LASIK Eye Surgery vs. SMILE- What’s The Best Corrective Eye Surgery For You?

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Published February 2, 2021

Are you tired of dealing with contacts and glasses? Corrective eye surgery might be the answer you’re looking for. However, something most people find themselves debating when they decide they’re ready for surgery is exactly what type of procedure would be best. To help avoid feeling overwhelmed by your options, here’s a basic rundown on the two most popular surgeries- Orange County LASIK and SMILE.

The procedure

While both surgeries are quite simple, the steps of these procedures do differ slightly. LASIK involves using two lasers: a femtosecond and excimer laser. The femtosecond laser is first used to create a small flap on the cornea, then the excimer laser reshapes the underlying tissue. This reshaping of the corneal tissue is what corrects the patient’s vision. In contrast, SMILE eye surgery only requires the use of the femtosecond laser for the entire procedure. This laser is used for two steps: first, to make an incision on the cornea and then to remove a small amount of corneal tissue. The removal of this tissue, called a lenticule, changes the shape of your cornea and flattens the top of it, thus allowing you to see more clearly. Overall, both are innovative laser eye surgery options that are equally safe and effective!

LASIK and SMILE similarities

The SMILE procedure was actually developed from LASIK, so the two share many things in common. Here are some of the biggest similarities between the two:

Procedure length- LASIK and SMILE are both pretty simple procedures. Each eye takes around 15 minutes to complete, so you should be in and out of the OR fairly quickly no matter what option you choose.
Recovery time- Recovery is pretty quick for both LASIK and SMILE- typically, you’ll only need one full day of rest. They also follow pretty similar recovery guidelines, such as no driving the day of surgery and avoiding activities that might strain or damage your sight, like reading, exercising, and getting in the water.
The use of lasers- It goes without saying that both these surgeries use lasers to fix your eyesight. Specifically, they both use a femtosecond laser to create a small incision on the top layer of your cornea.
Candidacy- Your surgeon will assess your candidacy for both procedures using similar guidelines. That is, you should be 21 years or older, be in good health, and have a certain vision prescription.

LASIK and SMILE differences

Of course, these procedures also share a fair amount of differences. Among them include the following:

The risk of long term dry eye is lower with SMILE- Whereas LASIK requires a 20 mm corneal flap to be made, SMILE is less invasive and only creates a 3 mm incision on the top of the cornea. This means that for the SMILE procedure, the nerves of the cornea are not as disturbed, resulting in a decreased risk of dry eye syndrome than associated with LASIK.
LASIK can treat all forms of refractive errors- SMILE can only be used to correct myopia. Unfortunately, if you have astigmatism or farsightedness, SMILE will not work for you. On the other hand, LASIK can treat all three conditions, so it’s suitable no matter what refractive error you have!
Corneal thickness and shape matters for LASIK- In order to be a good candidate for LASIK, your corneas must be a certain thickness and regular in shape. During a pre-op visit, your LASIK surgeon such as Doctor Moosa will examine your eyes and determine whether the corneas are a desired thickness and shape. If they find that your corneas are too thin, they might recommend SMILE since that procedure does not require these stipulations.
The results from SMILE may take a while to develop- With SMILE, it usually takes patients a couple of days to see the full effects of their surgery. However, LASIK results are usually noticeable directly after surgery. In both cases, your vision will continue to stabilize over the course of several weeks to months.

When considering laser eye surgery, you always want to make sure you’re doing your research into finding the perfect procedure for you. That being said, if you have any other questions of concerns about SMILE or LASIK, contact your local Orange County LASIK expert, Doctor Moosa, for more information.