How do you cut corners with LASIK since most of the hard work is
automated? Are there better and worse LASIK machines? I thought all
had to be FDA approved.

Off the top of my head - don't have a laser tech on staff. Use the
laser tube itself for more than 1000 procedures - it's still within FDA
spec, but not as accurate as it was earlier in it's life. Use a laser
that's 5 years old (same thing). Hire people that graduated at the
bottom of their class, from a foreign med school.