Laser Eye Surgery Services in Daly City, San Francisco and the Bay Area
Our Daly City clinic serves patients from across the region, including San Francisco proper, the Peninsula, Marin, the East Bay and the South Bay. Under one roof we offer:
- All-Laser Custom LASIK, including topography-guided Micro-LASIK
- ZEISS SMILE, the least invasive flapless laser option for myopia and astigmatism
- PRK and LASEK for thinner corneas and surface-treatment candidates
- EVO ICL, an implantable lens for prescriptions beyond laser range
- Laser cataract surgery with premium intraocular lenses
- Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) for presbyopia and early lens change
- Pterygium removal using conjunctival autograft technique
- Dry eye treatment, orthokeratology and keratoconus care
Because we are part of a Bay Area network, follow-up visits can also be attended at our San Ramon or Santa Clara offices. If you live in Dublin, Pleasanton or the South Bay, that can mean one trip to Daly City for surgery and closer appointments afterward.
Comparing Your Vision Correction Options
| Procedure | How it works | Best suited to | Visual recovery |
| Custom LASIK | Femtosecond laser creates a thin corneal flap, excimer laser reshapes the cornea | Stable prescriptions with adequate corneal thickness | Clear vision typically within 24 to 48 hours |
| ZEISS SMILE | Flapless keyhole procedure through a small corneal incision | Myopia and astigmatism, patients wanting minimal corneal disruption | Clear vision typically within 24 to 48 hours |
| PRK / LASEK | Surface layer removed, cornea reshaped, surface regenerates naturally | Thin corneas, large pupils, dry eye history, contact athletes and first responders | One to two weeks functional, one to three months for full sharpness |
| EVO ICL | Implantable collamer lens placed inside the eye, no tissue removed | Prescriptions beyond laser treatment range | Often clear vision within a day |
| Cataract surgery / RLE | Natural lens replaced with a premium intraocular lens | Cataracts, presbyopia, early lens change, usually age 45 and over | Often clear vision within a day |
Custom All-Laser LASIK Surgery in San Francisco
LASIK in San Francisco remains the most requested laser eye surgery for good reason. It corrects nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, takes roughly ten minutes for both eyes, and most patients see clearly enough to drive by the following morning.
Every LASIK procedure at our clinic is completely blade-free. A femtosecond laser creates the corneal flap, then an excimer laser reshapes the cornea to a plan built from your own diagnostic scans rather than a generic prescription.
Two things distinguish the LASIK vision correction available here. The first is All Laser Soft Touch Micro-LASIK, a technique IQ Laser Vision helped pioneer, which creates a significantly thinner flap than conventional LASIK and preserves more corneal tissue. The second is topography-guided treatment, which maps and corrects the higher-order aberrations unique to your eye. That detail is what patients notice at night, in the form of reduced halos and glare around headlights and streetlights.
If you have been quoted LASIK elsewhere but told your corneas are borderline, it is worth a second opinion here. Our diagnostic depth often changes the answer.
PRK Surgery in San Francisco: The Flapless Alternative for Thin Corneas
PRK is a surface laser procedure that creates no corneal flap. The surface layer of the cornea is gently removed, the excimer laser reshapes the tissue beneath, and the surface regenerates naturally over the following days.
That difference matters more than it sounds. PRK and LASEK are often the safer choice for patients with thinner corneas, larger pupils, certain corneal irregularities, or a history of dry eye. PRK is also the procedure of choice for combat athletes, martial artists, firefighters and law enforcement officers, where a flap could theoretically be disturbed by impact.
The trade-off is recovery time, and we will be direct about it. Vision is blurry for three to five days, functional vision returns across one to two weeks, and full sharpness develops over one to three months. The end result is comparable to LASIK. You simply wait longer to get there.
Laser Cataract Surgery and Premium Intraocular Lenses
A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens that develops with age. Colours dull, night driving becomes unpleasant, and glare around lights increases.
As a cataract surgeon in San Francisco, we replace that clouded lens with an intraocular lens chosen around your life, not just your chart. Premium IOL options include:
- Monofocal lenses for clear vision at a single focal distance
- Toric lenses for correcting astigmatism
- Extended-depth-of-focus lenses for a broader range of vision
- Multifocal lenses for distance and near vision
- The Light Adjustable Lens, which can be fine-tuned after surgery once your eye has healed
For patients over 45 who are not yet cataract candidates but have lost their reading vision, Refractive Lens Exchange applies the same technology earlier. It addresses presbyopia and removes any possibility of future cataracts in one step.
