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Prof. Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad Khattak
CEO FIO Hospitals & Consultant Ophthalmologist | Retina Specialist
Over more than 4,000 refractive procedures across my career, I've learned that most patient anxiety before SMILE Pro comes from not knowing what actually happens in the room. So let me walk you through it, step by step, exactly as we perform it at FIO Hospital.
What Happens Before You Enter the Operating Suite?
By the time a patient reaches surgery day, the real work has already been done during the pre-operative visits: corneal topography, pachymetry, refraction, and a full eye health check. On the day itself, we re-confirm your prescription and apply numbing eye drops — no injections, no general anesthesia. You remain fully awake and can talk to the surgical team throughout.
How Does Docking to the ZEISS VisuMax 800 Work?
You'll lie down under the ZEISS VisuMax 800 laser, and a soft suction ring gently stabilizes the eye for a few seconds while the laser creates the lenticule — the small disc of tissue that will be removed to reshape your cornea. This step is fully automated and typically takes under 30 seconds per eye. Because SMILE Pro is flapless, there's no separate step to cut and lift a corneal flap, which is one of the biggest differences from older LASIK techniques.
How Is the Lenticule Removed?
Once the laser step is complete, I remove the lenticule through a small incision, only a few millimeters wide. This is the most delicate part of the procedure and is done entirely by hand under the operating microscope. Most patients feel mild pressure but no pain at this stage.
What Happens Right After Surgery?
The entire procedure, per eye, usually takes just a few minutes. You'll rest briefly in recovery before heading home the same day — there's no hospital stay involved. Vision is often noticeably clearer within hours, though we always schedule an early follow-up, typically within 24 to 48 hours, to confirm healing is on track.
A Surgeon's Personal Note
Having performed this procedure thousands of times, what I tell every patient is the same: SMILE Pro is only as good as the assessment behind it. The technology is excellent, but matching it to the right patient is still a surgeon's judgment call. If you're considering SMILE Pro, come in for a proper evaluation — that's the step that actually determines your outcome.
Read the full SMILE Pro treatment guide, see our Refractive Laser Centre of Excellence, or book a consultation.