What is SMILE Laser Treatment?

Confidence and comfort in eye health;

What is SMILE Treatment? ( Small İncision Lenticule Extration)

The elimination of refractive errors, which we call myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism, by interventions on the transparent cornea layer located at the outermost part of the eye has been applied for more than 50 years.
The aim here is to reshape the cornea, turning it into a kind of spectacle lens, so that the rays coming into the eye are focused in the right place.

This process, which started with RK (Radial Keratotomy) in the 1970s, moved to a different dimension with the introduction of Excimer Laser in 1989 and became widespread all over the world. In 1991, the LASIK technique was developed by removing a flap from the cornea and applying the Excimer Laser to the deeper tissues of the cornea. This shortened the healing process, reduced postoperative discomfort and stabilised the refractive results. In 2005, femtosecond lasers were started to be used instead of blade systems in the valve removal process, which we call flap from the cornea in LASIK technique. With these lasers, which can create incisions in the cornea in the depth and shape we want, the LASIK procedure has become safer and the method has been named FemtoLasik.

The latest development in corneal refractive correction was the SMILE technique developed by Zeiss.

It is a minimally invasive laser eye surgery method used in the treatment of refractive courses such as myopia and astigmatism.

How is SMILE Laser Applied?

Using femtosecond laser, the procedure is performed through a small incision of 2-4 mm without lifting the flap.

Compared to femtolasik, recovery is very fast in this surgery, which is faster because a single device is used. Corneal biomechanics are better preserved and dry eye is less common because the nerves are less damaged.

In 2024, Zeiss further developed the Visumax device that performs Smile treatment and launched the Visumax Pro. With this device, treatment time decreased to less than 10 seconds, astigmatism correction became more successful with the eye recognition system, and previously unavailable hyperopia treatments were added to the portfolio. Currently, myopia up to 10 degrees, hypermertopia up to 5 degrees and astigmatism can be treated with Visumax Pro.

As a result, with SMILE treatment, which we can define as the 3rd generation corneal refactive surgery, it has become safer and more comfortable to get rid of glasses in suitable patients.

Prepared by the Editorial Board of Eye Foundation Hospitals.