What is SMILE eye surgery?
SMILE stands for Small Incision Lenticule Extraction. It is refractive eye surgery that reshapes the cornea by removing a lenticule of tissue through a small incision, rather than by lifting a flap as LASIK does, or by removing the surface layer of the cornea as PRK does.
Quick answer
SMILE stands for Small Incision Lenticule Extraction. It is refractive eye surgery that reshapes the cornea by removing a lenticule of tissue through a small incision, rather than by lifting a flap as LASIK does, or by removing the surface layer of the cornea as PRK does.
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
- SMILE Pro basics
- Answer length
- Quick answer plus detail
- Sourced
- Yes
In more detail
Because "SMILE" describes the technique rather than a specific brand, you will see it written as ReLEx SMILE, SMILE, or SMILE Pro. All three describe lenticule extraction on a ZEISS VISUMAX platform; the differences between the generations are in the platform and the surgical workflow, not in the basic optical principle.
Related guides
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 SMILE Pro
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.
- What is the small incision in SMILE? Vision correction
- Does SMILE leave a flap? Vision correction
- Who cannot have SMILE? Vision correction
- Can SMILE treat high short sightedness? Vision correction
- Can SMILE be done on one eye only? Vision correction
- Can SMILE correct short sightedness? Vision problems
More SMILE Pro questions
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