What Is SMILE Eye Surgery?

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).

*Read Also: Retina surgery

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.