Is laser eye surgery better classified as a cure or a treatment?

Definitely a treatment, not a "cure."

Laser Vision Surgery (LASIK, PRK, SMILE) all work on the cornea at the front of the eye to treat myopia (nearsightedness)and astigmatism. Myopia is overwhelmingly caused by an eyeball that has grown "too big." The cornea plus the natural lens behind the pupil work together to focus an image onto the retina (like film in a camera) at the back of the eye. But since the eye is "too long" they only focus the image to a certain average distance, not all the way to the retina.

By thinning and re-shaping the cornea, the blurry focal point can be "pushed back" to the actual distance needed to fall directly on the retina. Even with 20/20 vision post-treatment though, the eye is still larger, and the walls thinner, than in a normal eye.

Written by J. Trevor Woodhams, M.D. - Chief of Surgery, Woodhams Eye Clinic