Whether LASIK or SMILE is the laser vision correction best suited for your patients, their vision for the future can be sharpened.
As you know, LASIK has been helping patients for more than 25 years to see more clearly without glasses. Today we want to tell you about the newest laser vision correction technology coming to our practice – SMILE! Together with LASIK, SMILE provides us with a complete set of laser vision correction tools to help many patients find better vision and less dependence on glasses or contacts.
Understanding how both LASIK and SMILE work will help you understand the vision procedure options for your patients. LASIK was developed in the early 1990s and is the most utilized form of laser vision correction today.
During the LASIK procedure, a laser is used to make a small flap across the cornea. The flap is folded back, and a second laser is used to reshape the cornea, which allows the eye to focus clearly. The flap is then folded back into its original position.
After LASIK, it takes very little time for the flap to heal, and side effects include slight risk of infection and dry eye symptoms. Visual recovery takes place immediately. Healing and stability of the flap takes four to seven days.
Treatment Comparison: PRK, LASIK, SMILE
SMILE is the first major innovation in laser vision correction since LASIK. The procedure is minimally invasive, noiseless and odorless.
During a SMILE procedure, a thin, contact lens-shaped layer just beneath the surface of the eye is removed through a small opening. Due to removing this layer, the cornea is gently reshaped and the patient’s vision is sharpened, correcting the refractive error. SMILE is a gentle and highly precise procedure lasting only a few minutes total, with the laser only active for about 30 seconds. There is little disturbance to the eye because of the small laser opening size.
NWES Co-Management Manual: Refractive Surgery Options & Protocols page 29
Cases of dry eye, severed nerves and infection as a result of laser vision correction are very low with SMILE. Overall it tends to be a very comfortable and convenient experience for patients. Patients are able to resume most normal daily activities within a few days, including driving, showering, applying makeup and going to work. The visual outcome is highly predictable. More than 2 million SMILE procedures have been performed worldwide, and results have been consistent.
Audrey Talley Rostov, MD and Michael Banitt, MD, are trained in SMILE technology at Northwest Eye Surgeons, and we welcome you to find out more by observing SMILE or other refractive surgeries.
Audrey Talley Rostov, MD
Michael Banitt, MD, MHA
Complete an online consultation request, and we’ll help your patients understand their options for LASIK or SMILE. To observe LASIK or SMILE surgery, contact us at 800-826-4631, ext. 5088, or at pr@nweyes.com.
