Laser Vision Correction

1. Minimally Invasive Procedure
   Compared to most procedures, SMILE laser vision correction is gentle and comfortable. Your surgeon will only need to make a small, precise opening to correct your vision.
2. Quick and Simple
   SMILE takes only a few minutes to start to finish. The part of the procedure that uses a laser to reshape your cornea lasts about 30 seconds.
3. Recovery
   Most people return to their normal activities the next day.
4. Eye Comfort
   With SMILE, you may experience less dry eye and discomfort during and after the procedure.
5. Freedom from Lenses
   SMILE is designed to lessen your need for glasses and contacts.

LASIK and PRK

During custom wavefront LASIK, all patients are treated using a bladeless laser to make the flap; this method is safer and much more accurate than traditional LASIK. Then, a second laser is used to reshape the cornea and the flap is replaced. It is nearly painless and patients generally see improvement to their vision immediately after surgery.

PRK (Photorefractive keratectomy) uses the excimer laser in the same way as LASIK and vision correction results are very similar. The main difference between PRK and LASIK is that in PRK there is no flap — only the very top (epithelial) layer of the cornea is removed before the excimer laser sculpts the cornea. A “bandage” soft contact lens is placed on the treated eye(s) to promote epithelial healing, which takes about four days. While LASIK patients often report clear, improved vision by the day after surgery, it may be a few days before vision stabilizes for PRK patients while the cornea’s epithelial layer re-grows. This refractive option is utilized if the patient has thin corneas, dry eye issues, previous LASIK surgery, or other factors in which PRK would be a safer option.

Refractive lens exchange (RLE) may be an option for people with high myopia (nearsightedness), high astigmatism, hyperopia (farsightedness), and presbyopia for whom LASIK or PRK is not recommended. With RLE (also called Clear Lens Extraction or CLE) an artificial lens (Intraocular Lens or IOL) is used to replace the eye’s natural lens in order to improve vision without glasses or contacts. The procedure is performed much like laser assisted cataract surgery with the bladeless laser. Similar to cataract surgery, RLE may use premium IOLs. Toric lenses provide patients with high astigmatism the ability to see clearly at one distance and trifocal or extended depth of focus lenses allow patients the ability to focus at all distances (far, intermediate and near). During the evaluation, several tests will be performed to determine which IOL type(s) is best fit for you and your lifestyle.

Some people who have early stage cataracts may choose to have RLE instead of waiting for their cataracts to mature. This is because the intraocular lens implants will provide better vision for them without their glasses or contacts.

Implantable Contact Lens (ICL)

The Implantable Collamer, or Contact, Lens (ICL) is a soft, flexible lens that is placed behind the iris (colored part of the eye) and in front of the natural lens to reduce dependency on glasses or contact lenses. The best candidates for this refractive procedure are highly nearsighted (myopic) patients with prescriptions between -6.00 and -18.00, between the ages of 21 and 45, and who do not have any history of ocular disease or previous eye surgery.
Read more about the Visian ICL
Visian ICL successful in surgeon with high myopia