Nowadays, the popularity of laser eye surgeries is unquestionable; they have gained so many people’s trust due to their fast recovery and high success rate. SMILE surgery is one of these surgeries and has also gained much popularity.
An Introduction to SMILE Surgery
SMILE is the acronym for Small Incision Lenticule Extraction Surgery. It is the latest surgery in all of laser eye refractive surgeries. It is performed with the help of a femtosecond laser which tends to create a small lenticule in the eye’s cornea. Then the extraction of the lenticule is completed with a small incision that is done with the help of the laser. This extraction of the lenticule helps change the cornea’s shape, which also helps to get the required changes in the eye. The procedure is safe and secure, and the healing through the post-surgery is quick.
This new surgery procedure helps with myopia, astigmatism, and hyperopia. If the patient is using contact lenses, they are advised to switch to glasses before the surgery. The switch must be made three months before at least the vision metrics must be consistent for about a year before performing the surgery. SMILE surgery is most commonly performed for nearsightedness and astigmatism, as it helps correct the vision in both conditions. The procedure is also less invasive.
Benefits of SMILE Surgery
As the surgery is a minimal and less invasive procedure, the incision is done upto 3 mm, and this incision is smaller than all other surgeries. Also, the healing after the surgery is done very quickly, and patients can return to their everyday life soon. As the incision is small thus, very few corneal nerves tend to be disturbed, and the cornea’s stability is maintained proficiently.
The patient is advised to perform some specific activities carefully only and rest most of the time during the first few days of the surgery. There is a scarce chance of any complications after the SMILE surgery. Still, the patient should discuss any possible risks with their doctor. These are some essential measures that one must take before the surgery. Even if there are some complications, they are nothing more than undercorrected or overcorrected vision. These complications can be corrected through some additional surgeries or the use of glasses.
Other prevalent complications include infections or inflammations. This also makes this surgery a perfect option for people with active and working schedules. In SMILE surgery, causing a corneal flap is unnecessary, so all of the upcoming complications are avoided. All of these reasons perfectly describe the success of SMILE surgery.
The success of SMILE Surgery
This surgery is also considered a success as the patients can quickly return to their everyday life and continue with their daily activities compared to other surgeries as only small incisions are involved. The patients also heal and recover faster than the other surgeries, as the recovery of the physical tissue is quick because no flap or cut is made, so the healing takes place by the next day.
The patient can also quickly resume their daily activities, such as outdoor sports, swimming, etc., in the first week of their surgery. But some energetic activities are usually avoided for the first 15 days after the surgery, and after the patient can also resume that. The procedure with all of these benefits is also considered very safe. The central concept behind SMILE surgery was to make existing surgeries such as LASIK even more stable and secure long-term for the patients.
SMILE Surgery over other surgeries
The technique used in SMILE surgery is very predictable and effective. It also ensures the patient a sense of safety and sensibility, which makes it superior over the other surgeries as there is no need for a flap; thus, there is no sense of any complications for the patients. These factors a patient may not get from other surgeries contribute towards the success of SMILE surgery. After the SMILE surgery, the patient’s cornea is considered more stable biometrically; this happens because the incision made on the cornea during SMILE surgery is 80% smaller than the flap which is produced during LASIK surgery.
The chances of dry eye, ectasia, and cornea thinning are also minimal in SMILE surgery. This surgery can quickly cure conditions like Presbyopia, Myopia, Astigmatism, and Hypermetropia. The patient also does not need to worry about any cutting of the nerves, weak cornea, complications, and dry eye during the SMILE Surgery as this surgery is flapless. The minimum age requirement to undergo SMILE surgery is 18 years old, and it can be done upto the age of 40. The eligibility of an individual is determined through a series of tests.
Many people prescribed LASIK surgery can also go for SMILE surgery instead of LASIK surgery if they want; they need to consult their doctor and take their permission first. People generally prefer SMILE surgery over other surgeries as it is flapless, painless, has significantly less chance of complications since it is flapless, has no risk of any flap displacement, and ensures stability in the long term. Patients do not need to worry about the healing of corneal flaps. Considering these factors, the SMILE surgery is quite successful.
The success rate of SMILE surgery
Studies have shown that no patient with SMILE surgery has ever needed any retreatment, so we can say that SMILE surgery has had a great success rate for the last two years it has been performed on people. The chances of a patient who undergo LASIK surgery for any retreatment is about 0.4% to 0.8%, and this surgery has been performed on people for the last 18 years.
People also had no complaints of any infections related to their eyes after the SMILE surgery. Also, people do not face issues such as dry eyes and night vision after the SMILE surgery. As the process of SMILE surgery is very comfortable thus, many people prefer this surgery over other surgeries. The main reason behind this surgery’s comfort is the use of the femtosecond laser, which has a shallow suction effect on the eyes of the patient, unlike the other surgeries, which create flaps.
