What are the risks of SMILE Pro?
Beyond side effects, the recognised risks include residual refractive error, under- or over-correction, the possible need for a further procedure, interface inflammation, and rarely infection or other serious complications. Some risk factors are detectable at assessment and some are not.
Quick answer
Beyond side effects, the recognised risks include residual refractive error, under- or over-correction, the possible need for a further procedure, interface inflammation, and rarely infection or other serious complications. Some risk factors are detectable at assessment and some are not.
A general answer about SMILE Pro, not advice about your own eyes. Only an ophthalmologist who has examined you can answer it for your case.
- Topic
- Safety, risks & side effects
- Answer length
- Quick answer plus detail
- Sourced
- Yes
In more detail
One risk worth understanding in advance is that if a residual prescription needs treating later, the options are not identical to those after LASIK, because there is no flap to lift. Treatments exist, but they are a different conversation.
Related guides
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- Procedure SMILE Pro
- Comparison SMILE Pro vs LASIK
- Place SMILE in Dubai
- Procedure SMILE
- Comparison LASIK vs SMILE
It describes what is generally true. Whether it applies to your eyes depends on measurements taken during an examination, and two people asking the same question can receive different answers. Read the answer as a starting point for the conversation, not as its conclusion.
People also ask
The closest subjects to this question, from both question banks.
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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