What is the main difference between SMILE and LASIK?
The difference is the access route. LASIK lifts a flap and reshapes beneath it; SMILE shapes a lenticule inside the cornea and removes it through a small incision. The rest of the treatment plan is built the same way, from your measurements.
- Subject
- Vision correction
- Topic
- Comparing procedures
- Kind of question
- What is…
- Procedures
- SMILE, LASIK
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
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It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Vision correction & laser eye surgery in Comparing procedures . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
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- Procedure SMILE
- Comparison LASIK vs SMILE
- Comparison SMILE vs PRK
- Place SMILE in Dubai
- Procedure LASIK
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- Comparison of clinical outcomes of LASIK, Trans-PRK, and SMILE
A comparative study of three commonly used refractive procedures, including a summary of proposed advantages of each.
Used for The procedure comparison page, particularly the PRK discussion.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE)
A continuously updated clinical reference chapter covering SMILE indications, technique, outcomes and complications, written for clinicians.
Used for How the lenticule is created and removed; Indications and contraindications; Complication categories; Corneal biomechanics compared with flap-based surgery.
Link checked 22 September 2026