Lasik remains by far the dominant procedure, according to David Harmon, president of the St. Louis research firm MarketScope, who said that the growth of the procedure had plateaued at about 1.4 million procedures annually. In the Washington area, an estimated 47,500 procedures were done last year, Harmon said. Cost varies from about $1,400 to $2,900 per eye, depending on the surgeon and technology; because it is considered elective, the surgery is rarely covered by insurance.

"Ten years ago we had two procedures -- Lasik and PRK -- and everyone got one of them," said Chevy Chase eye surgeon Roy Rubinfeld, a clinical expert for the American Academy of Ophthalmology who operated on [Linette Hwu]. "Today we have many more tools in our bag of tricks."

In addition to Lasik, PRK and Epi-Lasik, there is IntraLase, which uses a laser rather than the special blade used in Lasik to cut a flap in the cornea; it may offer improved precision and reduce side effects such as dry eye, the one complication Hwu experienced.