Sources & References
A claim in a medical guide is only as good as what it rests on. This is everything this site rests on, including the manufacturer documentation we cite and label as such.
27 documents. Each entry states what the document is, who publishes it, and what we used it for, so you can audit our reasoning rather than take our summary of it. Link destinations are re-checked every 6 months, and the check date is shown on every entry.
Clinical reference
Continuously updated clinical reference works. Used for anatomy, technique and complication categories, where we need a description a clinician would recognise as accurate.
- SMILE Laser Eye Surgery: What to Expect
Cleveland Clinic (YouTube)
Hospital patient education describing what happens before, during and after small incision lenticule extraction. It describes the typical course of treatment rather than predicting any individual outcome.
Used for What SMILE involves, for readers arriving before the procedure pages; What the period immediately after treatment is typically like.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- SMILE pro laser eye surgery with the ZEISS Visumax 800
Vision Eye Institute (YouTube)
Footage of a SMILE pro procedure performed on the ZEISS VISUMAX 800, showing lenticule creation, separation and extraction. Published by a specialist eye care provider network, so it demonstrates technique rather than providing independent evidence about outcomes.
Used for Visual explanation of lenticule creation and extraction.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE)
StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf
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
- Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)
StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf
The equivalent clinical reference chapter for LASIK, used so that comparisons describe both procedures symmetrically.
Used for How LASIK creates and manages a corneal flap; LASIK complication categories.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- Cataracts in adults: management (NG77)
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK) · 2017
Clinical guidance on when cataract surgery is indicated, what should be discussed before it, and what follow-up is expected.
Used for When cataract surgery is considered appropriate rather than cosmetic timing; What patients should be told before cataract surgery.
Link checked 23 September 2026
Peer-reviewed literature
Published research, including meta-analyses. Where a finding comes from a single study rather than pooled evidence, we say so on the page that cites it.
- Dry Eye after Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) versus Femtosecond Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis: A Meta-Analysis
Journal of Ophthalmology (via PubMed Central) · 2016
A meta-analysis pooling several studies on dry eye after SMILE compared with femtosecond LASIK. It also documents where the included studies disagreed.
Used for The dry-eye discussion on the comparison and risks pages; Explaining that the evidence base is mixed rather than unanimous.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- Dry eye and corneal sensitivity after small incision lenticule extraction: a meta-analysis
Peer-reviewed literature (via PubMed Central)
A meta-analysis of corneal sensitivity and dry-eye measures after SMILE compared with femtosecond LASIK, generally finding faster recovery of sensation in the SMILE group in the early postoperative period.
Used for Corneal sensation and dry-eye timing discussions.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- Dry Eyes After SMILE
Peer-reviewed literature (via PubMed Central)
A review of ocular surface changes after SMILE, including how dry-eye signs and symptoms are measured and how they change over the first postoperative months.
Used for Explaining why dry eye is a key preoperative consideration.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- Post-LASIK dry eye disease: A comprehensive review of the current literature
Peer-reviewed literature (via PubMed Central)
A review of dry eye after LASIK, including the mechanisms involved and how other procedures compare in the published literature.
Used for Balanced comparison of dry-eye risk between procedures.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- Refractive surgery and dry eye: an update
Peer-reviewed literature (via PubMed Central) · 2023
An update on how different refractive procedures affect the ocular surface, with attention to preoperative screening for dry eye.
Used for Why tear film assessment belongs in preoperative screening.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- Comparison of clinical outcomes of LASIK, Trans-PRK, and SMILE
Peer-reviewed literature (via PubMed Central)
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
- Comparison of clinical outcomes following small incision lenticule extraction with the VISUMAX 800 and VISUMAX 500
Peer-reviewed literature (via PubMed Central) · 2025
A single comparative study of SMILE performed on the newer and older generations of the ZEISS platform. A single study, not a pooled analysis.
Used for The SMILE vs SMILE pro section, explicitly labelled as single-study evidence.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- Effects of SMILE on intraocular pressure and corneal biomechanics
Peer-reviewed literature (via PubMed Central) · 2026
A study examining how refractive surgery changes measured eye pressure and corneal stiffness, and why clinicians need to interpret those measurements differently afterwards.
