Vision Eye Institute’s Associate Professor Michael Lawless has become the first Australian surgeon to perform successful SMILE Pro laser eye surgery.
SMILE Pro represents the latest advancement of the original SMILE technique. It uses the VISUMAX 800, the newest generation of Zeiss femtosecond lasers.
Compared to its predecessors, VISUMAX 800 is a step up in terms of safety, accuracy and patient experience, according to Vision Eye Institute.
“It has a significantly shorter laser time and reduced potential for transcription errors. In addition, the speed of laser scanning virtually eliminates suction loss, creating a more comfortable experience for patients,” the institute said.
Professor Lawless described operating with the VISUMAX 800 as like driving a Tesla instead of an older, petrol car.
“By offering computer-assisted centration, cyclotorsion adjustment, and creating the lenticule cut in under 10 seconds (minimising suction time), VISUMAX 800 improves and refines the SMILE technique. It’s not the future – it’s now,” Lawless said.
With a focus on innovation and clinical excellence, Vision Eye Institute has been a pioneer of laser eye surgery in Australia.
Lawless was a member of the original group of Australian surgeons to obtain an excimer laser and was also the first surgeon in New South Wales to perform first-generation LASIK.
Also among Vision Eye Institute’s doctors are the first surgeons to perform laser eye surgery in Victoria and Brisbane, the first Australian surgeon to perform LASIK surgery with the intralase femtosecond laser, and the first Sydney surgeon to perform SMILE. Vision Eye Institute Chatswood has also performed the most SMILE surgeries for a single clinic in Australia and New Zealand.
Vision Eye Institute is one of the first clinics in the Southern Hemisphere to have the VISUMAX 800 installed.
“It was a privilege to perform the first SMILE Pro surgery in Australia and New Zealand. I’m happy that our Sydney surgeons and patients will be able to benefit from this technology that takes SMILE and laser vision correction to another level,” Lawless said.
More reading
Vision Eye Institute increases treatment access with Buy Now, Pay Later
Prominent figures to oversee Vision Eye Institute’s new Future Vision Foundation
Vision Eye Institute joins forces with Eye Surgeons SA
