Refractive surgery

LASIK in Paris and Cachan: Laser Refractive Surgery | Dr Tourabaly

Name: LASIK Paris & Cachan: laser eye surgery | Dr Tourabaly
Creator: Dr Moïse Tourabaly
Published: 2026-06-29T20:55:46+02:00
Keywords: lasik eye surgery

Lasting laser correction of myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. A 15-minute procedure, with recovery within 24 to 48 hours. Personalised assessment at the Cachan office.

Book an appointment · LASIK assessment

01 45 47 08 11

Unsure which technique is right for you? LASIK or SMILE or LASIK or PKR — our detailed comparisons cover safety, recovery, dry eye, sport and pricing.

Written and medically reviewed by Dr Moïse Tourabaly · Last updated: July 6, 2026

UNDERSTANDING LASIK

Wondering if laser surgery is right for you?Check whether you are a candidate →

What is LASIK? Principle and mechanism

LASIK (short for Laser-Assisted In situ Keratomileusis) is a laser refractive surgery technique. It aims to correct refractive errors durably by reshaping the cornea: the transparent membrane on the surface of the eye. The goal is to let the patient see clearly without glasses or contact lenses.

LASIK relies on two successive laser steps, performed in a single session and on both eyes the same day. The surgeon first creates a thin corneal layer: known as the flap: using a precision femtosecond laser. This flap, about 100 microns thick, is gently lifted to expose the deeper corneal tissue.

The second laser, called the excimer laser, then sculpts the cornea according to the exact profile of the refractive error to be corrected, calculated to within a micron during the pre-operative work-up. The flap is then laid back down without sutures: it adheres naturally within a few minutes. The complete procedure lasts about 15 minutes for both eyes, under local anaesthesia with eye drops.

LASIK is today the most widely performed refractive surgery technique in the world, with more than twenty-five years of clinical experience behind it. Current laser generations: in particular topography-guided protocols (TG-LASIK): deliver unrivalled correction precision, especially for demanding patients.

Which vision problems does LASIK correct?

LASIK surgery can treat the main refractive errors of the eye:

Myopia: blurred distance vision, clear near vision. LASIK corrects mild, moderate and high myopia, generally up to -8 to -10 dioptres depending on corneal thickness.
Hyperopia: blurred near vision, sometimes blurred distance vision too with age. LASIK corrects hyperopia up to around +5 dioptres.
Astigmatism: distorted, doubled or imprecise vision at all distances. LASIK corrects astigmatism up to 5 dioptres, whether isolated or combined with myopia or hyperopia.
Presbyopia: difficulty seeing up close after the age of 45. A variant called PresbyLASIK can restore intermediate and near vision without glasses.

Beyond these dioptre limits, other techniques may be offered: PKR for thin corneas, SMILE for a less invasive approach, or phakic implants for very high myopia.

Who is LASIK suitable for?

LASIK is elective surgery: it does not treat a disease but improves quality of life. The indications must therefore be carefully assessed during a full pre-operative work-up, which determines whether the patient is an anatomically and medically suitable candidate for this technique.

Indications (ideal candidate)

Age 21 or over, ideally with a stable refraction for at least two years (no change greater than 0.5 dioptre over the past year).
Cornea of sufficient thickness and regular curvature, measured by corneal topography and pachymetry during the work-up.
Refractive error within correctable limits: myopia up to -8/-10 D, hyperopia up to +5 D, astigmatism up to 5 D.
Good general eye health: no severe dry eye, no corneal disease (keratoconus in particular) or progressive retinal condition.
Clear motivation and realistic expectations, after full information on the benefits and limits of the procedure.

Contraindications

LASIK is not suitable for every profile. The main contraindications are:

A cornea that is too thin or shows early signs of keratoconus (progressive corneal deformation).
Severe dry eye not controlled by treatment.
Unstable refraction, still changing (young patients whose vision is still developing, recent hormonal changes).
Current pregnancy or breastfeeding (hormonal variations may alter the refraction and the operating conditions).
Active systemic conditions: poorly controlled autoimmune diseases, unbalanced diabetes, immunosuppressive treatments.
Eye history: recurrent ocular herpes, uncontrolled glaucoma, progressive cataract (in which case cataract surgery with a premium implant is generally preferable).

