Gwangju Shinsegae Eye Clinic, Honam's First to Introduce 'SMILE Pro' VisuMax 800

Gwangju Shinsegae Eye Clinic announced on the 4th that it has introduced the ‘Smile Pro’ VisuMax 800, a new SMILE surgery device from the world-renowned optical company Carl Zeiss, marking the first installation in the Honam region.

This equipment is available to only about 20 ophthalmologists nationwide, and in the Honam area, Dr. Kim Jaebong, the chief director of Shinsegae Eye Clinic, is the only one qualified to use it.

Jae-bong Kim, Chief Director of Gwangju Shinsegae Eye Clinic.

SMILE LASIK, one of the representative vision correction surgeries along with LASIK and LASEK, features femtosecond laser and scanning technology. Unlike traditional LASIK, which involves cutting a corneal flap, or LASEK, which removes only the corneal epithelium, SMILE LASIK uses a minimal incision of 2 to 4 mm to minimize nerve damage. Because it minimizes corneal nerve damage, it offers the advantage of faster recovery after vision correction.

SMILE LASIK has been performed on over 8 million eyes worldwide, and since its introduction in Korea in 2007, more than 1 million procedures have been conducted, proving its long-term safety and effectiveness.

The Smile Pro offers an even faster laser application speed than the existing SMILE LASIK, reducing the laser exposure time from 24 seconds to under 10 seconds. This minimizes the risk of infection, shortens recovery time, and improves the quality of vision.

Smile Pro enables precise detection and tracking of all laser stages through live monitoring throughout the entire surgical process. The patient support system, which controls uniform pressure, is built into the device to detect movements more finely and automatically centers the eye, correcting even slight tremors.

The central line feature of Smile Pro identifies the patient’s visual axis and pupil center to accurately calibrate the laser’s position.

Additionally, it is equipped with the Oculine function, which corrects astigmatism axis rotation and provides optimal treatment results, making it beneficial for patients with astigmatism.

While SMILE LASIK and Smile Pro are safe and effective, performing such precise and advanced surgeries requires the clinical experience and expertise of an ophthalmology specialist as an essential prerequisite.

Furthermore, it is important to verify whether the hospital is officially certified by Zeiss, how many SMILE LASIK surgeries have been performed, whether a thorough preoperative examination system is in place, and if the postoperative care system is well established.

Dr. Kim Jaebong, chief director of Gwangju Shinsegae Eye Clinic, stated, “Recently, the increase in electronic device usage due to media development has led to a rise in myopia patients. Accordingly, more people are seeking vision correction surgery, and with technological advancements, the state-of-the-art SMILE LASIK equipment, Smile Pro, has been introduced. It upgrades the shortcomings of existing LASIK, LASEK, and SMILE surgeries.”