What is SMILE laser eye surgery?
Laser eye surgery called Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) is the most recent development in the field of laser vision correction. SMILE eye surgery is an invasive procedure that treats myopia (nearsightedness). It is effective in curing mild astigmatism up to 5 diopters in addition to myopia. Refractive Lenticule Extraction/RELEX is another name for SMILE.
It is a quantum leap in refractive surgery based on technology that won a Nobel Prize (Nobel Prize in Physics 2018).
What distinguishes SMILE laser eye surgery from LASIK?
The fact that SMILE can only treat uncomplicated kinds of nearsightedness is a significant distinction between it and the LASIK operation (myopia). High nearsightedness, substantial astigmatism, farsightedness, or other vision impairments referred to as Higher-Order Aberrations cannot correct with SMILE. Only more sophisticated LASIK laser vision correction technology can correct this. You should discuss what to expect from this procedure with our best ophthalmologist.
How is LASIK performed?
In contrast to SMILE, LASIK (Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) combines two distinct lasers to produce a more exact result. A femtosecond laser first creates a tiny thin, hinged flap from the cornea’s outer (epithelial) surface. The corneal flap is then pulled back to reveal the corneal tissue beneath (the stroma).
The stroma is then expertly sculpted using a mild UV excimer laser so that the cornea can concentrate light more precisely.
To develop a customized surgical plan for each eye, sophisticated computer software uses space-age technology to assess the topography and refractive error of over 1200 zones in the cornea. The excimer laser is likewise guided by this computer program. The flap is gently placed back into place and allowed to heal on its own after the corneal reshaping procedure, which takes under a minute for each eye.
LASIK’s visual recovery is substantially faster than SMILE’s. Instead of the two or three days that are customary for SMILE patients, the majority of patients are comfortable enough to go back to work the following day.
What is the process of SMILE eye surgery?
SMILE laser eye surgery is a cutting-edge laser procedure that makes use of a modern Carl Zeiss VisuMax laser. The steps are as follows:
- To ensure that the procedure is painless, our best eye surgeon will first numb the eye with anaesthetic eye drops.
- The Carl Zeiss VisuMax laser is then used to precisely position a number of pulses on the center of the cornea.
- The laser’s pulses then produce little bubbles that are no larger than human hair in diameter. The tissue that needs to cut out defined by these bubbles.
- The surgeon can draw out the tissue by using the laser to make a tiny connecting tunnel, modifying the cornea’s structure for better vision.
For both eyes, the entire process takes less than 15 minutes, with the laser only used for a tiny fraction of that time.
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