You have undoubtedly heard about laser eye surgery when it comes to correcting one’s eyesight. Laser vision correction comes in a few forms, the most common of which are Lasik, SMILE, and Contoura. However, which one is ideal for you? Here, we’ll explain why laser vision correction is the best option and why you won’t need your glasses or contacts anymore.

SMILE and Contoura Vision: Which one should I go for?

Since its introduction in 2011, small aperture lenticular extraction (SMILE) has been heralded as the gold standard for people wanting greater vision without glasses. This procedure involves replacing the flap by extracting a tiny piece of corneal stroma lenticular via a microscopic incision to lessen the likelihood of corneal flap or dry eye issues. Recent research suggests that the occurrence of dry eye may be reduced by using SMILE since more cornea nerves are retained after treatment than during LASIK. However, remember that SMILE does not provide any wavefront-guided customised therapy to cut down on aberration creation.

New to the refractive surgical paradigm, contours vision is credited for dramatically improving the post-LASIK patient experience. In this method, 22000 data points are acquired on each cornea and then treated to reduce aberrations and provide perfect vision after surgery. Because the method takes into account each patient’s unique corneal curvature to create a tailor-made laser ablation of the cornea, it can correct for imperfections in the corneal imaging lens of the eye, allowing for clearer vision following surgery.

What Are The Drawbacks Of SMILE, Given That It Has No Benefits Over LASIK?

Recent studies show that only roughly 60%-85% of individuals who use the ReLEx SMILE obtain 20/20 vision. ReLex SMILE isn’t as precise as it might be since a femtosecond laser can only remove tissue down to 4 microns, but an Excimer laser can go as low as 0.25 microns. The precision of an Excimer Laser would improve by a factor of 16 as a result of this.

When comparing the success rate of SMILE with Freedom Eye Laser, the higher rate of needing an augmentation (up to 40% in studies) may be attributed to the former’s intrinsic lack of precision. The augmentation is accomplished using PRK or a surface-based laser, which is uncomfortable; for over two days and may take 6-8 months to recover from, in contrast to the next-day recovery and little discomfort achievable with Femtosecond LASIK.

Recovery After LASIK Often Occurs The Next Day, Whereas SMILE Typically Takes Three Weeks

The therapeutic window for SMILE is much less. Compared to LASIK’s 6-diopter astigmatism correction range, it can only correct up to 0.5 diopters. This method is not effective for those with hyperopia or astigmatism. It needs complex surface-perfecting capabilities like Contura Vision and thus cannot provide the same degree of visual quality.

The outcomes of the SMILE trials conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are as follows:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the SMILE operation, which may lessen or eliminate refractive errors in certain patients aged 22 and above. Patients should examine the patient labelling and discuss their goals with their vision care provider before using SMILE since only some individuals are candidates, as noted by the FDA. Below are some of the results of the research the US FDA required to approve the operation:

Patients will tolerate the surgery, and their eyesight has steadily improved over the follow-up period. Out of the 328 patients recruited at the five research centres, 88% had uncorrected eyesight of 20/20 or higher, and all but somebody had uncorrected eyesight of 20/40 or better. Clinical trials have indicated that SMILE has the potential to improve biomechanical stability while decreasing corneal denervation and postoperative dry eye compared to flap-related refractive treatments like LASIK.

Perspectives In Contoura Vision Ending FDA Trials In The U.S

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of the Contoura Vision procedure awaits the findings of a clinical study, which is now accessible. And over 92% of treated patients with Contoura had 20/20 or better vision, while an additional 64% attained 20/16 or better, with 34% attaining 20/12.5. Keep in mind that the average person has vision between 20/20 and 6/6; 20/16 eyesight is an improvement of almost two lines above the norm. SMILE failed to capture the value 20/12.5 entirely.

With the procedure, over a third of patients could see better without their glasses or contacts than before, meaning the vision correction was better than that achieved with glasses. Patients also reported less trouble with “quality of vision” issues, including glare, halos, and nighttime driving.

Postoperative studies on patients who underwent Contoura vision reported reductions in symptoms typically associated with conventional LASIK, such as a 6% improvement in light sensitivity, a 4% improvement in difficulty driving at night, a 4% improvement in difficulty reading, and a 4% reduction in glare.

Important Factor: Astigmatism

According to FDA approval, just a half diopter of astigmatism may be corrected with SMILE. There is a six-fold increase in the amount of astigmatism that Contoura can correct, up to three Diopters. What this implies is that Contoura is far more efficient than SMILE.

Factors That Will Make You Go Wow:

However, the recovery time for Contoura Vision is immediate, while it takes at least three days for SMILE to restore vision. A quick recovery is possible with SMILE, but after receiving Contoura, you may walk out of the hospital beaming with happiness and perfect eyesight.

Conclusion

Patient-procedure compatibility is essential to surgical success and patient satisfaction. Before choosing between the two, a thorough eye exam and discussion of the patient’s requirements and expectations are required. Contoura Vision outperforms SMILE in the vast majority of patients. To find out whether you are a good candidate with Contoura Vision LASIK, conventional evanescent waves LASIK, SMILE, or an implanted Collamer lens, you will need to schedule a consultation and eye exam. Before settling on a course of action, it’s important to weigh all of your alternatives for correcting your eyesight, including LASIK.