If you have researched vision correction recently, you have probably seen "SMILE Pro" mentioned alongside SMILE and LASIK, sometimes with a nine-second figure attached and not much explanation. This guide unpacks what the procedure actually is, what the VISUMAX 800 changed compared with the previous generation, and what a shorter laser pass does and does not tell you. Everything here comes from the device maker's published materials, peer-reviewed literature, and GS Eye Center's own published records.
What is SMILE, and where does SMILE Pro come from?
SMILE stands for small incision lenticule extraction. ZEISS introduced its VisuMax femtosecond laser in 2006, and SMILE became commercially available on that platform in 2011. The procedure corrects nearsightedness and astigmatism by using a femtosecond laser to form a thin, lens-shaped layer of tissue - a lenticule - inside the intact cornea, which the surgeon then removes through an incision of about 2 mm. There is no corneal flap, which is the structural difference between SMILE and LASIK. SMILE first received U.S. FDA approval in 2016, with expanded indications in 2018, and by 2024 the technique had passed ten million procedures worldwide, per ZEISS.
SMILE Pro is the newer generation of that procedure. It is not a different operation - the lenticule principle and the small incision are the same. What changed is the machine that performs the laser work: the ZEISS VISUMAX 800, which ZEISS introduced in 2021 as the successor to the VISUMAX 500. GS Eye Center installed it in 2023.
What did the VISUMAX 800 change?
Three things, per ZEISS's published specifications and the clinical literature around the platform.
- Speed. The femtosecond laser pulses at a much higher repetition rate than its predecessor, and the scanning system keeps up with it. ZEISS reports lenticule creation in under ten seconds per eye under specified settings (nearsightedness with a 6.5 mm optical zone), versus roughly thirty seconds on the VISUMAX 500. GS Eye Center's clinical materials describe the pass as about nine seconds. This is the laser step, not the whole operation.
- Centering aid (CentraLign). CentraLign assists the surgeon with centration during docking. The surgeon checks alignment before treatment.
- Astigmatism alignment aid (OcuLign). On the VISUMAX 500, rotational alignment is surgeon-guided. On the VISUMAX 800, OcuLign recalculates the treatment pattern to assist the surgeon with rotational alignment before the laser fires. It is an alignment aid and does not replace the surgeon's alignment check.
| Factor | SMILE (VISUMAX 500) | SMILE Pro (VISUMAX 800) |
|---|---|---|
| Laser pass per eye | About 30 seconds | Under 10 seconds (about 9, per clinic materials) |
| Centering | Surgeon-guided | CentraLign centration aid during docking; the surgeon checks alignment |
| Rotational alignment | Surgeon-guided | OcuLign alignment aid, which recalculates the treatment pattern |
| Incision | About 2 mm, no flap | About 2 mm, no flap |
| U.S. FDA status | SMILE approved 2016, indications expanded 2018 | Approved with SMILE pro software, January 2024, for nearsightedness with or without astigmatism |
| At GS Eye Center | Two VISUMAX 500 units (since 2016, dual system 2019) | VISUMAX 800 in a dedicated operating room (since 2023) |
Why does a nine-second laser actually matter?
During the laser pass, the eye is held steady by gentle suction on the cornea. If that contact is broken mid-pass - by a sudden eye movement, a squeeze of the lids, or a flinch - the event is called suction loss. Treatment can be interrupted, and the surgeon assesses the stage of treatment and decides how to proceed. A 2021 review in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery (Wan et al.) discusses the options for managing it. It is the part of a SMILE procedure where holding still matters most.
What the published data do not show is that a shorter pass prevents it. The Wan review looks at how suction loss was managed; it does not compare complication rates between the VISUMAX 500 and the VISUMAX 800. Shorter laser time is a characteristic of the device. On its own it does not establish a lower complication risk, faster recovery or less post-operative dryness compared with another platform, and it does not eliminate the possibility of suction loss.
For the patient, the practical difference is the length of that step: holding fixation on a target light for about nine seconds rather than about thirty. Positioning, docking and lenticule removal are separate parts of the operation, so the procedure as a whole takes longer than the laser pass. None of this makes the procedure risk-free - no honest clinic will tell you that - and your complication risk and recovery are assessed for your own eyes at the exam.
Is SMILE Pro approved in the United States?
Yes. The U.S. FDA approved the VISUMAX 800 with the SMILE pro software in January 2024 for nearsightedness with or without astigmatism, per ZEISS's press release and coverage in the ophthalmology trade press, including Healio. American clinics have been installing the platform since then, so "you cannot get this in the U.S." is not true, and you should be skeptical of any site that claims otherwise. These are U.S. regulatory records; eligibility in Korea depends on the applicable local labeling and your eye examination.
What is true is a difference in timing. ZEISS introduced the VISUMAX 800 in 2021, before the U.S. approval in 2024; this clinic installed it in 2023, and its SMILE history began in 2016. Software, available features and approved uses can differ by market and installation, so ask the clinic which configuration will be used; whether surgery suits you is decided by your own examination. When you compare clinics, compare verifiable facts such as the surgeon, the platform and the exam rather than the country.
How does GS Eye Center use the platform?
GS Eye Center performed its first SMILE Pro procedure in August 2023, the year it installed the VISUMAX 800 and built a dedicated SMILE Pro operating room. By the clinic's published counts, SMILE Pro cases reached 5,000 eyes in October 2024, 10,000 in August 2025, and 15,000+ as of April 2026. Separately, the clinic reports a cumulative total of more than 300,000 eyes treated across vision correction and cataract surgery since 2005, as of 2023.
One detail of the setup is worth knowing as a patient: the clinic runs SMILE Pro on the VISUMAX 800 and SMILE LASIK on two VISUMAX 500 units, and separately offers SILK, a different procedure performed on the Johnson & Johnson ELITA platform. The recommendation can therefore follow the exam rather than the one machine in the building. Dry eye is a real effect of refractive surgery. It usually improves, but in some people dry eye or glare can last longer or be more severe and need further treatment; how it may affect you is something to discuss with your surgeon at the exam.
Who is SMILE Pro for - and who is it not for?
This article covers the nearsightedness and astigmatism correction offered with SMILE Pro at this clinic, including higher degrees in suitable eyes per the clinic's materials. The correctable range is confirmed against the applicable Korean approvals and your eye examination. Like every corneal procedure, it depends on what the examination finds: sufficient corneal thickness, a stable prescription, a healthy tear film, and no signs of conditions such as keratoconus. Patients ruled out of laser surgery may be candidates for a phakic lens instead.
That is why the honest answer to "should I get SMILE Pro?" is always the same: it is decided by around 50 diagnostic tests, not by an article. If you are considering it from the U.S. or Canada, send your prescription through the consultation form before you book anything. Your coordinator passes your records to the medical team; after the medical team reviews them, you are told which options are worth evaluating further. The final decision follows the in-person examination.
Related pages: SMILE Pro at GS · Why GS for SMILE · SMILE vs LASIK vs ICL