery should not take place on the day it is recommended, and recommend a cooling-off week. Any deposit should be fully refundable if you decide not to go ahead.

  3. Treatment day Both eyes, about half an hour, home the same day

    Numbing drops, a spring clip to keep the lids open, and the laser. Most people feel pressure rather than pain during the treatment. A bandage contact lens goes on each eye afterwards. The NHS says not to drive home on the day of surgery, so arrange a lift.

  4. The first week Bandage lenses out on day 4 to 7

    The surface layer regrows over about a week, and the College says the eye surface is "normally very sore" while it does. Optical Express describes "a considerable, but typically manageable, level of pain" that eases over the first few days, and Optegra says "mild to moderate pain". Moorfields Private says most people need a week off work. No swimming for a week, and no showering until the bandage lenses are out.

  5. Driving again 1 to 4 weeks, when the clinic confirms you meet the standard

    The College says surface laser patients may need a week or longer to reach the driving standard. Moorfields Private says 1 to 4 weeks, depending on the prescription treated. Contact sports can restart sooner than after LASIK, where the College advises waiting at least a month.

  6. Settling Three months to two years

    The new surface smooths out over about three months, and the College says vision at that point matches LASIK. Glare, halos and dry eyes are common early on and usually improve within a few months. The result can take up to two years to stabilise fully, and up to 1 in 10 people need further surgery to fine-tune it.

Results and risks, with the study behind each figure

Most long-term studies of surface laser are of PRK. The Royal College treats PRK, LASEK and TransPRK as one group with similar results.

  • Satisfied with the outcome Over 95% Royal College of Ophthalmologists, all types of laser vision correction, 2024
  • Vision a year on, against LASIK Similar Cochrane review of 13 trials and 1,923 eyes comparing PRK with LASIK, 2013; LASIK recovered faster and hurt less
  • Corneas clear 20 years after PRK 93% 42 eyes from a London trial, O'Brart et al., 2014; 3 had trace haze
  • Infection after surface laser 0.20% 39 of 18,651 eyes, de Rojas et al., 2011; 0.035% after LASIK in the same clinic group
  • Further surgery to fine-tune Up to 1 in 10 Royal College of Ophthalmologists, 2024
  • Need a corneal transplant Under 1 in 5,000 Royal College of Ophthalmologists, 2024

The College's figures cover every type of laser vision correction. The infection figures come from two studies at Clínica Baviera in Spain.

Worth knowing

  • The first week is sore. The College says the eye surface is "normally very sore" while the surface layer regrows
  • LASIK gave faster vision and less pain than PRK in the Cochrane review
  • Infection was more common after surface laser (0.20%) than after LASIK (0.035%) in two studies from the same Spanish clinic group
  • The College says TransPRK shortens recovery by 1 to 2 days, but the 2018 analysis found no difference in healing time
  • Short sight crept back by about half a dioptre over 20 years in the PRK study, and by almost a dioptre in people treated before 40

LASEK, LASIK, SMILE or a lens implant?

These are the usual alternatives to surface laser. Each has its own guide.

Option Who it usually suits How it works Price per eye
LASEK, PRK or TransPRK A thin or flat cornea, a contact sport, or a job where the eye could be hit Surface layer removed, cornea reshaped, surface regrows over about a week £549 to £3,750
LASIK Guide Most prescriptions in the laser range; often back at work the next day, the College says A thin flap is lifted, the cornea reshaped beneath, and the flap laid back £1,295 to £3,750
SMILE Guide Short sight and astigmatism; recovery close to LASIK, Moorfields Private says A small disc of tissue cut by laser and removed through a small opening, with no flap £2,200 to £3,750
ICL lens implant Guide Prescriptions outside the laser range, usually in younger patients A lens placed inside the eye in front of your own lens, which stays £3,395 to £4,600 or more
Lens replacement Guide Retirement age, or early cataract Your own lens replaced with an artificial one £2,000 to £5,500
Glasses or contact lenses Anyone No surgery Ongoing cost

The usual alternatives, each with its own guide.

