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Houston Eye Associates - Kingwood
22659 Highway 59 North, Suite 100
Kingwood, TX 77339

Houston Eye Associates - Houston
2855 Gramercy St
Houston, TX 770259

What is the difference between traditional LASIK and SMILE?

Well, all LASIK adjusts your sight by reshaping your cornea to correct your vision. The cornea is the eye’s clear, protective outer layer.

With traditional LASIK, there is a two-step process: one laser makes a circular incision creating a small flap from your corneal tissue. Then, another laser reshapes your eye and corrects your vision.

SMILE is a minimally invasive option for laser eye surgery. With this procedure, you only need a single laser and you do not need to create a corneal flap. The laser makes a small incision while creating a thin disk of the material that needs to be removed from your eye. The Ophthalmologist then removes this disk of materials which reshapes your eye and corrects your vision. This leads to shorter, easier recovery and eliminates the risk of flap dislocation (since there isn’t a flap using SMILE).

Have you ever wondered what a LASIK procedure looks like? Check out this video of Dr. Justus Thomas performing a live demonstration on a pig’s eye.

*WARNING: This video may contain sensitive content.* In this video, the laser has already made the incision and created the disk of material that needs to be removed. You will see Dr. Thomas removing this material, and then displaying what was removed.

Do you want to discuss your options for getting your vision back? Schedule a free consultation or call 713-395-1880!

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