EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/932603
EW SECONDARY FEATURE 94 February 2018 LASIK patients. "The feedback we've gotten has been very positive," he said. "Everyone has been happy with their results." SMILE joins a long history of refractive surgery in the military. Research from the military led to initial FDA approval of PRK and later LASIK. Currently, SMILE re- mains available at only three DoD locations—Fort Belvoir Hospital, San Diego Naval Medical Center, and Wilford Hall, San Antonio—for research purposes. Both Dr. Rivers and Dr. Cason said they expect the military will play a role in contrib- uting to the body of research about SMILE, as it did for LASIK and PRK. "Our intent is to do studies on SMILE to look at it specifically for our military population," Dr. Cason said. "We're currently trying to col- laborate on a joint study among the Army, Air Force, and the Navy." In the year since his first SMILE, Dr. Rivers has performed more than 150 SMILE procedures, and he thinks the number is likely to grow. "I think that as more people hear about it, it will become more popular and requested," Dr. Rivers said. The attraction of the proce- dure, for some, may be that they are leaning toward getting LASIK but are worried about the flap, and thus find SMILE a good option being similar to surface ablation but with a faster healing time, less pain, and no flap. There are also those who want to try something new, be on the cutting edge. "Sometimes we've had patients who come in and like the idea that it's new. They want the latest proce- dure you have to offer, and they like the idea that it's a recent advance in the technology," Dr. Cason said. EW Editors' note: The physicians have no financial interests related to their comments. The views expressed by the physicians do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government. Contact information Cason: john.b.cason.mil@mail.mil Rings: matthew.c.rings.mil@mail.mil Rivers: bruce.a.rivers.mil@mail.mil SMILE continued from page 93 Dr. Rivers dissects the plane above and below the lenticule prior to its removal. Source (all): Bruce Rivers, MD