Is SMILE Pro better than LASIK?
No single procedure is better for everyone. SMILE and LASIK both correct short-sightedness and astigmatism and both report high patient satisfaction. They differ in how the cornea is accessed, in the early recovery profile, and in how a re-treatment would be performed later.
Quick answer
No single procedure is better for everyone. SMILE and LASIK both correct short-sightedness and astigmatism and both report high patient satisfaction. They differ in how the cornea is accessed, in the early recovery profile, and in how a re-treatment would be performed later.
A general answer about SMILE Pro, not advice about your own eyes. Only an ophthalmologist who has examined you can answer it for your case.
- Topic
- Safety, risks & side effects
- Answer length
- Quick answer plus detail
- Sourced
- Yes
In more detail
Which is appropriate depends on your measurements, your tear film, your lifestyle and your surgeon’s assessment. Any clinic that tells you one procedure is the best choice for everybody is selling rather than assessing.
Related guides
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- Procedure SMILE Pro
- Comparison SMILE Pro vs LASIK
- Place SMILE in Dubai
- Procedure SMILE
- Comparison LASIK vs SMILE
It describes what is generally true. Whether it applies to your eyes depends on measurements taken during an examination, and two people asking the same question can receive different answers. Read the answer as a starting point for the conversation, not as its conclusion.
People also ask
The closest subjects to this question, from both question banks.
- Is SMILE Pro more expensive than LASIK? Vision correction
- SMILE Pro compared with Femto LASIK: how do they differ? Vision correction
- Is SMILE Pro safe? Safety, risks & side effects
- What are the side effects of SMILE Pro? Safety, risks & side effects
- What are the risks of SMILE Pro? Safety, risks & side effects
- Can SMILE Pro cause dry eyes? Safety, risks & side effects
More SMILE Pro questions
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
- Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)
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