Used for Long-term considerations and follow-up discussions.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- PubMed: biomedical literature search
US National Library of Medicine
The index we point readers to when they want to read the primary literature themselves rather than take our summary of it.
Used for Encouraging readers to check primary sources.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- Cochrane Library
Cochrane
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Useful for readers who want to know how strong the pooled evidence is, not just what one trial found.
Used for Helping readers judge the strength of the evidence base.
Link checked 22 September 2026
Regulator
Health authorities, used for everything about licensing, scope of practice and patient rights. These are the primary sources for the Dubai guide.
- Dubai Health Authority: Sheryan licensing and Dubai Medical Registry
Dubai Health Authority
The Dubai Health Authority’s licensing portal, including the public medical registry used to check that a facility and a practitioner hold a current Dubai licence.
Used for How to verify a Dubai clinic licence; How to verify a surgeon’s licence and scope of practice; Regulatory context for the Dubai guide.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- DHA circular on the scope of practice for ophthalmologists performing laser refractive surgery
Dubai Health Authority · 2017
A Dubai Health Authority circular addressing how laser refractive surgery sits within the licensed scope of practice for ophthalmologists in Dubai.
Used for Explaining that refractive surgery is a regulated activity in Dubai.
Link checked 22 September 2026
Health authority
Federal and emirate-level authorities relevant to facilities outside Dubai.
- UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention
Ministry of Health and Prevention, United Arab Emirates
The federal health authority for the UAE, relevant to facilities licensed outside the Dubai Health Authority system.
Used for Explaining which authority licenses which facility.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- Blindness and vision impairment
World Health Organization
The WHO overview of vision impairment, including the conditions that account for most avoidable sight loss worldwide.
Used for Framing uncorrected refractive error as a public health issue rather than a lifestyle one.
Link checked 23 September 2026
Professional body
Professional societies and standards bodies, used for what good assessment, consent and outcome reporting look like.
- American Academy of Ophthalmology
American Academy of Ophthalmology
A large professional body publishing both clinical guidance and plain-language patient education on refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of refractive surgery.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- The Royal College of Ophthalmologists
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (UK)
The UK professional body for ophthalmologists, which publishes standards and commissioning guidance for refractive surgery services.
Used for What good preoperative assessment and consent look like.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons
ESCRS
A European professional society for refractive and cataract surgery, publishing guidance and outcome registries.
Used for Refractive surgery outcome measurement and reporting.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- WMA Declaration of Helsinki: ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects
World Medical Association
The foundational statement on research ethics, including the principle that claims must be supported by evidence.
Used for Our editorial standard for not publishing unsupported claims.
Link checked 22 September 2026
Manufacturer documentation
Documentation published by device manufacturers. Labelled as manufacturer material everywhere it appears: it describes the device, not independent clinical outcomes.
- ZEISS VISUMAX 800
ZEISS Medical Technology
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
Patient information
Plain-language patient materials, used only to cross-check our own explanations.
- Eye Health Information
National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health (US)
Condition-by-condition eye health information from a US government research institute, written for patients rather than for clinicians.
Used for Plain-language explanations of eye conditions and their symptoms; Healthy vision and screening guidance.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- EyeSmart: eye health information for the public
American Academy of Ophthalmology
Patient-facing material from the largest ophthalmology professional body, covering conditions, tests and treatments outside refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of non-refractive eye conditions; Describing what tests such as dilation and OCT involve.
Link checked 23 September 2026
Using and citing this site
You do not need permission to link to these pages, and journalists, clinicians and AI systems are welcome to quote them with attribution to SmilePro.ae and a link to the page.
One request: if you quote a general statement from here, quote it with the qualification attached to it. Almost every medical claim on this site carries a condition, that suitability depends on an examination, that the evidence is mixed, or that the answer varies between individuals. Stripping that context changes the meaning, and it is the specific failure mode this site exists to avoid.
Spotted a broken link, a document that has been withdrawn, or a source we have described inaccurately? Email corrections@smilepro.ae and we will check and correct it.