Feel liberated after SMILE laser eye surgery in Lyon
In this video, Dr. David Donate explains how patients feel after SMILE
Life is better without glasses and contacts
After SMILE laser eye surgery, our patients experience life-changing freedom
When you feel confident, amazing things happen
When you feel confident in who you are, it shows through your actions, personal demeanour, and interaction with others. SMILE laser eye surgery helps you feel ready for life’s experiences and more likely to move forward with new people and opportunities – not back away from them.
Life’s better without glasses
Imagine waking up in the morning and being able to leave the house without having to worry about your glasses or contact lenses. You can walk, swim, shop and travel without anxiety around your glasses and contact lenses getting in your way. Whether it’s a picnic in the park or an interview for your dream job, you’ll feel attractive, relaxed and comfortable.
Free yourself from the barriers that hold you back
After SMILE laser eye surgery, you’ll have exceptional natural vision and be free from the setbacks that come with glasses and contact lenses. You’ll never have to worry about the way glasses make you look or feel, or any contact lens complications. You can finally live your life the way it’s supposed to be – with confidence.
When you feel confident, amazing things happen
When you feel confident in who you are, it shows through your actions, personal demeanour, and interaction with others. SMILE laser eye surgery helps you feel ready for life’s experiences and more likely to move forward with new people and opportunities – not back away from them
Life’s better without glasses
Imagine waking up in the morning and being able to leave the house without having to worry about your glasses or contact lenses. You can walk, swim, shop and travel without anxiety around your glasses and contact lenses getting in your way. Whether it’s a picnic in the park or an interview for your dream job, you’ll feel attractive, relaxed and comfortable.
Freedom from glasses and contacts in 3 easy steps
Enjoy exceptional natural vision in Lyon with The Donate Method
GET IN TOUCH
The first step is to find out if laser eye surgery is right for you. That’s why we offer a free first appointment. Give us a call on 04 78 17 27 27 or use our easy online calendar to get an appointment.
WE’LL MEET
Visit our high-quality clinic, where we’ll give you a comprehensive eye examination and discuss your lifestyle. You’ll leave with a clear answer about the best treatment option for your eyes.
ENJOY LIFE
After being treated with The Donate Method, our patients tell us that every day is better and they wish they had done it years earlier! You’ll be ready to enjoy a new freedom without the hassle of glasses and contacts!
Can laser eye surgery help you?
There are many treatment options to suit different ages and lifestyles
You’re 20 – 44 and glasses and contacts get in your way
Glasses and contacts can make you look older or less attractive, get in the way of the activities you enjoy and are a hassle to remember.
Find out how you can become glasses and contact lenses free…
You’re over 45 and your reading glasses make you feel old
Have you started to notice that your reading vision isn’t as crisp as it used to be? Or perhaps you refuse to wear those awful reading glasses because they make you feel old?
Find out how you be free from the hassle of reading glasses…
Happy patients talk about why they chose us
We’ve helped thousands of Lyonnais enjoy exceptional natural vision without glasses and contact lenses
We have replaced the images of real patients who provided these testimonials to protect their privacy.
Gain crystal clear vision and recover quicker
In the toggles below, we have provided everything you need to know about SMILE
SMILE treatment can correct:
- Myopia from -0,25 to -10D
- Astigmatism from -0,25 to -5D
ReLEx® SMILE is the latest advancement in laser eye surgery for the treatment of myopia, with or without astigmatism.
SMILE works like LASIK laser eye treatment, in that the laser reshapes the cornea in just 25 seconds for each eye. The only key difference with SMILE is that there is no creation of a corneal “flap” which means the integrity of the cornea is maintained, and the healing process is quicker.
The main advantage of ReLEx SMILE over other laser eye surgery techniques is that it is minimally invasive and does not require the creation of a flap, as is the case with LASIK.
This means there are:
- No flap-related complications
- The corneal remains strong
- No need to avoid rubbing the eye
- Can be used to treat people with dry eyes from long-term contact lens wear
- No dry eye after treatment
- Rapid healing time limiting the risk of infection
Sometimes in about 1% of cases, there is a residual correction (remaining visual error) that requires touching up. We have the experience of these small complementary treatments that we can do without any difficulty.
Very rarely, in 1 in 10,000 cases, the patient’s visual acuity may drop to 8/10, and they may need to start wearing glasses again. Our experience and know-how allow us to take care of these cases, even if the patients have been operated on at other visual clinics.
We have integrated all options into the standard RELEX SMILE treatment.
The SMILE procedure
Before the procedure
On the day of your treatment, you will spend an hour with us. Upon arrival at the clinic, we will give you a pre-medication to relax you. Once you have put on your sterile robe, you are ready for the operating room.
