Zeiss Canada Introduces ReLEx SMILE Flapless Laser Treatment

Monday, July 27 2015 | 00 h 00 min | News

Carl Zeiss Canada has received its Health Canada Class III Medical Device license for ReLEx® SMILE (SMall
Incision Lenticle Excision) for the treatment of myopia and astigmatism, allowing this breakthrough procedure to be
available to the Canadian market. ReLEx SMILE is an innovative, minimally invasive laser technique for the
correction of refractive errors. Unlike LASIK, in which tissue is ablated with an excimer laser after opening a flap,
ReLEx smile does not require a flap. Instead, it creates a lenticle inside the intact cornea, which is removed through a
small incision. This unique procedure is exclusively available with use of the Carl Zeiss VisuMax® femtosecond laser.
Dr. Ludwin Monz, President and CEO of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG states, “the strong demand for the SMILE technique
is clear confirmation of the company’s dedication to innovation. More than 200,000 procedures have already been
successfully performed worldwide; 600 trained doctors offer the treatment in more than 290 facilities in 50 countries.”

Flapless
This minimally invasive refractive method without a flap enables doctors to operate with greater precision. The
femtosecond laser precisely creates a lens-shaped tissue in the cornea, which is then removed in one piece through
a four-millimeter incision. A flap, as required with most existing procedures, is no longer necessary. The
biomechanical stability of the vital upper layers of the cornea remains largely intact. For the patient, this means a
gentle, minimally invasive operation with immediate results. Thanks to the minimized severance of nerve pathways,
this technique may result in a lower occurrence of dry-eye syndrome, a common side effect of laser procedures.

Treatment with only one laser – all-femto.
With ReLEx, defective vision can be treated with just a single femtosecond laser for the very first time using the
VisuMax® from Carl Zeiss. The predictability of the results is better, which is particularly beneficial with high refraction
values up to -10 diopters.

Maximum satisfaction – one single-step.
The ReLEx SMILE procedure is done using the solely the VisuMax, therefore, the patient does not have to be moved
to another laser system. This minimizes patient stress and increases convenience. Doctors also benefit from shorter
treatment times.

ReLEx smile combines the latest femtosecond technology and precise lenticle extraction into one minimally invasive
correction technique in refractive surgery. Monz adds, “the ReLEx smile minimally invasive treatment method is
pioneering and has the potential to herald a paradigm shift in refractive laser surgery.” ReLEx smile is now available
for all Canadian refractive surgery practices.