If LASIK is not indicated in your case, other refractive surgery techniques can be considered and will be assessed during the pre-operative work-up.

HOW THE PROCEDURE WORKS

How does a LASIK procedure work?

The patient pathway follows a rigorous protocol in three stages: a thorough pre-operative work-up at the office, the procedure in the operating theatre, then the recovery phase with close follow-up. Each stage shapes the quality of the final result.

Surgical video · Dr Tourabaly‘s practice

Cutting the corneal flap with the Zeiss VisuMax 800 femtosecond laser

A key step of LASIK: 8 seconds of real procedure, captured on the screen of the VisuMax 800 platform (Carl Zeiss Meditec). The timer counts down from 8s to 0s while the femtosecond laser cuts a circular corneal flap about 100 microns thick.

Educational video illustrating the technique used to cut the corneal flap, step 1 of LASIK. The sequence shows 5 seconds of preparation followed by 8 seconds of active laser procedure (yellow light bar, countdown timer). Video produced by Dr Tourabaly, Clinique Laser Victor Hugo (Paris 16th). Consenting patient, identity anonymised. This does not constitute a guarantee of any individual result.

Step 1: The pre-operative work-up

The pre-operative work-up is an essential step: it determines whether LASIK is indicated and how precise the result will be. It is carried out exclusively at the Cachan office (94), where the high-precision corneal measurement equipment is located: topography, pachymetry, aberrometry, dynamic pupil measurement. To book an appointment, contact the office on 01 45 47 08 11 or via Doctolib.

The appointment lasts about 30 minutes. In some cases: checking for the absence of overcorrection, a thorough examination of the fundus: a second appointment may be needed after instilling a cycloplegic eye drop (Skiacol). This step is not systematic and depends on your clinical profile.

Before the work-up, stopping contact lenses is essential to allow the cornea to return to its natural shape:

Soft lenses: 24 to 48 hours before the appointment
Rigid lenses: 3 to 5 days before

At the end of the work-up, Dr Tourabaly determines whether you are a candidate for LASIK and, where applicable, calculates the correction parameters to within a micron. For more detail on the examinations performed, see the dedicated pre-operative work-up page.

Step 2: The day of the procedure

The procedure is performed at the Clinique Laser Victor Hugo, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. Allow about 1 hour on site: preparation, pre-operative checks, the procedure itself, then an immediate post-operative review. The procedure is outpatient: no hospital stay is required.

The procedure is carried out under local anaesthesia with the instillation of anaesthetic eye drops. No injection, no drip: you remain conscious, and you are simply asked to fix your gaze on a light for a few seconds at each laser step. The procedure lasts 15 to 20 minutes for both eyes.

Immediately after LASIK, Dr Tourabaly carries out a slit-lamp examination to check that the corneal flap is correctly positioned. You then leave the clinic with vision still blurred for 2 to 4 hours: a companion is essential for the journey home.

Dr Tourabaly’s LASIK procedures are generally performed on Thursdays at the Clinique Laser Victor Hugo. This regularity lets patients plan their time off with peace of mind: LASIK on Thursday, day-1 check-up on Friday at the Cachan office, then a weekend of rest at home.

Step 3: Recovery and follow-up

The day after the procedure, a mandatory day-1 check-up at the Cachan office allows the initial healing to be verified and the eye-drop treatment to be adjusted if needed. Functional vision is usually regained within 24 hours, enough for reading, screen use and driving. Full visual stabilisation then takes place over 1 to 3 months depending on the patient.

It is advisable to plan 2 to 3 days off for a comfortable recovery. As LASIK is elective surgery, it does not give rise to sick leave prescribed by the French national health service.

During the first few weeks, certain precautions are essential to protect the result:

Do not rub your eyes (risk of displacing the flap)
Avoid squeezing the eyelids tightly
Apply the antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops strictly as prescribed
No swimming pool, eye make-up, sauna or contact sport for about 15 days

A follow-up at 1 month, 3 months and 1 year is then offered to confirm the stability of the result.

CLINICAL RESULTS

Expected results and effectiveness of LASIK

LASIK is today one of the best-documented surgical procedures in the world, with more than twenty-five years of clinical experience and an abundant body of scientific literature.

