Dr. Mohamed-Noriega of the Tissue Engineering and Stem Cell Working Group at the Singapore Eye Institute recently conducted a study to compare the early changes in the corneal nerve after SMILE (microincision stromal lens excision) and LASIK (excimer laser in situ keratomileusis). The experimental animals in this study were 12 rabbits, each of which received LASIK in one eye and SMILE in the other. Follow-up was performed at baseline and 1, 2, and 4 weeks postoperatively, using in vivo confocal microscopy to evaluate five different visual areas within the treatment area: central, superior, inferior, nasal, and infratemporal. Frozen sections of the corneal and SMILE lens excision stroma were also analyzed using immunohistochemical staining for βIII microtubulin. The results of the study showed that a reduction in nerve length and density was observed in all evaluated areas 1 week after SMILE and LASIK. At subsequent follow-up observation time points, there was a trend toward increased length and density of sublaminar nerves (SLD), more eyes containing subbasal nerves (ESN), more eyes containing more than 200 μM of subbasal nerves (SNL), and an increased mean number of border subbasal nerves (NSN) after SMILE compared to the LASIK group. Only the SMILE group showed recovery of SLD, ESN and NSN at 4 weeks postoperatively (P > 0.05). A greater number of eyes contained sprouted subbasal nerves after LASIK compared with SMILE, and the mean number of sprouted subbasal nerves was increased, suggesting that more subbasal nerves broke and underwent regeneration after LASIK. Immunohistochemical staining at 4 weeks postoperatively showed faster recovery of the basal nerves after SMILE compared to LASIK. This study confirms that SMILE treatment results in less nerve damage and faster recovery compared to LASIK.