When LASIK makes sense
You have a standard prescription and a healthy, thick-enough cornea, and you want a fast, well-proven laser correction. LASIK can also treat long-sight, which SMILE Pro cannot.
Comparing your options · Himayat Nagar
LASIK, SMILE Pro or ICL, which is right for your eyes?
Three excellent ways to be free of glasses, and the honest truth is that the best one depends on your eyes, not on what is most profitable to sell. Here is how LASIK, SMILE Pro and ICL really compare, and how we help you choose the one that fits you.
Side by side
How the three really compare.
An honest, like-for-like look. No option is "best", each is best for a particular eye.
| LASIK | SMILE Pro | ICL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Laser reshapes the cornea under a thin flap | Laser reshapes the cornea, flapless, through a tiny opening | A soft lens placed inside the eye |
| Corneal flap | Yes, a thin hinged flap | None | Not applicable, no laser |
| Corrects | Short-sight, long-sight & astigmatism | Short-sight & short-sight with astigmatism | A wide range, including high short-sight |
| Often best for | Many standard prescriptions with healthy corneas | Short-sight, active or sporty lives, dry-eye-prone eyes | High power, thin or irregular corneas, dry eyes, eyes laser can't treat |
| Corneal tissue | Reshaped, tissue removed | Reshaped, less surface disturbed | None removed |
| Reversible | No, permanent reshaping | No, permanent reshaping | Yes, lens can be removed or exchanged |
| Dry-eye tendency | Can be more at first, then settles | Tends to be less, flapless | Minimal, no corneal nerves cut |
| Recovery | Quick, within days | Quick, within days | Quick, often a day or two |
| At PSR | In-house | In-house, on the ZEISS VISUMAX 800 | In-house |
Scroll the table sideways to see all three →
In plain words
When each one makes sense.
One surgeon, start to finish
The surgeon who examines you is the one who operates.
At many busy centres, one person consults you, another operates, and a third sees you afterwards. Here, the same senior surgeon stays with you through your vision correction, and every visit after.
1
Examines youAn unhurried consultation with the surgeon, not a sales desk.
2
Operates on youThe same surgeon performs the procedure, personally.
3
Looks after youAnd sees you at every follow-up afterwards.
Before you choose any eye surgeon
Questions worth asking, of anyone.
Your sight is not where to bargain-hunt. Ask these of any practice you are considering:
- Will I meet the surgeon who will operate, before the day?
- Will the same surgeon perform my surgery and my follow-ups?
- Is the lens or plan chosen for my eye and my life, or for a package?
- If something needs attention afterwards, who handles it?
- Will someone tell me honestly if I don't need surgery yet?
At Dr. P. Siva Reddy Eye Hospital, the answer to every one of these is yes.
Dr. H. Siva Mohan Reddy
Chief Surgeon · MBBS · DO · DNB · Aravind-trained
Third generation of a family Hyderabad has trusted with its eyes since 1975, founded by Padma Bhushan Dr. P. Siva Reddy, "the People's Ophthalmologist."
4.9★ · 1,106 Google reviews Since 1975 · three generations
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best, LASIK, SMILE Pro or ICL?
None of them is universally best, and any clinic that says otherwise is selling, not advising. They suit different eyes. LASIK and SMILE Pro reshape the cornea with a laser; ICL adds a soft lens inside the eye. The right one depends on your prescription, your corneal thickness and shape, and your dry-eye status. One assessment measures all of that and gives you the honest answer.
Which is safest?
All three are well-established and safe in the right eyes. Safety comes far less from the procedure itself than from choosing the right procedure for your eyes, and from saying no when none of them fits. That is exactly why we measure first and never fit an eye to the wrong option.
Which is best for dry eyes?
Flapless SMILE Pro disturbs fewer of the corneal nerves that govern dry eye than standard LASIK, and lens-based ICL disturbs none of them. If dry eye is a concern, we assess and treat your tear film first, then recommend the gentler route. See our dry eye clinic for how we handle that.
Which is best for high power or very strong glasses?
ICL often handles higher short-sight comfortably, beyond what laser can safely correct, because it adds a lens rather than removing corneal tissue. For strong prescriptions it is frequently the honest answer.
Which works for thin or irregular corneas?
ICL, because it removes no corneal tissue. Laser (LASIK or SMILE Pro) needs enough healthy, regular cornea to reshape, so thin or irregular corneas, or keratoconus, usually rule laser out. The scan tells us clearly.
Can I have laser if I have keratoconus?
No, keratoconus rules out LASIK and SMILE Pro, because reshaping an already-weak cornea is unsafe. Some stable eyes may still suit ICL, and keratoconus itself needs its own care first. We will be honest about what is and isn't possible for your eyes.
Is the cost very different between them?
It depends on your eyes and the option that suits them, which we only know after measuring. We would rather discuss it properly at your assessment than publish a figure that misleads. You are welcome in Himayat Nagar; book on WhatsApp or by phone.
How do I find out which one suits me?
One refractive suitability assessment measures your prescription, corneal thickness and shape, and the space inside your eye, everything needed to tell you whether LASIK, SMILE Pro, ICL, or none is right. The same surgeon who advises you is the one who would perform it.
Medically reviewed by Dr. H. Siva Mohan Reddy · 2026-06-25
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