LASIK surgery in 5 steps

The gold-standard femtosecond laser technique, performed under anaesthetic eye drops, fast and suture-free.

1
Creating the corneal flap
⏱ ~8 seconds
A thin corneal layer is cut with the Visumax 800 femtosecond laser, with micrometric precision.
2
Lifting the flap
⏱ ~10 seconds
The flap is gently lifted to expose the underlying corneal stroma.
3
Reshaping the cornea
⏱ ~60 seconds
The excimer laser sculpts the cornea to correct the refractive error, under anaesthetic eye drops.
4
Repositioning the flap
⏱ ~30 seconds
The flap is repositioned precisely, with immediate natural adhesion and no sutures.
5
Corrected eye
✓ Healing in 24 h
Clear, stable vision from the next day, with a fast and comfortable recovery.

Chirurgie réfractive · LASIK

Le LASIK, étape par étape

Creating the corneal flap
⏱ ~ 8 seconds
A thin corneal layer is cut with the Visumax 800 femtosecond laser, with micrometric precision.
Lifting the flap
⏱ ~ 10 seconds
Gentle opening from the upper hinge, exposing the stroma.
Reshaping the cornea
⏱ ~ 60 seconds
Excimer laser: sculpting the stroma according to the visual correction.
Repositioning the flap
⏱ ~ 30 seconds
The flap is laid back onto the reshaped cornea, without sutures.
Corrected eye
⏱ Healing in 24 h
Natural adhesion, fast healing, restored vision.

99,5 %

Vision ≥ 20/40
Sandoval 2016 (67,893 eyes)

98 %

Patient satisfaction
PROWL FDA studies 2017

+25 years

Clinical experience
since 1999

According to the reference meta-analysis published in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery by Sandoval et al. in 2016, which analysed the outcomes of 67,893 eyes treated with LASIK across 97 international studies, 99.5% of eyes achieve an uncorrected visual acuity better than 20/40: the legal threshold for a driving licence, and 98.6% fall within ±1.0 dioptre of the refractive target.

A recent review of the scientific literature published in 2025 adds detail on high-resolution vision: with topography-guided LASIK (TG-LASIK): a cutting-edge technique that Dr Tourabaly performs: 91.8% of myopic patients achieve 20/20 without glasses or contact lenses (very sharp vision), and 95% of treated eyes fall within ±0.50 dioptre of the targeted correction.

In terms of subjective satisfaction, the figures converge: Sandoval reports 98.8% of satisfied patients, and the PROWL studies, conducted jointly by the FDA, the National Eye Institute and the US Department of Defense and published in JAMA Ophthalmology in 2017, reported 96% to 99% patient satisfaction across two separate cohorts (dissatisfaction rates of 1% to 4% depending on the question).

These results nonetheless reflect statistical averages. Every case is individual: only a full pre-operative work-up can accurately estimate the result you can expect.

Post-operative course and recovery

The speed of recovery is one of the distinctive features of LASIK compared with other refractive surgery techniques such as PKR.

The usual post-operative timeline is as follows:

Evening of day 0: blurred vision, watering eyes, a gritty sensation, light sensitivity. Resting in a dimly lit room is recommended.
Day 1: mandatory check-up at the Cachan office. Vision is often already useful for everyday activities (reading, screen use). Dr Tourabaly explains at the check-up when you can resume driving, generally within 2 to 3 days depending on your individual recovery.
Days 2 to 7: gradual improvement. Dry eye is common, treated with artificial tears.
Weeks 1 to 4: visual stabilisation, with possible night-time halos in low light.
Months 1 to 3: complete refractive stabilisation in most patients.

The antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops must be applied strictly as prescribed. Resuming activities follows these guidelines:

Screen work: 48 to 72 hours
Light sport: 1 week
Swimming, contact sports, sauna: 2 to 3 weeks
Eye make-up: 2 weeks

Medical follow-up includes a mandatory check-up at day 1, then at 1 month, 3 months and 1 year, to document the stability of the result.

FAIR INFORMATION

Possible risks and complications

No surgery is free of risk, and giving the patient fair information about these risks is an integral part of the pre-operative consultation.

