Refractive Surgery

This course explores keratorefractive surgery advancements, focusing on patient selection, the evolution of procedures like LASIK and SMILE, pre- and post-operative care, case studies, and collaborative care models. It highlights SMILE's minimally invasive benefits, including faster recovery and reduced dry eye risk, alongside next-gen advancements with the VISUMAX 800. The content is tailored for clinical application, improving co-management practices and outcomes in refractive eye care.

Jeffrey Augustine, OD

Kathleen Jee, MD

Carl Zeiss Meditec Professional Education

Join Dr. Jeffrey Augustine, OD and Kathleen Jee, MD for a course on SMILE refractive surgery. 

Preoperative Assessment and Postoperative Care

Over the last 25 years, keratorefractive surgery (i.e., surgical treatment of the cornea with the expressed purpose of reducing or correcting the ametropic refractive state of the eye) has grown from a fringe area of ophthalmology to a viable sub-specialty and highly sought-after area of clinical eye care. The generation of keratorefractive surgery truly began in the 1990s, as procedures like radial keratotomy (RK), photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and eventually, laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) emerged in the United States. Today, LASIK is by far the most commonly performed type of keratorefractive surgery, although there have been significant advances in both the surgical technique and the laser platforms – including software and clinical algorithms – that have allowed for better surgical outcomes with reduced complications. More recently, a unique technique referred to as small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) has emerged as an alternative to LASIK. In this bladeless keratorefractive procedure, the femtosecond laser is employed to create a small “pocket” in the anterior corneal stroma by making two disc-shaped ablative cuts, effectively forming a lenticule (i.e., a thin, lens-shaped layer) of corneal tissue inside the pocket. The laser also creates a small tunnel incision at the edge to the lenticule, which allows for surgical extraction of the disc in a minimally-invasive procedure.

 The end result is similar to LASIK, but without the potential flap-related complications and with a potentially much faster recovery time.

Small Incision, Big Impact: The Optometrist's Guide to SMILE Success