If your cornea is thinner than average or has an atypical shape, the doctor may recommend LASEK. This bladeless procedure involves lasering the surface of the cornea and then replacing the natural surface epithelial cells, without creating a flap. A clear contact lens is placed on the eye after surgery for about five days as a bandage. The visual recovery is slightly slower than with LASIK but for thin or atypical corneas the long-term safety is much higher. The same VISX excimer laser is used to reshape the cornea in both LASIK and LASEK. The difference is that in LASIK, the laser is applied at 1/3rd corneal depth and in LASEK, the laser is applied to the corneal surface.