Policyholder Services

Does OMIC cover small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) procedures?

Yes.  Small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) is automatically covered under the standard Surgery Class 3 rating classification. No special application, underwriting requirements, or endorsement is required.

The VisuMax Femtosecond Laser obtained FDA approval in September 2016 for use in small incision lenticule extraction for the reduction or elimination of myopia in certain patients.  To perform the SMILE procedure, the surgeon uses the laser to create a thin disc-shaped lenticule within the cornea. The lenticule is then removed through a small incision, created by the laser, on the surface of the cornea. SMILE is indicated for the treatment of patients age 22 or older with -1.0 D to -8.0D of myopia and astigmatism of -0.50 D or less in the eye to be treated and stable manifest refraction that has changed no more than 0.50 D in the past 12 months.