  • LASEK, PRK or TransPRK Who it usually suits: A thin or flat cornea, a contact sport, or a job where the eye could be hit How it works: Surface layer removed, cornea reshaped, surface regrows over about a week Price per eye: £549 to £3,750
  • LASIK Guide Who it usually suits: Most prescriptions in the laser range; often back at work the next day, the College says How it works: A thin flap is lifted, the cornea reshaped beneath, and the flap laid back Price per eye: £1,295 to £3,750
  • SMILE Guide Who it usually suits: Short sight and astigmatism; recovery close to LASIK, Moorfields Private says How it works: A small disc of tissue cut by laser and removed through a small opening, with no flap Price per eye: £2,200 to £3,750
  • ICL lens implant Guide Who it usually suits: Prescriptions outside the laser range, usually in younger patients How it works: A lens placed inside the eye in front of your own lens, which stays Price per eye: £3,395 to £4,600 or more
  • Lens replacement Guide Who it usually suits: Retirement age, or early cataract How it works: Your own lens replaced with an artificial one Price per eye: £2,000 to £5,500
  • Glasses or contact lenses Who it usually suits: Anyone How it works: No surgery Price per eye: Ongoing cost

Each range is the lowest and highest published per-eye price on our guide to that treatment, read on 11 October 2026. London Vision Clinic's ICL price is from £4,600. Optical Express says 18.6% of patients it assessed in 2017 qualified for its £2,000 lens replacement price.

NHS. Laser eye surgery is “not usually offered on the NHS”, according to nhs.uk. The NHS may offer it if you have an eye condition that could lead to loss of vision, or sight problems that glasses or contact lenses can’t correct. See when the NHS pays.

Insurance. The Royal College says surgery to correct the need for glasses “is not covered by private health insurance schemes”. Bupa’s By You policy guide for policies starting on or after 1 September 2026 excludes “treatment to correct your eyesight (for example, long or short sight)”. Check your own policy if you have one, and see laser eye surgery and insurance.

Paying monthly. Optimax’s representative example for LASEK is a £1,295 cash price, a £250 deposit and £1,045 of credit over 24 months at 0% APR representative, which is £44 a month and £1,295 in total, with credit from Secure Trust Bank, trading as V12 Retail Finance. Precision Vision London arranges finance through Ideal4Finance, a credit broker, and doesn’t name the lender. Finance is a loan, so check the APR, the lender and the total before you sign. See paying monthly for laser eye surgery.

Questions people ask about LASEK

Vision a year on is similar, according to a Cochrane review of 13 trials comparing LASIK with PRK, which works like LASEK. LASIK gives clear vision sooner and hurts less in the first days. LASEK leaves no flap, which suits a thin cornea or a contact sport. Your surgeon recommends one after measuring your cornea.

The bandage lenses come out on day 4 to 7, the Royal College says, and Moorfields Private says most people take a week off work. Vision reaches the driving standard in 1 to 4 weeks, depending on the prescription, and settles over about three months.

Most people feel pressure rather than pain during the treatment, thanks to numbing drops. The first days afterwards are sore. The College says the eye surface is “normally very sore” while the surface layer regrows, and Optical Express describes “a considerable, but typically manageable, level of pain” that eases over the first few days.

Almost. Both remove the cornea’s surface layer before the laser reshapes it. In LASEK the surgeon loosens the layer with dilute alcohol first, and in PRK the surgeon removes it directly. The College says all surface treatments give similar results.

Surface laser in which the laser itself removes the surface layer as part of the reshaping, over the smallest area needed. The College says this shortens recovery by 1 to 2 days compared with PRK and LASEK. Precision Vision London (from £1,950 an eye) and Laser Vision in Portsmouth (£2,150) publish TransPRK prices, and Moorfields Private includes it in its £5,682 price for both eyes. For a no-flap option with a faster recovery, see our SMILE guide.

