A more recent kind of laser refractive surgery is known as small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). This type of surgery uses a laser to treat astigmatism and myopia (nearsightedness) (irregularly shaped cornea).
Light rays must pass through your cornea and lens in order for you to see clearly. The light is refracted (bent) by the cornea and lens so that the retina receives it. A refractive error prevents light from bending properly due to the shape of your cornea or lens. Your eyesight becomes blurry when light is not focused properly on the retina.
With SMILE, your ophthalmologist modifies the shape of your cornea with a laser. As a result, light beams are better focused on the retina. The FDA (food and drugs authority) has given SMILE approval to cure minor astigmatism and nearsightedness.
The purpose of SMILE is to improve your vision by correcting your astigmatism, nearsightedness, or both. Your need for eyeglasses or contact lenses can decrease if you SMILE. In rare circumstances, it might even allow you to do without them completely.
SMILE can be a better alternative for you, if you lead a busy lifestyle or have a demanding profession, than LASIK or other procedures. This is due to the fact that, unlike LASIK, SMILE does not require the creation of a corneal flap. If you are really active, you can unintentionally displace a corneal flap, which could lead to complications.
You must fulfil specific prerequisites, such as, in order to have SMILE. You must be at least 22 years old, have an unaltered eye prescription, have nearsightedness between -1 and -10 and up to 3 diopters of astigmatism, healthy corneas, and generally good eye health overall. You must also have reasonable expectations about what SMILE can and cannot do for you.
Some people are not candidates for SMILE. They include people with an unstable (changing) refractive error, skin or other disease that can affect healing, excessive scarring or keloid formation, cornea abrasions or disease, advanced glaucoma, a cataract affecting vision, uncontrolled diabetes, a history of eye disease or eye surgery, history of certain eye infections and who are pregnant or nursing
You can discuss any medical issues with your ophthalmologist that can prevent you from getting SMILE.
Your ophthalmologist will examine your eyes to decide if you qualify for SMILE. What he or she will do is as follows. Examine the overall condition of your eyes, the cornea, the size of your pupils, and your near-sightedness and astigmatism.
Small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE), like all surgeries, carries a chance of issues or consequences that you should think about. Some of these include glare and halos around lights, especially at night, debris where the corneal disc was removed, inflammation inside the treated area and infection.
Additionally, SMILE has the potential of either under- or over-correcting your vision. Frequently, glasses, contact lenses, or more laser surgery can help these issues.
The majority of issues may be managed without causing vision loss. Blindness and having poorer vision than before SMILE, even with glasses or contacts (referred to as loss of best-corrected vision), are, however, extremely unusual issues that could arise.
If you are happy wearing contacts or glasses, you may not want to have refractive surgery. Together, you and your ophthalmologist can weigh the risks and rewards of SMILE.
At The Eye Center- Dr. Mahnaz Naveed Shah & Associates our team of eight ophthalmology subspecialists/ eye specialists, eye surgeons who are considered amongst the very best eye specialists in Karachi and in Pakistan, have the diagnostic and treatment capabilities to treat from the simplest to the most complex patients. We work hard to provide our patients with the best possible medical and surgical eye care, in a state of the art purpose built eye care facility. We offer the entire array of medical, laser and surgical treatments to help provide patients the best possible care in the most efficient, safe and ethical manner.
If you need an appointment, please contact us at 03041119544 during our working hours or leave us a WhatsApp message at +923028291799 and someone will connect with you. Walk-in appointments are also available for emergencies. We can also be reached through our web portal on www.surgicaleyecenter.org