SMILE Pro Eye Surgery Korea: Does It Have to Be 'Pro'? Results, Cost and Reviews

Worried that if you skip the SMILE Pro eye surgery Korea clinics keep advertising, you'll end up with an older, second-best version of the operation?

Give this a few minutes before you book a flight or open another quote.

By the end you'll know what the "Pro" actually refers to, what results to expect, what reviews get right and wrong, and what decides the cost. That lets you judge a Seoul clinic by your own corneas and budget rather than by a laser's brand name.

Hello, I'm Dr. Lee Ki-il, Medical Director and ophthalmologist at OLIM Eye Clinic in Gangnam, Seoul.

We perform 5th-generation SMILE on Germany's SCHWIND ATOS through a 2mm incision, and the exam and surgery can happen on the same day. Before any surgery there are about 60 detailed tests, and I review and explain your results with you in person.

I'm writing this because many people pick the laser name first and only later find out whether their cornea suits this kind of surgery at all.

SMILE Pro is ZEISS's name for SMILE performed on its VisuMax 800 laser. Our flapless option is SMILE on SCHWIND ATOS, and your exam shows whether lenticule surgery fits your eyes.

If you have a recent prescription from home, send a photo of it on WhatsApp with the one question you'd want answered first, for example whether your astigmatism is in a range lenticule surgery is used for.

SMILE Pro eye surgery Korea: what the name refers to

All SMILE-type surgery works the same basic way. A femtosecond laser shapes a thin, lens-shaped disc of tissue (a lenticule) inside the cornea, and the surgeon removes it through a small incision. Taking out that disc flattens the cornea and corrects myopia and astigmatism. No flap is lifted, which is the main difference from LASIK, as Reinstein and colleagues describe in their review of SMILE's history and outcomes in *Eye and Vision*.

Other manufacturers build lenticule lasers too. SCHWIND ATOS, the system we use, is a 5th-generation platform with real-time 7D eye tracking and laser energy set low and tailored to your cornea.

So when an ad says "SMILE Pro," read it as "SMILE on one particular brand of laser." If you want to weigh lenticule surgery against the flap and surface methods, I've written separately about how your cornea decides between SMILE, LASIK and LASEK.

Is a newer laser the same as a better result for you?

Not by itself. A faster laser shortens the seconds you spend holding still. It doesn't change whether your cornea is thick enough, regular enough and stable enough to have tissue taken out of it.

The numbers that matter more to me than the laser's name all come from the exam:

• Corneal shape and thickness. Our Pentacam maps corneal topography and thickness and is used to detect abnormal corneas such as keratoconus before surgery. A cornea that steepens unevenly is a reason to stop and think, whatever laser is in the next room.
• How much correction you need. A higher prescription means a thicker lenticule, so less cornea stays behind afterward.
• Whether your prescription has stopped changing. The U.S. FDA lists a prescription that changed in the past year among the reasons laser vision surgery may not be for you.
• Your tear film. Our OCULUS Keratograph 5M images the meibomian glands and measures tear break-up time. Eyes that are already dry before surgery usually feel drier for a while after any corneal laser.

When those numbers don't fit, I'd rather say so. We don't perform surgery that isn't needed. If lenticule surgery isn't the right trade for your eyes, the discussion moves to other options: Contoura LASEK on the Alcon Wavelight ex500, which preserves as much residual cornea as possible, or an ICL, a lens placed inside the eye that removes no corneal tissue. LASEK usually means a few sore days while the surface heals, and an ICL is an operation inside the eye with a small risk of raised eye pressure or cataract later, as the FDA notes in its page on the risks of phakic lenses.

Say you're around -5.50 with some astigmatism and eight days of leave

Say you're 33, living in Singapore, you've worn monthly contacts for twelve years, and your glasses read about -5.50 with 1.25 of astigmatism. You've read that SMILE Pro is the newest thing and assume you need exactly that.

Here's how I'd reason through it. First, you stop contact lenses 1–2 weeks before the exam, so your cornea has time to return to its natural shape. Then the measurements: if thickness and topography are regular and your tears hold up, a prescription like that sits in the range lenticule surgery is commonly used for, and SMILE on SCHWIND ATOS is one option we'd go through together. If the map shows an irregular lower cornea, I'd set corneal laser aside for that trip.

What results to expect from SMILE

Most people see well enough to get around the day after surgery, and sharpness keeps improving over the following weeks. Vision after SMILE can be a little hazier in the first day or two than after LASIK, which is common and usually settles.

The FDA's guidance on what to expect during and after laser vision surgery covers the early weeks: some burning or itching, hazy vision at first, not rubbing your eyes, and a first follow-up visit within a day or two. Those points apply to SMILE as much as to LASIK.

There's one result no corneal surgery changes. Somewhere in your 40s the lens inside the eye stiffens and close reading gets harder, which the American Academy of Ophthalmology explains in its page on presbyopia. SMILE corrects your distance prescription; it doesn't stop that process, and no surgeon can promise you'll never need glasses again.

