What is the difference between PRK and SMILE?
PRK removes the outer corneal layer and reshapes the surface, while SMILE removes a shaped piece of tissue from inside the cornea through a small incision. Both avoid a flap, and they differ mainly in recovery speed and in how the eye surface is left.
- Subject
- Vision correction
- Topic
- Comparing procedures
- Kind of question
- What is…
- Procedures
- PRK, SMILE
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Vision correction & laser eye surgery in Comparing procedures . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
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 PRK
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
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.
- Comparison of clinical outcomes of LASIK, Trans-PRK, and SMILE
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