SMILE Eye Surgery

Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a common type of refractive error where near objects appear clearly, but far objects appear blurry. This happens when the eyeball is too long or the cornea has too much curvature, causing light to focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it.

Astigmatism causes your vision to be blurred at both near and far distances. It occurs when your cornea is shaped more like a football than a basketball.

Key features of astigmatism include:

1. Blurred or Distorted Vision: Individuals with astigmatism often experience blurred or distorted vision at both near and far distances.
2. Eye Strain and Discomfort: Astigmatism can lead to eye strain, headaches, and discomfort, especially after prolonged periods of reading or computer use.
3. Difficulty with Night Vision: Some people with astigmatism may notice challenges with night vision, including glare and halos around lights.
4. Combination with Other Refractive Errors: Astigmatism can occur on its own or in combination with nearsightedness or farsightedness.

SMILE eye surgery is an excellent procedure for people with thin corneas, and specifically for people with dry eyes and contact lens intolerance. Your NVISION surgeon will determine which laser vision correction procedure is right for your individual needs based on your exam findings, and vision goals.

SMILE eye surgery causes less disruption of the corneal nerves than other laser vision procedures. As a result, if you already have dry eyes, SMILE eye surgery is not likely to exacerbate your symptoms. It is the most ‘dry eye friendly’ laser vision correction procedure. Also, your eye is not susceptible to trauma since there is no flap to potentially dislodge, as with Lasik, however, that is extremely rare.

If you are contact lens intolerant and have dry eyes, SMILE eye surgery is the most dry eye friendly procedure of any other laser vision correction procedure. Your symptoms of dry eyes, associated with contact lens wear, typically improve after SMILE. Also, if you are involved in contact sports, since SMILE does not involve creating a flap, as in LASIK eye surgery, you do not have to worry about being involved in contact sports, although, it is always recommended to wear eye protection regardless whether you have had surgery or not. Since the recovery of vision with SMILE and LASIK are essentially the same, people who choose SMILE are ones who prefer not to have a LASIK flap, or, it is the procedure recommended by our surgeons since you have dry eyes or if you are involved in contact sports.

Unlike LASIK, which is a two-step procedure that requires two lasers, one to create the corneal flap and another to remove tissue to reshape the cornea, SMILE eye surgery does not involve creating a flap. The SMILE laser works inside the cornea to isolate a lenticule of tissue that is then removed through a very tiny SMILE shaped opening. Instead of evaporating the tissue with LASIK, with SMILE, the tissue is removed in one piece through the tiny opening in the cornea. The recovery of vision with SMILE and LASIK are essentially the same. With PRK, the recovery of vision is slower than LASIK or SMILE. The outcome of all three procedures is essentially the same with the same predictability.