ReLEx SMILE

SMILE | SMall Incision Lenticule Extraction

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We proudly offer the latest generation of premium minimally invasive laser refractive surgery procedures for patients with nearsightedness and astigmatism, VisuMax ReLEx SMILE (Small Incision Lenticule Extraction). This is a flapless, bladeless form of laser eye surgery that effectively turns laser eye surgery into a keyhole or pocket procedure. Patients with high prescriptions, drier eyes, contact lens intolerance, and/or thinner corneas may now be qualified for surgery.

Laser refractive surgery procedures using the Excimer Laser, such as PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) and LASIK (Laser Assisted in-situ Keratomileusis), have been successfully performed on several millions of patients over the past two decades around the world. These procedures effectively restore spectacle-free clear vision with a few associated issues, such as delayed visual recovery, discomfort in PRK, and corneal flap complications in LASIK.

Carl Zeiss Meditec developed Refractive Lenticule Extraction (ReLEx) in the form of SMILE to address Excimer issues with the VisuMax Femtosecond laser platform.

During the procedure, eye anesthetic drops numb the eye completely. The state-of-the-art Carl Zeiss VisuMax laser places a series of pulses in the center of the cornea with extraordinary 3D placement accuracy. These pulses form bubbles that are less than 1/100th the width of a human hair and outline the tissue that must be removed to change the cornea’s shape effectively. The laser creates a tiny connecting tunnel through which the surgeon draws out this tissue.

With ReLEx SMILE, no flap is created, so the healing time is faster than conventional LASIK. The procedure takes minutes, and the vision is 80% better and reaches 100% within a few days. No other laser platform has been able to match the accuracy of the Carl Zeiss VisuMax (which is accurate enough to inscribe a word on a grain of sand) in producing this keyhole type of laser eye surgery.