Written by Apgujeong Eye Clinic
2025.02.20
Recently, many people have been undergoing vision correction surgery to achieve clear vision without the need for glasses, contact lenses, or other corrective devices. In addition to the commonly known LASIK and LASEK, there are now a variety of options such as SMILE LASIK and implantable lens surgery, which have expanded the range of choices. As SMILE LASIK, a next-generation surgery that combines the advantages of LASIK and LASEK while addressing their drawbacks, has gained popularity, new procedures with similar names, like SMART LASIK and CLEAR LASIK, have been introduced. Many people are now confused about whether these are the same surgeries, so let's explore the differences.
The SMART LASIK and CLEAR LASIK procedures, which are currently being performed, follow a similar surgical process to SMILE LASIK. The key difference between these three procedures lies in the equipment used: Atos, Z8, and VisuMax are the devices employed for each. SMILE LASIK, which uses the VisuMax femtosecond laser, stands for Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (minimally invasive corneal surgery). In this procedure, the laser penetrates the corneal surface to precisely cut and remove a small portion of the corneal stroma. Since the VisuMax system is developed by Carl Zeiss in Germany and the name "SMILE" is a trademark, only this device is allowed to use the term "SMILE." Therefore, SMILE can be considered a distinct brand name for this specific technique.
Another difference is that, while the surgical methods for the newly introduced vision correction surgeries and SMILE LASIK are similar, the newer procedures do not yet have the extensive clinical data accumulated to prove their safety like SMILE LASIK. For example, SMART LASIK is often said to provide better astigmatism correction than SMILE LASIK, as mentioned in online discussions. This is because, during the examination, astigmatism and refractive values are measured while the patient is looking straight ahead, but during surgery, the patient lies on their back, which causes the eyes to rotate slightly in a diagonal direction. SMART LASIK is claimed to compensate for this rotational shift during the procedure. However, in SMILE LASIK, there are over 10 years of clinical data showing its safety, and thanks to the experience of the surgeon, more precise nomogram designs can be created. As a result, SMILE LASIK is still considered the safest option for vision correction.
SMILE LASIK was developed in 2005 when Zeiss in Germany created the VisuMax laser system. Through 10 years of clinical results, it received FDA approval in 2016 and has been recognized as a safe and reliable surgery, with the global cumulative number of surgeries reaching 5 million by last year. Nowadays, new medical equipment is rapidly introduced in clinical settings to keep up with current trends. However, it's important to note that medical devices do not perform perfectly from the start. Since these procedures involve the delicate eyes, it's crucial to ensure that the equipment has been proven to be safe through adequate clinical data. Therefore, always remember to make a wise decision based on proven safety and clinical evidence.
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