Smile vs Lasik: The Major Differences & Cost Comparison
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Smile vs Lasik: The Major Differences & Cost Comparison

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Thinking about getting laser vision correction? There are a few things you need to know about before the surgery. What are the differences between SMILE and LASIK? Am I a potential candidate? What are the sequelae? How much does it cost? Get the information with Cigna Smart Health now.

LASIK and SMILE have long been two of the most popular forms of laser vision correction surgery for people with visual impairments, such as myopia (nearsightedness), farsightedness, or astigmatism. The differences are mentioned below.

 

SMILE

LASIK

History

About 10 years

More than 20 years

Operating Principles

It does not require a flap to be created. Instead, the corneal tissue removal is done using an excimer laser

It works by creating a small flap in the cornea and removing some corneal tissue in order to reshape the cornea

Invasion

Less invasive

More invasive

Operation time

Takes about 15 minutes per eye, only one laser is used and so the patient would not be moved from one machine to another, reducing the risk of dry eye as a side effect

Takes about 15 minutes per eye

Sight correction

Works only for myopia, and sometimes associated astigmatism as well

Can be used to correct all kinds of refractive errors, such as near-sightedness
, far-sightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia

Despite these differences, LASIK and SMILE share a number of similarities. Both cost at around HKD21,000, and can achieve at least 20/40 vision for most patients. Patients of either procedures have to be 18 or up, and only need a recovery time of a day or two before returning to work.

If you are 18 years old or bove and have made no major changes in their visual acuity in the previous year, then you are eligible for laser correction. See the reasons that patients may not be suitable for laser vision correction.

  • Unstable vision
  • Thin cornea
  • Dry eye syndrome or lack of tears
  • Corneal infection, inflammation, or injury
  • Suffering from keratoconus
  • Suffering from cataracts or glaucoma
  • Suffering from autoimmune diseases
  • Steroid users
  • Pregnancy

Some of the medical institutions will only provide one kind of laser vision correction services. The range of the cost* is from $16,000 to $28,500, including 4 to 5 times of free check-up visits. You may refer to the table below for more details.

Medical Institution

Examination Fee (HKD)

SMILE (HKD)

LASIK (HKD)

Items

St. Paul's Hospital

$800

$21,000

Including 5 times of check-ups

Hong Kong Baptist Hospital

$670

#23,300

Including 5 times of check-ups & medicine fee for the first time

St. Teresa's Hospital

$800

$19,800

Including 5 times of check-ups

Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital

$990

$22,000

$22,000

Including 5 times of check-ups

Clarity SMILE LASIK Centre

$500 (Refundable)

$28,000

$18,800

Including 5 times of check-ups, one-year free consultation & medicine fee

Cmer SMILE LASIK Centre

$100 (Refundable)

$22,000

Including 5 times of check-ups, medicine fee on the day of surgery & one-year free consultation

Pretty Eyes Laboratory

$800

$23,800

$16,800

Including 5 times of check-ups & one-year free consultation

Hong Kong Nobel Eye Centre

$600

$24,000

$16,000

Including 4 times of check-ups

Hong Kong Laser Eye Centre

$800

$28,500

$20,000

Including 5 times of check-ups

*Prices as of 30th Mar 2021
Note: For detailed pricing, please contact respective medical institution

Laser vision correction uses laser technology to change the curvature of the cornea for correcting vision. However, Dr. Ng, an ophthalmologist, mentioned that two types of sequences may occur after the surgery.

  1. Short-term and Common

    The common examples are dry eyes, halo and glare. Halo and glare usually appear 1 to 2 months after the surgery and will gradually improve as time passes, while dry eyes are caused by temporary damage to the corneal nerve during surgery, and it can be soothed by artificial tears.

  2. Serious and Rare

    The examples include infection, corneal dilation or deformation. Antibiotic treatment is needed immediately when infection occurs, while corneal dilatation or deformation may not appear until several years after the surgery, and there will be a greater risk of myopia or astigmatism.

  1. Will short-sightedness come back after laser vision correction?

    This situation is not common. However, if you have deep myopia above 800 degrees or 250 degrees of astigmatism, the risk of developing short-sightedness will be greater. Also, the health of eyesight depends on your habits. If you use electronic screen products at close range for a long time, there will be a higher risk to affect your eye health.

  2. Can I wear contact lenses after laser vision correction?

    Contact lenses can still be worn after laser correction surgery, however, the surgery will change the curvature of the cornea, and you are advised to have a contact lens consultation and get the contact lenses that fit the shape of your cornea.

  3. Will it be easier to get glaucoma or cataract after laser vision correction?

    Generally speaking, laser vision correction will not increase the risk of eye diseases. However, high myopia might increase the risk of cataracts, glaucoma and other retinopathy.

  4. Can other eye surgery be performed after laser vision correction?

    Laser vision correction will not affect other ocular tissues other than the cornea, so eye surgery such as cataracts can still be performed in the future. However, you are advised to tell your doctor that you have performed laser correction in order to determine if you are a good candidate.

Sources:

  1. Nvision - SMILE Eye Surgery vs. LASIK: Which Should You Get?
  2. 消委會拆解激光矯視手術風險
  3. 消委會揭「激光矯視」手術風險! 併發症嚴重可致角膜變形
  4. 激光矯視手術後使用的隱形眼鏡

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