A study comparing the safety, effectiveness and reliability of LASIK and LASEK has found no clinically significant differences between the two types of laser eye surgery.

The study, published in Decembers American Journal of Ophthalmology, involved 122 LASIK-treated eyes that were matched for all measures with 122 LASEK-treated eyes from a review of the charts of 2,257 eye surgeries performed by one surgeon.

We found that although there were some differences in the visual and refractive results that favor the LASEK procedure, the differences were not clinically significant, says lead researcher Dimitri Azar, M.D., head of ophthalmology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The researchers note that previous smaller studies had found similar results.

Both procedures seem safe, effective and predictable for the treatment of low to moderate myopia, Dr. Azar says.