ZEISS VisuMax femtosecond laser was installed in MNTK Eye Microsurgery in Saint Petersburg in 2013 and they were the third among MNTK Eye Microsurgery branches and the fifth clinic in Russia to have this kind of laser. Today MNTK Eye Microsurgery offers all state-of-the-art laser vision correction techniques: almost 85 % of surgeries are performed with ReLEx SMILE technique using ZEISS VisuMax femtosecond laser.

Aleksey Valerievich Titov, board-certified ophthalmologist, Head of Refractive Surgery and Corneal Pathology department at MNTK Eye Microsurgery Saint Petersburg branch:
«We did not experience any particular difficulties when mastering the technology, as our doctors had vast experience in refractory surgery. It took some time to select optimal energy parameters of the femtosecond laser and make it an ideal tool for the procedure.
Actually, it took more effort to prove to patients that the new method, along with the previous laser vision correction generations, is safe and predictable and the fact there is no need to create a flap removes many associated constraints.»
In Refractive Surgery and Corneal Pathology department at MNTK Eye Microsurgery Saint Petersburg branch, specialists apply best practices and techniques in refractive surgery to cure patients with various cornea diseases.
«A surgeon who is not interested in scientific analysis of the results is an „artisan“. When mastering ReLEx SMILE technique and in our further practice we saw our goal in making this surgery procedure even better, predictable in terms of results, safe and comfortable for patients.»
Specialists of MNTK Eye Microsurgery (Saint Petersburg) use ZEISS VisuMax femtosecond laser not only in refraction correction but also in further handling of the lenticular material obtained upon ReLEx SMILE procedure. Particularly, to perform surgeries to treat disorders of cornea, for example, various types of keratoplasty and formation of intracorneal tunnels to implant corneal rings and segments. Application of lenticular material is now one of the promising types of cornea disorder treatments. The Saint Petersburg branch of MNTK Eye Microsurgery has an Eye Bank (cornea storage) allowing them to work with lenticular material, accumulate and use it in scientific research.
Aleksey Valerievich Titov:
«After a ReLEx SMILE surgery we have a piece of a healthy cornea which in many cases is discarded now. In our center, we keep it in order to use later to treat various diseases.
Many severe forms of cornea disorders, for example, keratoconus or pellucid marginal corneal degeneration, require cornea transplantation. Lenticular material allows us to perform surgeries preserving the patient’s own cornea and thus eliminating the risk related to graft rejection.»
«Professional success for me is this glint of happiness in the eyes of patients who can, thanks to our work, see the world in all its beauty and do not need glasses or contact lenses. Also, it is the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art equipment and use technologies that restore vision in patients who might have already lost their hope.»
ReLEx SMILE is a femtosecond laser vision correction technology owned by Carl Zeiss Meditec company. It was developed in 2007 by a team of eye practitioners lead by Walter Secundo and Markus Bloom. SMILE surgery is performed with ZEISS VisuMax femtosecond laser and allows correction of myopia and astigmatism in a fast manner, with no pain and minimal surgical intervention.

«The way I see it, there are no obstacles today for the surgeons in mastering and implementing the ReLEx SMILE technology in their practice. In our experience, this surgery is quite simple to master and perform for doctors, and for patients it is predictable, stable in its results, painless and well-tolerated.»