Femto LASIK: procedure guide
LASIK in which the flap is created by a femtosecond laser instead of a mechanical instrument, which is a difference in how the flap is made rather than in what the procedure corrects.
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Quick answer
LASIK in which the flap is created by a femtosecond laser instead of a mechanical instrument, which is a difference in how the flap is made rather than in what the procedure corrects.
General educational information about a subject, not an assessment of your own eyes. Suitability and treatment decisions are made by a qualified ophthalmologist who has examined you.
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Femto LASIK
LASIK in which the flap is created by a femtosecond laser instead of a mechanical instrument, which is a difference in how the flap is made rather than in what the procedure corrects.
Also known as blade-free LASIK, femtosecond LASIK, Femto-LASIK
Questions about Femto LASIK
Each answer below is the short version; the question links to the page that carries it in full, with sources.
- What is Femto LASIK?
Femto LASIK is LASIK in which the corneal flap is created with a femtosecond laser instead of a mechanical blade, while the actual reshaping is still done with an excimer laser.
- What is the difference between Femto LASIK and LASIK?
The difference is how the flap is made. Femto LASIK uses a laser to create it; other LASIK uses a mechanical instrument. The part of the procedure that corrects your prescription is the same in both.
- What is Ultra LASIK?
Ultra LASIK is a marketing name rather than a distinct surgical procedure. It generally refers to a flap-based LASIK treatment combined with additional measurement technology, and the specific meaning varies between clinics.
- Do branded LASIK names mean a different procedure?
Often not. Many brand names describe a platform, a measurement technology or a marketing package rather than a fundamentally different operation, so it is worth asking what the name changes about your actual treatment.
- What is the difference between SMILE and Femto LASIK?
Both use a femtosecond laser, but Femto LASIK uses it to create a flap that is then lifted, while SMILE uses it to create an incision and a lenticule. The excimer reshaping step that follows is where the rest of the difference lies.
- SMILE Pro compared with Femto LASIK: how do they differ?
They are two different techniques, not two versions of one. SMILE Pro removes a lenticule with no flap; Femto LASIK creates a laser flap and reshapes the cornea beneath it with a separate excimer laser.
- How much does Femto LASIK cost in Dubai?
Femto LASIK is priced per clinic, and it is usually quoted above a standard flap procedure because the femtosecond laser is a separate device from the excimer laser.
All 112 LASIK questions, searchable
Where this is covered in full
- How LASIK works
The flap, the two lasers, and what the surface of the eye does afterwards.
Related subjects
- Myopia (short sightedness)
The eye focuses light in front of the retina, so near objects are clear and distant ones are blurred. It is the refractive error most commonly treated with laser vision correction.
- Hyperopia (long sightedness)
The eye focuses light behind the retina. Younger eyes often compensate without noticing, which is why it tends to present later than short sightedness and is assessed more cautiously for surgery.
- Astigmatism
The cornea is curved unevenly, so light is focused differently across different axes and the blur is not the same in every direction. It commonly occurs alongside short or long sightedness.
- LASIK
Flap-based laser vision correction: a thin surface layer of the cornea is lifted, the tissue beneath it is reshaped, and the layer is replaced without stitches.
- SMILE
Lenticule extraction: a lenticule is shaped inside the cornea and removed through a small incision, so there is no flap.
- SMILE Pro vs Femto LASIK
Two current-generation laser platforms, one making a lenticule and one making a flap. Clinic branding is heavy on both, which is why the vocabulary matters as much as the technology.
- LASIK vs SMILE
A flap procedure against a flapless one. The difference readers care about is what happens to the surface of the eye, not which laser is better.
- Dubai
The emirate where most of the UAE refractive surgery capacity is, and the one most international patients travel to. Licensing, clinic choice and what a quote should contain are the local questions.
- SMILE Pro
The current generation of the SMILE platform, built around a faster laser and an automated centring step. The clinical idea is unchanged: a lenticule is removed through a small incision.
- Laser eye surgery in Dubai
The umbrella question: which forms of laser and lens correction are performed in Dubai, how the choice between them is reached, and what the process looks like from assessment to follow-up.
- LASIK in the UAE
LASIK is available in every major emirate, so the emirate is rarely the deciding factor. What changes across the country is which authority licenses a facility, how insurance treats the procedure, and how far follow-up is.
- The platform installed on site
A newer laser generation, or one that makes lenticules rather than flaps, carries its own capital cost, and that shows up in the price. The useful question is which platform the clinic actually has, not which one it advertises.
This page describes what is generally true about femto lasik. It is not a diagnosis, and it cannot say whether a treatment is suitable for you, because suitability depends on measurements taken during an examination.
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.
- Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) Clinical reference StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf
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
- Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) Clinical reference StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf
A continuously updated clinical reference chapter covering SMILE indications, technique, outcomes and complications, written for clinicians.
Used for How the lenticule is created and removed; Indications and contraindications; Complication categories; Corneal biomechanics compared with flap-based surgery.
Link checked 22 September 2026
Guides that explain this
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