What should I choose if I have dry eyes?
Treat the dryness first, then reassess. Dryness is a treatable finding in many people, and what is available to you afterwards may be different from what it looks like now.
- Subject
- Vision correction
- Topic
- Comparing procedures
- Kind of question
- Which option…
- Procedures
- LASIK, SMILE, PRK
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
If the dryness does not respond, that changes the conversation towards options that do not alter the corneal surface, and it is a conversation to have with the clinician who measured you rather than from a comparison table.
Related guides
People also ask
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Vision correction & laser eye surgery in Comparing procedures . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- Comparison LASIK vs SMILE
- Comparison LASIK vs PRK
- Comparison SMILE vs PRK
- Comparison SMILE Pro vs LASIK
- Condition Dry eye
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- Refractive surgery and dry eye: an update
An update on how different refractive procedures affect the ocular surface, with attention to preoperative screening for dry eye.
Used for Why tear film assessment belongs in preoperative screening.
Link checked 22 September 2026