Uncorrected distance visual acuity of 20\/20 or better was achieved in 92 percent of LASIK group, 74 percent in SMILE group<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.<\/p>\n