If you're unsure whether results like these apply to your eyes, send a photo of your glasses prescription or contact lens box on WhatsApp, and add whether your numbers changed in the past year.

What reviews say about SMILE Pro, and what holds up

Review threads repeat a handful of claims. Some are accurate, some are half true.

• "The laser is over in seconds." True for the laser part. The whole time in the operating room is longer, there's a feeling of pressure while the eye is held steady, and your vision dims briefly. Expect that, and it's much easier to lie still.
• "SMILE doesn't cause dry eye." Half true. A small incision cuts fewer corneal nerves than a LASIK flap, which is why dryness is often milder, but many people still use lubricating drops for weeks.
• "Pro is a different, newer operation." It's the same lenticule procedure on a newer ZEISS laser. The surgery itself hasn't changed category.
• The real reason to stay is the early check after surgery.

What decides the cost of SMILE in Seoul

If you're asking how much SMILE Pro is in Korea, the figure for your case depends on a few concrete things:

1. Which surgery your exam points to. SMILE, Contoura LASEK and ICL are different operations with different costs.
2. The pre-operative exam itself, about 60 tests here.
3. One eye or both.
4. Medication and post-operative checkups.
5. Your days in Seoul, meaning accommodation and leave, which the exam-to-surgery timing affects.

To get the figure for your own eyes, ask on WhatsApp what it would cost for your case, with a photo of your current prescription.

Planning your days around the exam

We're open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 10:00–19:00, Friday 10:00–19:30 and Saturday 09:00–15:00, with lunch 13:00–14:00. We're closed Wednesday and Sunday. Registration for exams and surgery closes 2 hours before closing, so arriving at 17:30 on a Monday is too late for an exam that day.

The clinic is about 200m from Exit 6 of Eonju Station, on floors 2–5 of the Rian Building. Directions and hours are also on OLIM Eye Clinic's English homepage. Remember the contact lens break: if you land on a Thursday and switched to glasses only that morning, the exam may need to wait.

Risks and side effects to know

Common and temporary: dryness, a gritty feeling, glare or halos around lights at night, and vision that fluctuates for the first weeks. For many people these fade over weeks to a few months. Less common: under- or over-correction that may need further treatment later. Rare but serious: infection or inflammation under the cornea.

Who should usually wait or skip corneal laser surgery: anyone whose prescription is still changing, anyone with a thin or irregular cornea such as keratoconus, people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and people with an active eye infection or poorly controlled autoimmune disease. How each person heals varies, which is why the exam comes first.

If something feels wrong after you fly home, such as pain that gets worse, increasing redness or a sudden drop in vision, see an ophthalmologist near you the same day. Keep a copy of your surgery records with you so they can see what was done.

Before you book anything, send one thing on WhatsApp: a photo of your latest prescription with your travel dates, plus the one question that matters most to you, such as whether a Saturday arrival works. You don't need to have picked a surgery first. When you come to Gangnam, I'll go through your exam results with you in person, and we'll choose the surgery that fits your eyes together.

Frequently asked questions

Do you offer SMILE Pro at OLIM Eye Clinic?

Not under that name. SMILE Pro is ZEISS's name for SMILE on its VisuMax 800 laser. We perform 5th-generation SMILE on SCHWIND ATOS, a flapless lenticule surgery through a 2mm incision.

Does SMILE hurt during the procedure?

Numbing drops are used, so most people describe pressure and a brief dimming of vision rather than pain. For many, the eyes feel scratchy and watery for a few hours afterward.

Can the exam and surgery be done on the same day?

Yes, exam and surgery can happen on the same day if the results show SMILE suits your eyes. Registration for exams and surgery closes 2 hours before closing time, so plan to arrive early.

How long should I stop wearing contact lenses before the exam?

Stop contact lenses 1–2 weeks before, because your cornea needs time to return to its natural shape. You can confirm the exact period for your lens type on WhatsApp.

Will SMILE mean I never need reading glasses?

No. SMILE corrects your distance prescription, but presbyopia, the age-related stiffening of the lens, usually makes close reading harder from the 40s onward.

Sources

1. Small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) history, fundamentals of a new refractive surgery technique and clinical outcomes (Reinstein DZ, Archer TJ, Gobbe M. Eye Vis 2014;1:3) · Eye and Vision (via PubMed Central)
2. When is LASIK not for me? · U.S. Food and Drug Administration
3. What should I expect during and after surgery? (LASIK) · U.S. Food and Drug Administration
4. Phakic Intraocular Lenses: What are the risks? · U.S. Food and Drug Administration
5. What Is Presbyopia? · American Academy of Ophthalmology

Written with AI assistance from OLIM Eye Clinic Gangnam's published information and the medical sources listed below. This article is general medical information and does not replace a diagnosis. Whether and how to operate is decided after an in-person exam.