I couldn't pass up replying on this thread.
Lasik seems by far to get all the PR in Canada these days but it really has always been the 'lazy' and altogether less-successful method for eye surgery.
There are actually two distinct methods of eye surgery, LASIK, and LASEK which is very similar to PRK.
The basic differences are that LASIK cuts a flap in the cornea to reshape it, LASEK and PRK basically shave the cornea instead. LASIK merely folds aside the outer layer of the cornea (epithelium), LASEK or PRK strip it off entirely to access the lower layer where the surgery is performed. This is the root cause of the difference in recovery times between the procedures. LASIK lets someone get back to normal life after a few days, LASEK or PRK surgery may mean several weeks of healing.
LASIK has more complications and a higher incidence of reversion or complications of the procedure after time due to the permanent flap created in the cornea, but still seems more popular with the public because it requires less invasive procedure and therefore heals faster up front.
There was an interesting article (
here) on eye surgery at the US Naval Academy - naval aviators requiring corrective vision all receive PRK treatment because this method means the surgical procedure is unaffected by high G-forces - one of the known issues with LASIK is that the microscopic flap in the cornea can be torn or shifted by high-G impacts or movement.. such as flying a fighter plane.