AIM: To compare the clinical effect of small incision lenticule extraction(SMILE)and implantable collamer lens(ICL)implantation on efficacy, safety and visual quality in patients with high myopia complicated with low astigmatism.

METHODS: Retrospective study. A total of 80 cases(159 eyes)of high myopia and low astigmatism treated in the hospital from January 2021 to January 2022 were included, and they were divided into 46 cases(91 eyes)in SMILE group and 34 cases(68 eyes)in ICL implantation group by means of different surgical methods. The spherical equivalent, uncorrected visual acuity(UCVA), best corrected visual acuity(BCVA), higher order aberrations of cornea and optical quality index, effectiveness and safety index were compared between the two groups before surgery and at 3 and 6 mo after surgery, and the surgical complications were counted.

RESULTS: The spherical equivalent, UCVA and BCVA of both groups were all improved at 6 mo postoperatively(all P<0.05). At 6 mo after surgery, there were no differences in UCVA, BCVA, spherical equivalent, effectiveness and safety index between both groups(all P>0.05). The root mean square values of total higher order aberration, spherical aberration, coma, vertical coma and horizontal coma in the SMILE group were higher than those in the ICL implantation group, and Strehl ratio(SR)in the ICL implantation group was higher than that in the SMILE group at 3 and 6 mo after surgery(all P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: SMILE and ICL implantation have good surgical efficacy in the treatment of patients with high myopia and low astigmatism, and both methods can achieve good postoperative visual acuity and objective visual quality. Furthermore, the ICL implantation has better postoperative visual quality than SMILE.