How SMILE Eye Surgery is Different From LASIK Eye Surgery?
SMILE surgery is one of the laser surgeries that doctors perform to treat astigmatism and nearsightedness in patients. LASIK is another standard laser eye treatment done to address refractive errors.
But one needs to understand certain factors involving these two procedures to know which one is the most suitable. There are some fundamental differences between SMILE and LASIK that determine how they are different from each other.
Why Is SMILE Popular?
Since 2008 SMILE has been a laser vision correction method. But with the introduction of advanced laser technology, this surgical procedure has proved very successful in recent times in treating myopia. There is still research going on to use SMILE surgery in other forms of refractive errors.
Benefits of SMILE & LASIK
According to some research, both SMILE and LASIK give almost similar results in terms of refractive error surgeries.
Only in some cases of severe nearsightedness, LASIK surgery may not give sufficient improvement. In such cases, second laser treatment may be required.
But SMILE is a better option to treat severe myopia, and it gives more improved results than LASIK. During SMILE, the cornea does not become dehydrated and also it remains stable, unlike LASIK.
For both LASIK and SMILE eye surgery in Delhi, you must consult in a well-known eye hospital and get your eyes checked.
Limitation of SMILE and LASIK
The major limitation of SMILE is that it can correct the nearsightedness of a particular range. For farsightedness, LASIK is always the better option.
In SMILE, the removal of lenticular causes less damage to the corneal surface. But the result may not always be LASIK surgery. The amount of corneal reshaping needed to treat hyperopia is better achieved with LASIK than SMILE.
Differences between SMILE and LASIK
Procedure
SMILE is a two-step procedure like LASIK. In this method, a femtosecond laser is used to create two cuts. The first cut refractive cut is done to get the lenticule. Then through the second cut the lenticular extraction and manually removed. It results in the changed shape of the cornea that treats the patient’s eye condition.
On the other hand, in LASIK, a corneal flap is created using a femtosecond laser. In the second step, this flap is lifted. Later the cornea is reshaped using an excimer laser to improve the patient’s eye condition.
End Result
Both LASIK and SMILE are known to give equally better results. But the results may vary, and the effects may be different as per the patient’s eye condition. Therefore, the patient’s satisfaction level depends on the outcome of the surgery done.
LASIK can treat a broad range of refractive errors. But SMILE is mostly used to treat patients with myopia having a range between -1 and -8 diopters.
If your condition is not suitable for SMILE, you can go for the best LASIK eye surgery in Delhi.
Post-surgery Phase
LASIK and SMILE patients have a similar routine to follow after the surgery. Patients mostly get full visual improvement within the next 3 to 6 months. For both these laser surgeries, patients get driving vision within the next 24 hours. The recovery varies from patient to patient. In most cases, LASIK patients receive a full 20/20 vision. But in SMILE, achieving 20/20 vision is a little confusing.
Also, both these surgeries have similar complications, and side effects that are temporary and certain medications and precautions help patients to recover fast.
Prior consultation is necessary to decide whether SMILE is for you. Make sure you discuss with your ophthalmologist if your eye condition needs SMILE or LASIK. Eye doctors perform a diagnosis to choose the best candidate for laser treatments.
