Dr. Michael W. Fung, from Society Hill Ophthalmic Associates, will be performing the surgery at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.
"The procedure is called PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) and takes about seven minutes per eye," said Dr. Fung. "He will see results fairly quickly, but the difference between PRK versus LASIK is that the visual outcome will take a few weeks before he gets to his final visual outcome as opposed to LASIK where he would be seeing better in a couple of days."
"There were times during the games this season it was kind of annoying when I was wearing contact lenses," said Briere. "They would get dry and start to bother me a little bit sitting on the bench. They told me it was a safe procedure and would be safe to play hockey so I am going to get it done."
Briere, 31, recorded 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points in 29 regular season games for the Flyers in 2008-09, while also posting four points (1G,3A) in six Stanley Cup Playoff games.
He missed 53 games during the regular season due to a groin injury and underwent exploratory surgery on January 22 to his groin/stomach area. Briere was assigned to the Flyers’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, for conditioning purposes on January 14, where he recorded a goal and four assists for five points in three games.
Flyers left wing Simon Gagne had the same procedure performed by Dr. Fung on May 5. "He is doing really well," said Dr. Fung of Gagne. "He is seeing most of the 20/20 letters without glasses or contacts at this point and he is about a week or week and a half out."
NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup, the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo, the Stanley Cup Final logo, Center Ice name and logo, NHL Conference logos, NHL Winter Classic name, and The Biggest Assist Happens Off The Ice are registered trademarks and Vintage Hockey word mark and logo, The Game Lives Where You Do, NHL Winter Classic logo, NHL Heritage Classic name and logo, NHL Stadium Series name and logo, NHL All-Star logo, NHL Face-Off name and logo, NHL. TV, NHL Premium, NHL After Dark, NHL GameCenter, NHL GameCenter LIVE, NHL Network name and logo, NHL Tonight name and logo, On The Fly, NHL Awards name and logo, NHL Draft name and logo, Hockey Fights Cancer, Because It's The Cup, NHL Green name and logo, NHL Vault, Hockey Is For Everyone, NHL Thanksgiving Showdown name and logo, NHL Centennial Classic name and logo, NHL Centennial Season logo, NHL100 Classic name and logo, NHL Global Series name and logo, NHL China Games name and logo, and Don't Miss A Moment are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © NHL 2018. All Rights Reserved. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. The Zamboni word mark and configuration of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. © Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. 2018. All Rights Reserved. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.