SMILE Pro: lenticule extraction in about 9 seconds of laser time
SMILE Pro is the 2023 generation of SMILE, performed on the ZEISS VISUMAX 800 - a platform that received U.S. FDA approval in January 2024. The laser pass takes about 9 seconds per eye, the incision is 2 mm, and GS Eye Center has performed SMILE Pro on 15,000+ eyes as of April 2026.
What is SMILE Pro?
SMILE itself dates to 2006, built on ZEISS optics. SMILE Pro keeps the same flapless, small-incision lenticule extraction and delivers it with a newer laser that works faster and aligns itself to your eye in real time.
Faster cut speeds
The VISUMAX 800 completes the laser pass in about 9 seconds per eye - under 10 seconds, versus about 30 on the earlier VISUMAX 500.
Visual-axis centration
Real-time navigation keeps the treatment centered on your individual visual axis, not just the geometric center of the pupil.
Astigmatism tracking
The astigmatism axis measured at your exam is displayed live and the treatment rotates to match it automatically.
Femtosecond laser
The laser class behind VISUMAX was recognized by the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics and carries the European CE mark and U.S. FDA approval.
Introduced at GS in 2023 with a dedicated SMILE Pro operating suite. GS was designated a ZEISS SMILE pro CENTER the same year.
Why does a 9-second laser pass matter?
On the earlier VISUMAX 500, the SMILE laser pass took about 30 seconds per eye. The VISUMAX 800 completes it 2.7 times faster. That is not just comfort - it closes a known risk window.
Suction loss risk drops with time
During SMILE the laser holds your eye with gentle suction. If that grip slips mid-treatment - called suction loss - the surgeon has to manage an interruption. A published study of 44,465 SMILE procedures on the VISUMAX 500 recorded 200 suction-loss events (about 0.45%), and 130 of them occurred after the 10-second mark. SMILE Pro finishes its laser pass before that window opens.
Source: Wan KH, et al. "Options and results in managing suction loss during small-incision lenticule extraction." J Cataract Refract Surg 2021;47(7):933-941.
- Less time under suction, so less strain during the procedure
- A shorter exposure window, reducing intraoperative infection risk
- Less drying of the eye surface while the laser works
- An easier experience if you worry about staying still
How does it stay locked on your eye?
Surgery centered on your visual axis
Your visual axis - the line connecting what you look at to the center of your retina - rarely matches the geometric center of your pupil. CentraLign displays the visual axis measured at your exam in real time ("Visual Axis Assisted Navigation"), so the surgeon fixes suction on your individual axis before the laser starts. The clinic credits visual-axis centration for sharper post-op vision.
Astigmatism axis, aligned automatically
Earlier SMILE required the surgeon to set the astigmatism axis manually. OcuLign shows the axis measured at your exam in real time ("Astigmatism Axis Assisted Navigation") and rotates the treatment to match it, reducing axis error. The clinic also treats high myopia and high astigmatism on this platform - whether your prescription qualifies is confirmed at the in-clinic exam.
How does SMILE Pro compare to its siblings?
GS runs all three lenticule platforms, so the comparison below is between procedures the clinic actually performs - not a sales chart against things it does not offer.
| SMILE Pro | SMILE LASIK | SILK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laser platform | ZEISS VISUMAX 800 | ZEISS VISUMAX 500 (two systems) | Johnson & Johnson ELITA |
| Laser pass per eye | About 9 seconds (under 10) | About 30 seconds | Low-energy pass, 1 μm spots |
| Incision | 2 mm, no flap | 2 mm, no flap | Small-incision lenticule, no flap |
| Axis alignment | CentraLign + OcuLign, real time | Surgeon-guided | Post Docking Alignment |
| Lenticule | ZEISS SMILE geometry | ZEISS SMILE geometry | Bi-convex design |
| At GS since | 2023 | 2016 | 2025 |
| U.S. FDA | VISUMAX 800 approved Jan 2024 | SMILE approved 2018 | — |
Details on the other two: SMILE LASIK · SILK · or see why GS runs all three.
Names the clinic has published for SMILE Pro
As published on GS Eye Center's Korean site. Individual results vary.
SMILE Pro questions
Three upgrades: the laser pass shrinks from about 30 seconds to under 10, the astigmatism axis is aligned automatically by OcuLign instead of manually, and CentraLign keeps the treatment on your visual axis in real time. The 2 mm incision and the flapless lenticule technique are the same.
The SMILE technique received U.S. FDA approval in 2018, and the VISUMAX 800 - the laser SMILE Pro runs on - received U.S. FDA approval in January 2024. It also carries the European CE mark.
Yes. The OcuLign system displays the astigmatism axis measured at your exam and rotates the treatment to match it automatically, reducing axis error compared with manual marking. The clinic also treats high myopia and high astigmatism on this platform; your exam determines whether your prescription is in range.
ZEISS scanning technology. The clinic describes its precision as comparable to a laser fired from Earth landing inside a coin-sized area on the Moon. Per the clinic, raw pulse speed alone is not enough - a platform's scanning has to keep up for the whole pass to finish this quickly.
The clinic reports faster recovery and less post-operative dryness compared with earlier SMILE, which it attributes to cutting laser exposure to roughly a third. Recovery still varies by individual, and your surgeon sets expectations at the exam. For what the weeks after look like, see our SMILE Pro explainer and the international patient journey.