When heavily immersed in a profession, you sometimes lose sight of what outsiders and the public may think about the surgeries and patients you are around daily.
This happens to all of us lucky staff members at Slade & Baker Vision Center.
We were the first clinical trial site in all of Texas to provide the SMILE procedure to patients. There are only FIVE sites in the entire United States.
It is important to share information about this trial and this procedure as it is a thing of the future.
The SMILE procedure is fascinating. It is based on the notable, legendary ophthalmologist Dr. Barraquer’s techniques with lamellar surgery.
During LASIK surgery, a corneal flap is created with a femtosecond laser and an ablation is then made with an excimer laser. During the SMILE procedure, a femtosecond laser outlines a lens in the stroma of the cornea. It is then removed through a small 2 mm incision.
It resembles small incision cataract surgery. The potential advantages are directly tied to the fact that it is a small incision rather than the larger 270 degree flap incision that is created in standard LASIK surgery.
With this procedure, the hopes are for less potential of the occurrence of dry eye post surgery, more stability, and more patient comfort than LASIK on day one.
Thus far, there have been several hundred thousand cases performed outside the US, and a recent review of all the literature, some 57 papers, show the results being equivalent to LASIK. Not to mention, the advantages post surgery mentioned above.
As with science and all of technology, things progress. We still find the results of LASIK to be phenomenal and work every day to make our patients’ vision better with all the refractive surgery techniques we offer here. Whether it be LASIK, PRK, ICL or now, SMILE, we aim to make our patients happy with their vision.
No matter what option our individual patient would benefit most from, we aim to give them their best potential vision. Like fingerprints, everyone’s eyes are different.
We also stand behind Dr. Slade’s lifelong dedication to the advancement of science and technology in the ophthalmic world. He believes that this SMILE procedure will become a notable procedure moving forward into the refractive world’s future and is aiding in gathering data to prove such.
Dr. Slade has been named the medical monitor for the US trial of this SMILE technique and we are currently treating patients with myopia and astigmatism. We use the new Zeiss femtosecond laser in the treatment.
Remember, your vision is used the majority of your life and is invaluable. Don’t trust it to just anyone.
If you want options, and you want to know what is on the forefront of technology, come to us. Call us at
for more information on this SMILE procedure and any other refractive surgery options today! Visit our website for more info on Houston LASIK and other refractive surgery options as well!
