SMILE LASIK

SMILE LASIK offers one of the fastest recovery times among vision correction procedures, with many patients able to return to normal daily activities within 1–2 days.

Unlike conventional LASIK or LASEK, SMILE does not use an excimer laser. Instead, a highly precise femtosecond laser creates a small lenticule within the cornea, which is then removed through a minimal incision without creating a corneal flap. This minimally invasive approach reduces disruption to the corneal surface and eliminates the healing process associated with a LASIK flap, helping support a faster and more comfortable recovery.

Normal daily activities are generally possible starting the day after SMILE LASIK surgery. A follow-up examination is scheduled the next day to check the healing process.

If no unusual issues are found during the examination, patients can typically resume everyday activities such as washing their face, washing their hair, and going outside. Women may also resume facial makeup and eye makeup after the next-day follow-up, according to the doctor’s guidance.

The cost of SMILE LASIK varies depending on the clinic, so it is difficult to provide an exact price. Because SMILE LASIK requires advanced surgical technology and combines key advantages of both LASIK and LASEK, it is generally more expensive than conventional vision correction procedures.

As a general guide in Korea, LASIK typically costs around the upper ₩1 million range, LASEK around the mid-to-upper ₩1 million range, and SMILE LASIK around the mid-₩2 million range. Actual costs may vary depending on the patient’s eye condition, examination results, surgical method, and clinic.

Because SMILE LASIK does not create a corneal flap and requires only a minimal incision, disruption to the cornea is reduced, allowing for relatively fast recovery. Patients can generally resume everyday activities such as washing their face and showering from the day after surgery, following their postoperative examination and doctor’s guidance.

The quick return to daily life can be especially convenient for patients with busy schedules. In addition, SMILE LASIK generally requires less complicated postoperative care compared with some conventional vision correction procedures.

As with other vision correction procedures, patients may experience temporary dry eyes, glare, or halos around lights during the early recovery period. These symptoms generally improve gradually over time.

However, the recovery period and severity of symptoms may vary depending on individual factors such as pupil size, pre-existing dry eye, and overall eye condition before surgery.

Although uncommon, some patients may experience mild discomfort, light sensitivity, or tearing on the day of surgery. These symptoms are generally less pronounced than with some other vision correction procedures and typically improve quickly, with many patients able to resume normal daily activities from the following day.

Our clinic performs SMILE LASIK in accordance with established international standards. Having severe or very high astigmatism does not necessarily mean that SMILE LASIK is not an option.

Eligibility depends on several factors, including the condition and thickness of the cornea, the degree of astigmatism, and overall eye health. A comprehensive preoperative eye examination is therefore required to determine whether SMILE LASIK is suitable for each patient.

Laser vision correction procedures, including SMILE LASIK, are generally considered for patients 18 years of age or older, once eye growth has stabilized. Vision should also remain stable for at least 6 months before surgery.

For patients in their 40s or 50s, suitability should be assessed carefully because age-related changes such as presbyopia or cataracts may affect the choice of vision correction. If cataracts are present, cataract surgery with an appropriate intraocular lens may be considered instead of SMILE LASIK. A comprehensive eye examination is necessary to determine the most suitable treatment for each patient.

Compared with conventional SMILE LASIK, SMILE PRO reduces laser application time from approximately 30 seconds to under 10 seconds, allowing for a faster procedure. Its advanced automated system also helps minimize potential procedural errors and improves the precision of vision correction.

With the previous VISUMAX system, the astigmatism axis was marked on the patient’s eye and manually aligned by the medical team. The VISUMAX 800 used for SMILE PRO provides automated alignment according to the astigmatism axis, supporting more precise positioning and accurate treatment.

When the laser application time is reduced to under 10 seconds, the corneal lenticule can be separated more smoothly, helping minimize prolonged hazy vision and supporting faster visual recovery. The shorter procedure time can also make the overall surgical experience more comfortable.

For patients who feel anxious about eye surgery, the reduced treatment time may help ease discomfort and stress. It also minimizes the time the eye is exposed during the procedure, which may help reduce the risk of contamination or infection.

Astigmatism can cause vision to appear distorted or blurred in certain directions, so accurate alignment of both the astigmatism axis and correction value is important for precise treatment.

The eye can rotate slightly depending on body position and posture, with an average rotation of approximately 4.1 degrees. If surgery is performed with the eye rotated by 5 degrees, astigmatism correction may be reduced by up to 17%, according to published ophthalmic research. Advanced laser systems can automatically compensate for this rotational movement, helping improve alignment and the precision of astigmatism correction.

Astigmatism can cause vision to appear blurred or distorted in certain directions, so precise alignment of the astigmatism axis and accurate correction power are essential for optimal vision correction.

The eye can naturally rotate depending on posture and body position, with an average rotation of approximately 4.1 degrees. If surgery is performed while the eye is rotated by 5 degrees, astigmatism may be undercorrected by up to 17%, according to ophthalmic research. Advanced laser technology can automatically compensate for this eye rotation, helping ensure more precise alignment and accurate astigmatism correction.

SMILE PRO uses a laser application time approximately three times faster than conventional SMILE, helping reduce temporary hazy vision and support faster visual recovery. In most cases, the initial recovery period is around 1–2 days, and patients can typically resume normal daily activities from the day after surgery.

A follow-up examination is scheduled for the day after surgery to check the healing process. If no unusual issues are found, patients may generally resume activities such as washing their face, washing their hair, and going outside. Facial and eye makeup may also be resumed after the next-day examination, according to the doctor’s guidance.

As with conventional SMILE LASIK, patients may experience temporary dry eyes, glare, or halos around lights during the early recovery period. These symptoms generally improve gradually over time.

However, the recovery period may vary depending on individual factors such as pupil size, pre-existing dry eye, and overall eye condition before surgery.

No. The incision size is generally the same, while SMILE PRO primarily reduces the laser application time.

Reducing the incision size excessively may make lenticule removal more difficult and could potentially increase stress or damage to the surrounding corneal tissue during extraction. An incision of approximately 2 mm is already very small and is designed to allow safe and efficient lenticule removal.