Objective: To compare Fs-LASIK and Fs-SMILE in terms of efficacy, safety, predictability. Also comparing the effect of both procedures in dry eye parameters, corneal higher order aberrations and corneal asphericity.
Methods: Our study is a prospective, non-randomized, comparative clinical study will be applied on patients with myopia or myopic astigmatism. This study includes 60-eyes that were recruited from El Mashreq Eye Hospital presented for refractive error correction. Fs- LASIK group included 30-eyes and SMILE group included 30-eyes.
Results: There was a non-statistically significant difference between both procedures in efficacy, safety and predictability. 86.67% of treated eyes in the SMILE group, and 93.33% of treated eyes in the FS-LASIK group, respectively, had 20/20 or better UDVA. Dry eye was manifested in less degree after SMILE procedure in comparison with Fs-LASIK. Both Fs-LASIK and Fs-SMILE increased total corneal higher order aberrations, spherical aberrations and coma aberration, but there was a non-statistically significant difference between both procedures. Fs-SMILE induced more coma aberration, probably due to the decentration and Fs-LASIK induced more spherical aberrations, but these results were statistically non-significant.
Conclusion: The results in both procedures are matching and comparable but a further contralateral fellow eye studies is needed to have a homogenous preoperative matching and avoid bias.
Keywords: Femtosecond Assisted LASIK; Lenticule Extraction (SMILE); Myopia