The reshaped cornea holds its shape, but the eye can still change. In a 20-year follow-up of PRK patients in London, short sight crept back by about half a dioptre on average, and by almost a dioptre in people treated before 40. The cornea’s focusing power didn’t change, but the eyes grew longer. The College says laser treatment “sometimes needs to be repeated”, and glasses may still be needed for reading as you get older.

It is at Optical Express, where LASEK starts at £549 and LASIK at £1,295, though only 22.8% of eyes it assessed in late 2024 qualified for £549. Optegra charges £1,495 for LASEK and £2,095 for LASIK. Optimax charges £1,295 for either, and Precision Vision, OCL Vision, Laser Vision and London Vision Clinic also charge the same for both.

Not usually. The NHS may offer laser surgery if you have an eye condition that could lead to loss of vision, or sight problems that glasses or contact lenses can’t correct. See when the NHS pays.

We pass your answers and contact details to a partner clinic, which the form names before you send it. The clinic calls to book a consultation (free at most partner clinics). Clinics pay us for referrals and you pay us nothing.

Related guides

Sources and how we checked the prices

Every price on this page was read from the clinic's own website on 11 October 2026. Clinical figures come from the sources below. Prices change, so confirm with the clinic before you book.

  1. Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Laser Vision Correction patient information, PROF/2024/499 (opens in a new tab), reviewed 3 December 2024
  2. Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Professional Standards for Refractive Surgery, 2024/PROF/497 (opens in a new tab), December 2024
  3. NHS, Laser eye surgery and lens surgery (opens in a new tab), reviewed 15 February 2024
  4. Shortt, Allan and Evans, LASIK versus PRK for myopia, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews CD005135 (opens in a new tab), 31 January 2013
  5. Wen et al., corneal surface ablation for myopia, a network meta-analysis, Journal of Refractive Surgery 34(11) (opens in a new tab), November 2018
Show all 25 sources Show fewer sources
  1. O'Brart et al., twenty-year follow-up of a randomised trial of PRK, American Journal of Ophthalmology 158(4) (opens in a new tab), October 2014
  2. de Rojas et al., infectious keratitis in 18,651 laser surface ablation procedures, Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery 37(10) (opens in a new tab), October 2011
  3. Llovet et al., infectious keratitis in 204,586 LASIK procedures, Ophthalmology 117(2) (opens in a new tab), February 2010
  4. Bupa By You policy guide, exclusion 16, policies starting on or after 1 September 2026 (opens in a new tab), read 11 October 2026
  5. ASA, Eyes: laser eye surgery advertising guidance (opens in a new tab), 20 January 2025
  6. Optical Express laser eye surgery pricing (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  7. Optical Express LASEK (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  8. Optical Express lens replacement pricing (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  9. Optimax prices and finance (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  10. Optimax LASEK (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  11. Optegra laser eye surgery costs (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  12. Optegra LASEK (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  13. Precision Vision London pricing (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  14. OCL Vision self-pay prices (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  15. Laser Vision pricing (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  16. Focus Clinics pricing (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  17. My-iClinic prices (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  18. Moorfields Private laser eye surgery (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  19. Moorfields Private laser eye surgery cost (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  20. London Vision Clinic prices (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026

Written By

William Amps is the lead writer at Lasik Eyes, where he covers laser eye surgery, lens replacement, cataract treatment and the UK clinics that provide them. He has spent years researching the private eye surgery market, comparing clinic prices, interpreting published outcome data and translating the jargon of refractive surgery into plain English for people weighing up whether it’s right for them.

His work on Lasik Eyes focuses on the questions patients actually ask: what the procedure really costs, how clinics differ, what the risks are and what the research says about long-term results. Every price, procedure and clinic review he writes is checked against the provider’s own published information and updated as the market changes.

His articles are intended to help you ask better questions at your consultation, not to replace the advice of a registered optometrist or ophthalmic surgeon.

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