A comprehensive discussion on SMILE eye surgery

Eye problems today have various solutions. One of the solutions for varied eye problems is laser surgery. At the time laser surgery was introduced for the eye, people were afraid to have eye surgery as eyes are argumentatively the most important sensory organ for humans. Even today, the feeling persists. While today even the manual process has changed by leaps and bounds, the sentiment still however persists. But, by using SMILE surgery, there is no need to worry about anything. The primary question that then arises is what is this cutting edge technology that we talk of, and how does it differ from the run of the mill manual method. So, let us first cover the ins and outs of this technology:

SMILE is an innovative form of keyhole laser eye surgery which can correct vision for people with higher degrees of short-sightedness. SMILE stands for Small Incision Lenticule Extraction and is a bladeless procedure which happens to be minimally invasive. SMILE eye surgery is suitable for people with or without astigmatism, and it can be a great alternative not only to the manual methods but also to the more in vogue LASIK and LASEK treatments.

The procedure works as follows:

• To start, the surgeon administers anaesthetic eye drops to numb the eye, which ensures that the treatment is entirely painless.
• Next, the laser (which is based on a Noble prize-winning technology), is used to place a number of pulses on the cornea’s centre with extraordinary precision.
• The pulses from the laser then create tiny bubbles, which are in microns. These bubbles are used to create the outline for the tissue that has to be removed.
• The laser creates a small connecting tunnel which allows the surgeon to draw out the tissue. As a result of the same, the shape of the cornea changes, which in turn helps to improve your vision.

While the process may sound complicated to the uninitiated, and one may worry about the length of the surgery, the pleasantly shocking fact is that the whole procedure is completed in less than 15 minutes for both eyes, with the laser only being used for a small proportion of the time.

After a successful SMILE treatment, most of the people experience an improvement in their vision just within a few hours. The vision so restored is typically 80% better within a few hours, and reaches 100% improvement within a few weeks.

However, with that being said, one minor thing that one needs to be aware of is that while recovery is quick, in a few instances, the vision will temporarily be slightly blurred after the operation. This is entirely normal, and the experts at Center for Sight are available to deal with such minor inconveniences comprehensively.

To conclude, it is an excellent option to go for SMILE surgery if you are considering going under the knife for dealing with short-sightedness.

A FEW REASONS TO CHOOSE SMILE SURGERY:

• SMILE is based on a Nobel Prize-winning technology- Nobel Prize in Physics 2018
• No risk of flap-related issues as it is a flapless procedure. This also implies that after the surgery is done, the eye is placed at a much more comfortable position.
• SMILE is swift, and the total treatment time is less than 15 minutes with only 22 seconds of laser time.
• SMILE is a minimally invasive form of laser eye surgery, which means that more people are suitable for treatment than with LASIK and LASEK. This is an important benefit for those who are unsuitable for other types of eye surgeries.
• Patients are less likely to experience dry eyes after SMILE surgery than one would with LASIK surgery, due to the fact that there’s no flap to heal.
• More Precise and stable.

WHY CHOOSE CENTRE FOR SIGHT FOR SMILE SURGERY?

Centre for Sight has been awarded for Excellence in Eye Care and Vision Correction and is a proud recipient of the prestigious “FICCI Healthcare Excellence Award”. With a team of expert eye doctors that have an experience of more than 24 years, we provide the highest quality of eye care treatment at a pan India level. Our expert ophthalmologists leverage state of the art technology and deliver the best eye care treatment because we believe that every eye deserves the best.

Article: A comprehensive discussion on SMILE eye surgery
Author: CFS Editorial Team   |   Oct 05 2020 | UPDATED 03:00 IST

*The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of Centre for Sight.