The findings of the study revealed that, although both F-LASIK and SMILE procedures changed the corneal sensation 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after surgery, they did not affect the dry eye parameters at any point.

The findings revealed that accelerated corneal cross-linking halted the keratoconus progression without relevant side effects in pediatric patients over a 24-month follow-up period. Visual acuity, keratometric values, and corneal aberrations also improved.

Purpose. To evaluate and compare corneal backscatter from anterior stroma between small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) and femtosecond laser-assisted LASIK (femto-LASIK). Methods. A cohort of 60 eyes of 30 patients was randomized to receive SMILE in one eye and femto-LASIK in the fellow eye. In vivo confocal microscopy was performed at 1 week and 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery. The main outcome measurements were maximum backscattered intensity and the depth from which it was measured, the backscattered light intensity 30 μm below Bowman's membrane at the flap interface and 150 μm below the superficial epithelium, and the number of refractive particles at the flap interface. Results. The mean backscattered light intensity (LI) at all measured depths and the maximum backscattered LI were higher in the SMILE group than the femto-LASIK group at all postoperative visits. LI differences at 1 week and 1- and 3-month visits were statistically significant (P < 0,05). LI differences at 6 months were not statistically significant. There was no difference in the number of refractive particles at the flap interface between the groups at any visit. Conclusions. SMILE results in increased backscattered LI in the anterior stroma when compared with femto-LASIK were evaluated.

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Purpose: To compare the long-term refractive and visual outcomes and the corneal higher-order aberrations of contralateral eyes of patients who received small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) in one eye and femtosecond laser–assisted laser in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) in the other eye. Setting: Refractive Surgery Clinic of the University of Health Sciences Beyoğlu Eye Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. Design: Retrospective case series. Methods: The medical files of patients who received SMILE in one eye and FS-LASIK in the contralateral eye for myopia and myopic astigmatism were reviewed. Postoperative examinations at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years were evaluated. The main outcome measures were the comparison of the refractive and visual outcomes and the effect on corneal higher-order aberrations between the procedures. Results: This study included 44 eyes from 22 patients. At the 5-year follow-up, the mean uncorrected distance visual acuity improved to 0.03 ± 0.06 and 0.02 ± 0.05 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (range 0.15 to −0.08 and 0.10 to −0.08) for SMILE and FS-LASIK groups, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups (P = .572). At 5 years, all eyes in both groups were within ±1.00 diopter of attempted spherical equivalent refraction, and no statistically significant difference was found between the intended and achieved correction comparing the groups at any time points. None of the aberrations showed a difference between the groups at any time. Conclusions: Both SMILE and FS-LASIK were safe and similar in terms of efficacy and predictability at long-term follow-up for the correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism.