Onnuri Smile Eye Clinic, an ophthalmology clinic in South Korea, announced that its proprietary, patented 1mm ultra-small-incision SMILE Pro technique is drawing attention for its potential advantages in surgical safety and postoperative recovery.
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ICL, Cataract Surgery, and Smile LASIK are being performed (Image: Onnuri Smile Eye Clinic)
SMILE Pro is a vision correction procedure performed using the ZEISS VISUMAX 800, an advanced femtosecond laser platform developed by Carl Zeiss Meditec. The system incorporates high-precision laser scanning, automated alignment technologies, and centration and cyclotorsion compensation features designed to enhance surgical precision. With laser treatment completed in approximately 10 seconds, the shorter treatment time helps reduce patient discomfort and anxiety during the procedure.
Building on the SMILE Pro platform, Onnuri Smile Eye Clinic has developed an ultra-small-incision technique that reduces the surgical incision to approximately 1 mm. Conventional SMILE procedures typically use an incision of approximately 2–4 mm through which the surgeon separates and removes a thin, lens-shaped piece of corneal tissue known as a lenticule. Onnuri Smile Eye Clinic’s patented technique reduces this incision to approximately 1 mm.
By minimizing the incision size, the technique is designed to reduce surgical disruption to the corneal surface and surrounding tissue while facilitating faster postoperative recovery and an earlier return to daily activities. A smaller incision may also help reduce incision-related complications.
However, performing SMILE through an incision of approximately 1 mm requires more than simply reducing the laser-created opening. Safe manipulation through such a small incision requires specialized surgical techniques and instruments.
To address these technical challenges, Onnuri Smile Eye Clinic developed and patented LEMI (Low Energy Micro Incision), a dedicated surgical instrument designed specifically for ultra-small-incision SMILE procedures. Its refined design and flexibility allow surgeons to separate and extract the lenticule through a very small incision while minimizing unnecessary manipulation of the surrounding corneal tissue.
Two key elements make the clinic’s 1mm ultra-small-incision technique possible: precise laser control that enables the incision to be created at approximately 1 mm and a dedicated surgical instrument designed for lenticule manipulation through the micro-incision. The technique also incorporates corneal tissue-handling methods derived from the clinic’s experience with complex corneal surgery.
During SMILE Pro, the corneal cap above the lenticule can be approximately 0.11 mm (110 μm) thick. Because this tissue is extremely thin, careful surgical manipulation is essential to avoid excessive mechanical stress. Onnuri Smile Eye Clinic applies specialized tissue-handling techniques to maintain surgical stability and precision, even when operating through an ultra-small incision.
The introduction of SMILE Pro in South Korea in early 2023 marked another milestone in the evolution of minimally invasive laser vision correction following conventional SMILE. Onnuri Smile Eye Clinic’s patented 1mm ultra-small-incision SMILE Pro technique represents a further refinement of this approach, focusing on reducing surgical invasiveness while supporting rapid recovery and precise visual outcomes.
Bu Ki Kim, MD, Medical Director of Onnuri Smile Eye Clinic, said, “Vision correction surgery is typically a once-in-a-lifetime procedure for most patients, so decisions should be made carefully, taking into account not only visual outcomes but also safety, quality of vision, recovery time, and how quickly patients can return to their normal activities.” He added, “Through our patented technology and dedicated surgical instruments, we continue to pursue research and development aimed at providing patients with safer, more precise, and less invasive vision correction options.”
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