Carl Zeiss Meditec recently unveiled a less invasive approach to refractive surgery than traditional LASIK at the Vienna Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.

Unlike LASIK, in which tissue is ablated with an excimer laser after opening a flap, Carl Zeiss’ ReLEx® smile correction technique does not require a flap. Instead, it creates a lens-shaped lenticle in the cornea, which is then removed in one piece through a four-millimeter incision. As a result, the ReLEx smile technique requires an 80 percent smaller surface incision in the upper cornea (flap-side cut) and an about 30 percent smaller lamellar incision (cap cut surface). The biomechanical stability of the vital upper layers of the cornea remains largely intact. For the patient, this means a gentle, minimally invasive operation.

Click here ^[1] for the full press release.