We will walk you through the trade-offs of each lens honestly, including the ones that come with compromises. There is no single best lens, only the best lens for how you actually use your eyes.
Pterygium Removal with Conjunctival Autograft
A pterygium is a fleshy, wing-shaped growth that spreads from the corner of the eye across the cornea. Bay Area patients who sail, surf, cycle, run or work outdoors see them regularly, since wind, dust and UV exposure all drive their formation. Left alone, a pterygium can distort the cornea, induce astigmatism and eventually encroach on the visual axis.
Pterygium surgery in San Francisco at our clinic uses conjunctival autograft technique rather than simple excision. We remove the growth, then graft healthy tissue from beneath your own eyelid over the bare area. This approach substantially reduces recurrence rates compared with removal alone, which matters because pterygium is notorious for coming back when treated superficially.
Recovery involves some redness and irritation for one to two weeks. Because pterygium is a medical condition rather than an elective procedure, treatment is frequently covered by insurance.
What to Expect Before, During and After Surgery
- Your consultation. Around 90 minutes, and free. We map corneal thickness and shape, measure pupil size, assess your tear film, dilate and examine the retina, and confirm your prescription has been stable. Leave soft contacts out for a week beforehand and bring a driver.
- Surgery day. Plan for two to three hours at the clinic, though the procedure itself takes minutes. Numbing drops mean you feel pressure rather than pain. You go home the same day.
- The first week. LASIK and SMILE patients typically see clearly within 24 to 48 hours. PRK patients need more patience. Drops are used on a schedule, eye rubbing is off-limits, and swimming and hot tubs wait two weeks. Hot yoga can wait too, however much you miss it.
- Follow-up. We see you the day after surgery, then at one week, one month and beyond, at Daly City, San Ramon or Santa Clara depending on what is convenient.
LASIK Cost in San Francisco: Pricing, Insurance and Financing
LASIK surgery in San Francisco typically costs between $2,400 and $3,400 per eye at premium refractive centers, placing the Bay Area above the national average. Local overhead is the main driver, along with the technology and surgeon experience a practice invests in.
Prices advertised near $500 per eye almost always describe older platforms or a headline rate very few patients qualify for once testing is complete. Ask any provider what their quote actually includes, and whether enhancements and post-operative care are part of it.
Your figure depends on prescription strength, astigmatism, the procedure selected and the platform used. We confirm it in writing at consultation.
- Financing. Monthly payment plans are available, subject to credit approval.
- HSA and FSA. LASIK, PRK, SMILE, EVO ICL and RLE are all eligible, so you can pay with pre-tax dollars.
- Vision plans. Many Bay Area employers offer plans with member discounts worth checking.
- Medical insurance. Rarely covers elective refractive surgery, but cataract surgery and pterygium removal are commonly covered.
Our Daly City Laser Eye Surgeons
Choosing your laser eye surgeon in San Francisco matters more than choosing your procedure.
Dr. Robert T. Lin founded IQ Laser Vision and serves as lead medical director. He is a graduate of the UCLA School of Medicine at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, where he is also an Assistant Clinical Professor, is board-certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, and has performed over 70,000 refractive surgeries. He is among a small number of surgeons in the United States certified by the Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance. He had LASIK himself more than twenty years ago.
Our Bay Area patients are also cared for by Dr. Amy L. Barrion, Dr. Joseph P. Barrion, whose 25-year military career shaped the standard of precision our clinic works to, and Dr. Jack Tian, who specialises in refractive lens exchange and cataract surgery.
Between them, our surgeons hold decades of combined refractive experience and hundreds of five-star reviews across Google, Yelp and Facebook. What patients mention most often is not the technology. It is that someone took the time to explain why a particular procedure was right, and occasionally why one was not.
Book Your Free Consultation
You have probably been thinking about this for a while. Most of our patients tell us afterward that they wish they had come in sooner.
Your consultation is free, carries no obligation, and ends with a clear answer about which procedures your eyes support and what each would cost. If we do not think surgery is right for you, we will tell you that too. Book your consultation online or call the clinic directly.
