Posted by: Manhattan LASIK Center
Most people have heard of vision correction procedures like LASIK. But now, new and more minimally invasive vision correction procedures are also available.
One of these is a procedure called SMILE. SMILE is, far and away, one of the most advanced vision correction procedures you can undergo.
It’s a highly effective procedure that can give you total visual freedom from glasses and contact lenses. The procedure is easy, painless, and has a short recovery time.
If you’re sick of glasses and contact lenses and want better vision, SMILE may be perfect for you! Want to learn more?
Keep reading to find out what SMILE is, the advantages SMILE has over other vision correction procedures, what makes a good SMILE candidate, and why laser vision correction has never been easier in Long Island with SMILE!
What is SMILE?
SMILE stands for Small Incision Lenticule Extraction. SMILE is a refractive laser eye procedure that changes how light refracts through your eye.
Refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism occur due to the shape of your cornea. The cornea is the clear, frontmost part of your eye.
Refractive laser eye procedures correct these errors by changing the shape of the cornea and removing a small amount of corneal tissue. SMILE is FDA-approved to correct nearsightedness and astigmatism in qualified patients.
It does this by creating and removing a lenticule in the cornea. The lenticule is a disc-shaped piece of tissue about the size of a contact lens and is made using a femtosecond laser.
A femtosecond laser can remove tissue below the cornea’s surface without breaking through the surface. Using a femtosecond laser, your surgeon will create a lenticule and a tiny incision in the cornea.
After creating the lenticule, they will make the incision and pull the lenticule out through it. Because the incision is so small, it heals independently without needing stitches or sutures.
Other refractive laser eye procedures are available, but SMILE is unique because it’s minimally invasive. It’s even less invasive than the most popular vision correction procedure: LASIK.
SMILE vs. LASIK
Like SMILE, LASIK is also a refractive laser eye procedure, meaning it’s designed to change the shape of the cornea, just like SMILE. But instead of creating a lenticule below the cornea’s surface, the inside of the cornea is accessed by making a flap out of the top of the cornea.
The flap made during LASIK is also created with a femtosecond laser, but it entirely separates the top part of the cornea from the rest of it, except for one tiny section that acts as a hinge. The hinge, or flap, is lifted by your surgeon.
They then use another laser, called an excimer laser, to reshape the cornea and remove a predetermined and precise amount of tissue from the cornea to correct each patient’s specific refractive errors. After LASIK, the flap is placed back down.
The flap acts as a natural bandage to protect the eye as it heals. Using the flap as a natural bandage is part of what makes LASIK a more advanced and less invasive procedure than previous kinds of refractive laser eye surgeries.
But the corneal flap can take a long time to fuse back with the rest of the eye. While rare, there’s also a risk for the flap to become dislocated while the patient is still recovering.
Patients with thin corneas also cannot have LASIK because their corneas aren’t thick enough to accommodate a flap. Removing even a minuscule amount of tissue from the cornea in these patients could lead to severe visual complications.
Since SMILE doesn’t require a flap, it’s more accessible than LASIK, making it less invasive.
SMILE also has many other benefits!
Easy Recovery
Recovery after SMILE is easy. Patients experience minimal discomfort following the procedure.
Many patients also see immediate visual improvement. These advancements to their vision only continue as their eyes heal.
During recovery, most people can go about their lives as usual, only taking prescription eye drops and taking a few precautions to protect their eyes from outside contaminants. By doing this, you can start enjoying your new vision and the beautiful world around you!
Fewer Post-Surgical Side Effects
SMILE is less invasive because it disturbs less corneal tissue than other laser vision correction procedures. Because of this, patients experience fewer side effects following surgery.
Most notably, this means patients have a lower risk of developing dry eye after SMILE. If you’re predisposed to dry eyes, a vision correction procedure like SMILE may be better for you.
Incredible Results
Most SMILE patients end up with 20/20 vision or better. SMILE is also permanent, allowing you to look forward to years and years of crisper, clearer, and sharper vision!
No vision correction procedure can prevent age-related vision problems like presbyopia or cataracts. However, SMILE lasts and won’t stop you from receiving treatment for any age-related condition when you get older. But to get the most out of SMILE, you should have it sooner than later.
Is SMILE Right for Me?
To be a good candidate for SMILE, you need to be in good health, be at least 21, be nearsighted, and/or have mild astigmatism. But the only way to know for sure if you’re a candidate for SMILE is to have an evaluation.
So why not schedule your commitment-free consultation today at Manhattan LASIK Center in Long Island, NY? Isn’t it time to find out if SMILE can give you the vision of your dreams?
