Millions of people are struggling with vision problems like myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism, they have to depend on specs or contact lenses for their clear vision. Being dependent on some kind of visionary aids for perfect vision is going to be the irritating thing but when you are in need you cannot ignore it. But these modern vision correction techniques are offering that independence this is the reason why and how LASIK or SMILE surgery is getting this popular among the public. Hearing about these techniques not going to help unless or until you know about them because when you are becoming aware of it you could able to prefer the one that suits you better based on your visionary needs. Hands-on on the below content will help you understand the differences between LASIK and SMILE read and get it.
What is LASIK?
LASIK is one of those well-known vision correction techniques, during the surgical procedure the laser surgeon going to reshape your cornea with the help of a microkeratome blade or a femtosecond laser. They will create a thin flap over the corneal surface and then reshape the cornea in a way the light falls correctly on the retina. After the reshaping, the flap is repositioned, and the eye begins healing, it is a suture-less surgery. LASIK can predominantly treat myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism. The time for recovery is also less and the majority of the patients experience a significant improvement in vision within a day or two.
What is SMILE?
SMILE surgery is not as LASIK, in fact, SMILE is a newer minimally invasive laser eye surgery for vision correction. This SMILE surgery is primarily preferred for fixing the myopia and in some cases, astigmatism. In the procedure, SMILE does not create any kind of flap over the corneal surface instead it makes use of a femtosecond laser in order to create a small lenticule within the cornea, and then removes them via a tiny incision that reshapes the cornea and corrects the vision problem. SMILE creates a small incision to reshape the cornea and is also less invasive thus they are highly preferred in case of myopia.
Key differences between LASIK and SMILE
Both LASIK and SMILE aim to correct refractive errors and their ultimate goal is improving vision but still they differ in their techniques, benefits, and limitations which one should know before choosing the other.
Corneal flap vs. No flap
Generally, in the case of LASIK it going to create a corneal flap then it is lifted and repositioned after the surgery this was the process. The flap aids in quick recovery but at the same time, it also comes with some kind of risk factors it may also include flap dislocation or complications during healing. In SMILE, on the other hand, the procedure does not involve the creation of a flap over the cornea instead it will make a small incision and then the cornea will be reshaped so the complications related to the flap are minimized.
Invasiveness
On comparing both of the laser surgery procedures SMILE is considered to be less invasive than LASIK because in SMILE small incision is created to reshape the cornea but in LASER flap will be created.
Range of vision correction
When it comes to vision correction LASIK provides the versatile options than SMILE. LASIK could help with refractive errors, including myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism.
Recovery time
In the case of recovery time, LASIK offers you a quick recovery compared to the SMILE it will take a little longer for the healing process and vision clarity.
Book your LASIK appointment.
While you are interested in choosing the LASIK or SMILE surgery knowing the points mentioned above is important that will make you know the risks and benefits of both the surgery. Book your appointment with The Eye Foundation for laser eye surgery consultation the experts there help you in choosing the right one.