Transient side effects (common, mild)

Dry eye for 1 to 3 months, treated with artificial tears
Night-time halos and glare, most often transient
Slight visual fluctuations in the first few weeks
Transient light sensitivity in the first few days

Rare complications worth knowing about

Flap folds (about 0.73% of cases): treatable by early repositioning, most often within 48 hours
Diffuse lamellar keratitis: a benign inflammation of the flap interface, resolving with intensive anti-inflammatory treatment
Undercorrection or overcorrection: a laser enhancement may be offered after 3 to 6 months of stability
Corneal infection: exceptional with current post-operative protocols
Corneal ectasia: a rare progressive deformation (estimated between 0.04% and 0.6% depending on the studies), whose risk is minimised by a rigorous pre-operative work-up including topography and pachymetry

The safety figures in context

Statistically, the 2025 review in the Journal of Refractive Surgery reports a rate of serious (sight-threatening) complications of 0.07%, fewer than one case per thousand procedures. The Sandoval meta-analysis covering 67,893 eyes shows a loss of 2 or more lines of visual acuity in only 0.61% of cases. The US PROWL studies indicate that fewer than 1% of patients report significant difficulties in their daily activities after LASIK.

In all transparency: no surgery is without risk, but LASIK ranks among the safest and best-documented elective procedures in modern medicine, provided candidates are rigorously selected during the initial work-up. This is why the pre-operative work-up at the Cachan office is so thorough: identifying contraindications early remains the key element of patient safety. For the full picture of the data, see our dedicated page on the safety of refractive surgery.

LASIK vs PKR vs SMILE: how to choose?

LASIK is not the only refractive surgery technique available. PKR and SMILE meet specific indications. Understanding the main differences helps guide the discussion during the pre-operative work-up.

Coupe transversale de cornée

Comparaison du geste chirurgical — LASIK et SMILE

LASIK

SMILE

Understand it visually

LASIK, PKR or SMILE: how to choose?

Each technique meets specific indications : corneal thickness, the magnitude of the refractive error, lifestyle. This table summarises the main differences, to be confirmed during the pre-operative work-up.

Dr Moïse Tourabaly · Chirurgie réfractive

Quelle technique agit où dans l'œil ?

PKRsurface LASIKcapot SMILElenticule ICLimplant

Technique cornéenne · on remodèle la cornée Implant intraoculaire · la cornée n'est pas touchée

PKR : le laser agit à la surface de la cornée, après retrait de l'épithélium. Souvent proposée pour les cornées fines ou les myopies faibles à modérées.

LASIK : un fin capot cornéen est découpé, le laser traite le stroma en dessous, puis le capot est repositionné. Possible pour la myopie, l'hypermétropie et l'astigmatisme si l'épaisseur de la cornée le permet.

SMILE : un lenticule est retiré dans l'épaisseur du stroma par une petite incision. Préserve davantage la structure de la cornée.

ICL : un implant est placé derrière l'iris, devant le cristallin conservé, sans toucher la cornée. Souvent proposé pour les fortes myopies ou les cornées trop fines pour le laser.

Zone traitée par la technique choisie Trajet de la lumière Structures naturelles conservées

Schéma indicatif. Le choix d'une technique se décide après un bilan préopératoire complet ; les résultats varient selon les patients.

Principle: creating a corneal flap with the femtosecond laser, then sculpting with the excimer laser.

Indications: myopia ≤ -10 D, hyperopia ≤ +5 D, astigmatism ≤ 5 D, cornea of sufficient thickness.

Recovery: useful vision within 24 h, stabilisation over 1 to 3 months.

Notable features: high post-operative comfort, fast recovery.

Principle: direct sculpting of the corneal surface (no flap). See the PKR page.

Indications: thin corneas, occupations with a risk of eye trauma (contact sports, military personnel).

Recovery: useful vision from day 4 (removal of the bandage lens), stabilisation over 1 to 3 months.

Notable features: no flap (eliminates the risk of folds), more uncomfortable in the first few days.

Principle: extraction of a corneal lenticule through a micro-incision (no full flap). See the SMILE page.

Indications: myopia ≤ -10 D, moderate astigmatism, patients wanting a minimally invasive approach.

Recovery: useful vision within 24-48 h.

Notable features: better preserves corneal innervation (less dry eye), not indicated for hyperopia.