During your operation
During your operation, you will be lying on an operating chair. After following strict antiseptic regulations, we will give you local anesthesia in the form of eye drops. The 20-minute procedure consists of two steps:
- The laser sculpts a disc-shaped piece of cornea below the surface of your eye. This is the “lenticule” that gives the surgery its name.
- The laser then makes a small incision in your cornea. This gives your surgeon access to the disc that the laser formed. The entire laser treatment takes about 30 seconds.
- Your surgeon removes the disc-shaped piece of cornea through the incision. This reshapes your cornea and corrects your vision
The procedure is not painful and perfectly safe.
After your procedure
You will need to be met at our clinic by an accompanying person who can take you home. We advise you to rest for 3 to 4 hours with closed eyes and should then use anti-inflammatory and antibiotic eye drops.
We will invite you for a post-operative check-up between 1 and 10 days after treatment. It is advisable to avoid situations that could result in you getting dust, dirt or debris in your eye as this could cause an infection.
Results of RELEX SMILE
The SMILE treatment ensures optimum results with minimum risk. It’s our priority to obtain good quality vision for you and your eyes, even up to 20/20!
SMILE surgery offers more precision thanks to its high-performance technology. Scientific studies have shown an increase in treatment accuracy (David Donate, Femtosecond laser precision, SFO, May 2016, Paris, France).
Recovery is as fast as that of LASIK (David Donate, SMILE (Extraction of a refractive lenticule): Role of laser energy, SAFIR 7 & 8 May 2016, Paris). In addition, scientific studies (including that of Dr. Dan Reinstein of the London Vision Clinic, published in the scientific journal “Eye World”) showed a decrease in dry eyes, and in long-term corneal stability (Dan Z Reinstein, Biomechanics of ReLEx SMILE: A keyhole intrastromal form of keratomileusis, Eye World, February 2013).
The results obtained in our ophthalmological center are very satisfactory:
- 99% of patients achieved visual acuity equivalent to 20/20 without glasses as early as the first treatment
- 100% of patients achieve visual acuity equal to 16/20 without glasses from the first treatment
If the visual acuity is not considered sufficient, a second treatment is possible to obtain 20/20 without glasses. The SubCap-LE is a process that involves creating a SMILE treatment within a SMILE treatment. The results of the SubCap-Le complements are very satisfactory (David Donate, Preliminary Evidence of Successful Enhancement After a Primary SMILE Procedure with the Sub-Cap-Lenticule-Extraction Technique, 2015, Journal of Refractive Surgery).
Discover why 90% of our laser eye surgery patients choose SMILE
SMILE, the world’s latest advancement in vision treatment, is now available in Lyon
SMILE® is the latest, 3rd generation of laser vision correction for patients with myopia (short-sightedness) and astigmatism.
Compared to its predecessors, PRK and LASIK, SMILE is minimally invasive and poses fewer post-surgery complications and side effects.
With traditional LASIK, the surgeon uses a laser to create a flap in the cornea. The surgeon then folds the flap back to allow the second laser to reshape corneal tissue underneath, correcting the visual error. Although this method works well, there is a higher incidence of dry eye and flap-related complications.
With SMILE®, the cornea’s surface remains almost untouched, and there is less disturbance of the corneal nerves. This means patients can expect shorter treatment times, faster recovery, fewer side effects and excellent visual outcomes.
Have questions about SMILE?
Watch our patient videos to learn from expert eye surgeon Dr. David Donate
Est-ce que le SMILE fait mal ?
Est-ce que le SMILE fait mal ? [...]
Quels sont les avantages du SMILE ?
Quels sont les avantages du SMILE ? [...]
Comment fonctionne le SMILE ?
Comment fonctionne le SMILE ?
Bringing world-class expertise to patients in Lyon
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Make the Best Choice
Take this quick quiz to discover if you can be free from glasses and contacts
Not everyone can benefit from laser eye surgery. You have many different options depending on your eyes, age and lifestyle. Take this quick 2-min quiz to find out which type of laser eye surgery (if any) is right for you
Dr. David Donate
Ophthalmologist – Refractive surgery specialist
20 years’ experience and 20000 successful vision correction treatments
With over 20 years of experience performing more than 20000 successful eye procedures, and a repertoire of academic publications and research, Dr. David Donate has earned himself an international reputation.
At his state-of-the-art clinic in Lyon, Dr. Donate follows a specialised method called, The Donate Method, to ensure his patients feel confident about their vision correction journey. Combined with the highest quality pre-op and post-op appointments, expert precision solutions and top technology, Dr. Donate is perfectly positioned to deliver the best possible outcome for his patients.
