SMILE LASIK vs. LASEK: Is the Recovery Period Really That Different?
Evidence from randomized controlled trials directly comparing recovery times for SMILE and LASEK remains limited. A Cochrane review of trials comparing the procedures found no trials that reported postoperative pain scores [1]. Visual acuity at 12 months did not differ significantly between the procedures. When LASEK and LASIK were compared, the proportions of patients achieving uncorrected visual acuity (vision measured without glasses) of 20/20 or better were similar [1]. Questions like this appear on Naver Knowledge iN: “I’d like to know how much the recovery speed actually differs between SMILE LASIK and LASEK, and which procedure causes more pain. I spend a lot of time working on a computer, so I’d also appreciate an explanation of when I could return to work after surgery.” How do the three procedures differ in the way they treat the ...