Uncorrected distance visual acuity of 20/20 or better was achieved in 92 percent of LASIK group, 74 percent in SMILE group
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2025 (HealthDay News) — An advanced form of LASIK eye surgery, wavelight plus, achieves better visual outcomes than small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, held from Oct. 18 to 20 in Orlando, Florida.
Alexandros John Kanellopoulos, M.D., from New York University Medical School in New York City, and colleagues conducted a randomized study to examine the safety, efficacy, and visual outcomes of ray-tracing LASIK versus SMILE Pro, with wavelight plus LASIK performed in one eye and SMILE Pro in the other. A total of 120 eyes from 60 patients were evaluated preoperatively and up to three months postoperatively.
The researchers found that uncorrected distance visual acuity of 20/20 or better was achieved in 92 and 74 percent of patients in the LASIK and SMILE groups, respectively. The LASIK group had significantly lower high-order aberrations. The LASIK group had markedly better contrast sensitivity, with fewer postoperative aberrations.
“The wavelight plus results are particularly encouraging for the future of the field,” Kanellopoulos said in a statement. “We found that ray-tracing LASIK not only effectively corrected refractive error, but also improved visual performance at higher percentages than SMILE Pro.”
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.
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