Both SMILE eye surgery and LASIK laser eye surgery provide sharp, clear vision, yet their methods and technologies are different. An excimer laser is used in LASIK to remove a small amount of tissue after creating a tiny flap in the cornea, or outer layer of the eye. A tiny, disc-shaped piece of corneal tissue (known as a lenticule) is removed during the SMILE vision correction procedure via a very small opening. By altering the eye’s surface so that light entering the eye focuses effectively on the retina, SMILE and LASIK both correct eyesight. The incision made with LASIK is much larger compared to the much smaller incision used during SMILE laser eye surgery. The two surgeries are different, yet both yield amazing results.