title: Femtosecond laser refractive surgery: small-incision lenticule extraction vs. femtosecond laser-assisted LASIK.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) is a novel technique devised to correct refractive errors. SMILE circumvents excimer laser photoablation of cornea, as the stromal lenticule cut by femtosecond laser is removed manually. Smaller incisions and preservation of anterior corneal biomechanical strength have been suggested as some of the advantages of SMILE over femtosecond laser-assisted LASIK (FS-LASIK). In this review, we compared previous published results of SMILE and FS-LASIK. The advantage, efficacy and safety of SMILE are compared with FS-LASIK.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SMILE achieved similar efficacy, predictability and safety as FS-LASIK. Greater preservations of corneal biomechanical strength and corneal nerves were observed in SMILE when compared with LASIK or PRK. Additionally, the incidence of postoperative dry eye syndrome was found to be less problematic in SMILE than in FS-LASIK.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SMILE is a promising new surgery for refractive error correction. Prospective and retrospective studies of SMILE have shown that results of SMILE are similar to FS-LASIK. With advances in femtosecond laser technology, SMILE may gain greater acceptance in the future.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA bDepartment of Ophthalmology, Dongguk University, Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Kyunggido, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jimmy K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Roy S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Chuck
authors.forename: Choul Yong
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003315:Cornea / Q000502:physiology; D003319:Corneal Stroma / Q000601:surgery*; D004548:Elasticity / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D020731:Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ / Q000379:methods*; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods*; D009216:Myopia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*