Why is SMILE less widely available than LASIK?
Because it requires a specific platform, the training that goes with it, and a surgeon who performs it often enough to stay current. A clinic offering many laser procedures will offer LASIK before it offers lenticule extraction.
- Subject
- Vision correction
- Topic
- SMILE Pro
- Kind of question
- Why…
- Procedures
- SMILE, LASIK
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
That is a practical reason rather than a quality judgement in either direction, and it is why availability is not evidence of suitability. The question for your eyes is which procedure your measurements support and who performs it regularly.
What this answer depends on
- Which clinic near you has the platform
- How much of the surgeon’s practice is lenticule extraction
- Whether you are willing to travel for a specific surgeon
Related guides
People also ask
The questions readers move to next from this one: the closest subjects first, from either question bank.
Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Vision correction & laser eye surgery in SMILE Pro . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- 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.
- 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
- ZEISS VISUMAX 800
The manufacturer’s own product page for the femtosecond laser platform used for SMILE pro.
Used for What describes the technology behind SMILE pro; The distinction between SMILE and SMILE pro; Claimed workflow features such as automated centration.
Link checked 22 September 2026