No touch laser eye surgery is not LASIK. It is a variant of PRK which is the older and original laser vision correction. In PRK the surface epithelium is removed and then the laser treats the eye which leaves a large raw area that has to heal over 5-7 days. In LASIK a flap is made, and the eye only has to heal at the "seam" which happens in a matter of hours. This is the reason for the rapid recovery and minimal discomfort of LASIK as opposed to PRK.
For the PRK procedure, there are varying ways of removing the skin or epithelial layer of the eye. It can be removed mechanically with a rotating brush, chemically with alcohol, or using the same laser that is later used for the vision correction. This last method is the so called "no touch" because only a laser touches the eye. In reality, sometimes the laser will not remove all of the outer layer evenly and a manual "scrape" still needs to be done before the actual treatment. No matter which method is used, there is still the time needed to regrow a new surface layer and during that time the vision is blurry and there is some discomfort.
There are cases where PRK is preferable to LASIK, but which PRK method is used does not have a significant effect on the recovery or result. The no touch technique is an option for PRK, but it is not LASIK.
Blade free LASIK is no touch with a blade where a separate femtosecond laser is used to create the flap. This advanced method should not be confused with "no touch" PRK laser eye surgery.
