Why Femtosecond contoura lasik is better than smile
Dr Rajeev Raut Eye Clinic Raut Eye Care

Lasik is a laser basedprocedure that modifies the shape of the cornea.In lasik flap is creared and laser is applied to cornea to reshape it.The flap is then replaced over the treated cornea.In bladeless lasik the flap is created using femto second laser.Both flap creation and reshaping cornea is done by laser.No blade is used for creating flap..

Your cornea is unique to you as your finger prints.In contoura a device captures detailed,sophisticated scans of your cornea showing peaks and valleys.It measure aberrations or imperfections in the optics of your cornea that are reduced by laser ablation during the procedure.Contoura vision has a potential to produce an even better outcome than spectacles or contact lenses by treating these imperfections. Contoura vision utilises 22,000 data points from the scans which guides the laser to perform a personalised laser ablation.

SMILE is another laser based refractive surgey designed to change the shape of cornea.SMILE stands for small incision lenticule extraction.In this procedure laser is used to make cuts in the cornea to create a thin disc shaped piece called lenticule. The lenticule must be cut to very specific specifications as determined by the desired refractive correction.Lenticule is then removed from the bed.The elimination of this tissue changes the shape of cornea correcting the refractive error.

1 Refractive error-

Femto second lasik contoura is effective for myopia(minus number),hyperopia (plus number)and astigmatism (cylindrical numbers).Cylindrical numbers upto 5 diopters can be corrected.SMILE is declared safe to correct myopia only and astigmatism upto 0.5 only.

2.Eye movement tracking-Contoura femto second lasik makes sure laser pulses are delivered with pin point accuracy every time.it tracks eye movement during laser delivery.Tracking system is absent in SMILE.

3.Cyclorotation-compensation-Contoura femtosecond lasik compensates for cyclorotation (rotatory movement)of the eye that may occure between imaging in upright position and treatment in lying down position.Cyclorotation compensation is absent in SMILE.

4.Corneal irregularities correction-During contoura femto second lasik irregularities of the cornea are smoothened making optical surface of the eye nearly perfect.This results in clear,sharp vision.Hence this technique goes beyond correction of refractive error. Patient sees better than spectacles or contact lenses.

5.Recovery time-Contoura femto second lasik gives immediate recovery.Vision starts clearing in two hours and next day vision is perfect.SMILE takes 7-10 days for recovery.

6.Re treatment-In rare cases where slight spectacle power may remain it is easy to enhance in contoura femto second lasik.In smile it is impossible to re treat.

7.Tissue saving-In contoura femto second lasik it secures maximum corneal tissue savinf possible.It utilises 12-15 microns of corneal tissue to correct 1 diopters. In smile it used 35-45 microns to correct 1 diopters.

Above facts should be considered before taking decision about laser number correction.As we see bladeless femto lasik with contoura gives greater precision,better quality of vision and more safety.Your doctor will perform all the safety tests required to check whether you are eligible for laser number correction.