Side Effects and Complications

- Although the aim of SMILE treatment is to improve vision to the extent that there is no longer any dependence on corrective lenses or contact lenses, a particular outcome or success of surgery can never be guaranteed. Follow-up treatments or surgical corrections can never be ruled out, glasses or contact lenses may be necessary to have sufficient vision for certain activities. A follow-up correction is not possible with the identical SMILE procedure.

- Deviations in incision quality: Under certain anatomical conditions of the eye, difficulties may arise in the preparation of the corneal lenticule due to the handling of the surgeon or technical problems. This may lead to an interruption or rescheduling of the procedure or make another method advisable.

- Loss of vision: Although none of our patients suffer from vision loss, it cannot be ruled out with absolute certainty that SMILE - e.g. due to a uncontrollable infection - will result in loss of vision.

- Increased sensitivity to light and glare - possibly permanently.

- Reduced night vision - possibly permanently.

- Late complications: In individual cases it cannot be ruled out with absolute certainty that complications may occur in later years, e.g. due to weakening of the cornea (keratectasia) with significant visual deterioration.

- Reduction of visual acuity: Even with a complication-free course and using the latest technologies, there are fundamental problems with the surgical correction of ametropia. For example, the flattening or splitting of the cornea necessary for the respective correction may lead to a deterioration of the optical imaging qualities of the cornea and thus to a reduction of the best corrected visual acuity compared to the condition before the operation. However, this is all the more true if there are delays in the healing process of scars form.