- Access
- The lenticule is removed through a side micro-opening of about 2 mm
- Lasers
- One: VisuMax does it all
- Clear vision
- The haze clears within a few hours, back to work the next day
from −0.5 to −10.0 D · astigmatism up to ±5.0 · age 18–45up to −10.0 D · astigmatism up to ±5.0
ReLEx SMILE in Astana: laser vision correction
25 seconds of laser — and 80 minutes later you’re home.
list price 400,000 ₸ special price 350,000 ₸ per eye
The difference with Femto-LASIK — 100,000 ₸ per eye. Here’s what for
It starts with diagnostics — 22,000 ₸ per visit
- 5.0 on Yandex Maps
- no flap, an opening of about 2 mm
- back to work the next day
25 seconds is how long the ZEISS VisuMax laser runs — one laser for the whole correction
Kaisar’s story ReLEx SMILE with Dr. Bigeldiyev · 2:05
5.0 on Yandex Maps · 176 ratings
25 seconds is how long the ReLEx SMILE correction itself takes
80 minutes from the clinic door to discharge
4 surgeons perform laser correction, same price with each
ReLEx SMILE in brief
ReLEx SMILE at RB CLINIC (Astana, 12 Orynbor St.) — special price 350,000 ₸ per eye, list price 400,000 ₸. ZEISS VisuMax laser: the correction itself takes about 25 seconds, no flap, access of about 2 mm. Corrects myopia from −0.5 to −10.0 D and astigmatism up to ±5.0, age 18–45. Surgeons: Darbuzov, Galiev, Zhukeev and Dyusenbaeva. Diagnostics cost 22,000 ₸ per visit; check-ups for three months after surgery are free. All three methods are compared on the “laser vision correction in Astana” page.
Laser days at RB CLINIC
Glasses in the morning, none by lunch: ReLEx SMILE laser correction day by day
These people came to us with the same question as you: is it worth the money. In the morning they wore glasses or contact lenses, and they went home without them. From the door to discharge — 80 minutes: shorter than a film at the cinema.
Laser day
Review from Yandex Maps
“I had ReLex smile laser correction yesterday, a huge thank you to Darbuzov Ruslan Nurlybekovich for the operation. The money was worth it: the very next day after surgery I see everything at 90%. The operation was quick and painless, the doctor is a true professional.”
ReLEx SMILE reviews: don’t ask us — ask those who already see
“I don’t regret coming to Rishat Kalilullaevich. It didn’t hurt at all, everything went so well”
Viktoria, came from the Orenburg region for ReLEx SMILE
What you’ll learn from the video
- Why the doctor chose ReLEx SMILE for her
- What you feel during the operation
- When to expect the result
Bigeldiyev Rishat KalilullaevichClinic founder: eyes and eyelids
Patient stories after ReLEx SMILE and laser correction
Result1:22
“It’s like you’re not doing anything”: a patient under the ReLEx SMILE laser — and ten seconds to go
@dr.bigeldiyev
Story3:30
Bulbul Kartanbay, the first Kazakhstani woman in the women’s NHL, — ReLEx SMILE with Dr. Darbuzov
@dr.bigeldiyev
Result0:42
Minus 8.5 and minus 9: someone once told her “no”. ReLEx SMILE with Dr. Bigeldiyev
@dr.bigeldiyev
Story0:43
Aizhan came from Kyrgyzstan: ReLEx SMILE — “fast, painless, I see everything”
@dr.bigeldiyev
Story0:35
His sister had her correction here — so he came to Dr. Bigeldiyev for ReLEx SMILE
@rbclinic.kz
Result1:13
Astigmatism over four dioptres — glasses and lenses weren’t helping. ReLEx SMILE
@dr.bigeldiyev
Result1:27
“Not painful at all”: a patient right after ReLEx SMILE — and the words Dr. Bigeldiyev says to every patient
@dr.bigeldiyevTap a video — it opens right here, with sound.
“…I am deeply grateful to Dr. Ruslan Nurlybekovich for your work and for freeing me from wearing lenses and glasses, without which I couldn’t even leave the house before.”
The surgeon answers
ReLEx SMILE on video: the surgeon answers your questions
A doctor explains0:36
Afraid of the laser? The surgeon shows how correction works, right at the machine
@dr.bigeldiyev
A doctor explains1:07
What happens in the operating room, step by step: Dr. Bigeldiyev explains ReLEx SMILE before you lie down under the laser
@dr.bigeldiyev
A doctor explains0:28
The VisuMax femtosecond laser at RB CLINIC: Dr. Bigeldiyev shows the machine
@dr.bigeldiyev
A doctor explains0:51
The femtolaser’s single-use sterile interface: Dr. Bigeldiyev shows what touches the eye
@dr.bigeldiyev
A day in the operating room1:08
A surgery day of laser correction: SMILE, PRK — and the sound you’ll hear under the laser
@dr.bigeldiyev
A doctor explains1:24
ReLEx SMILE from the inside: Dr. Bigeldiyev talks with the patient right during surgery
@dr.bigeldiyev
A doctor explains1:25
Same-day surgery: tests in the morning, laser by midday, new vision by evening
@dr.bigeldiyev
A doctor explains0:42
Minus 6 with astigmatism — ReLEx SMILE, and what to do after surgery to keep your vision steady
@dr.bigeldiyev“You get your tests done, by lunchtime we do the laser, and by evening your eyes will show you what they can do”
What you’ll learn from the video
- How to fit laser correction into one day
- What you’ll feel in the first two hours
- Why everything starts with diagnostics
Bigeldiyev Rishat KalilullaevichClinic founder: eyes and eyelids
A doctor explains1:48
A young woman lost vision because of contact lenses: Dr. Bigeldiyev explains why showering and swimming in lenses is risky
@dr.bigeldiyev
A doctor explains1:30
ReLEx SMILE, SmartSight or CLEAR: Dr. Bigeldiyev explains the difference
@dr.bigeldiyev“It’s safer to solve your problem with laser correction than to wear contact lenses in the wrong conditions”
What you’ll learn from the video
- Why you shouldn’t sleep, shower or swim in contact lenses
- Why Acanthamoeba infection is dangerous
- When glasses are safer than contact lenses
Bigeldiyev Rishat KalilullaevichClinic founder: eyes and eyelids
An honest breakdown
What the extra 100,000 ₸ per eye is for
At the special price ReLEx SMILE costs 350,000 ₸ per eye, Femto-LASIK — 250,000 ₸ per eye. Both methods free you from glasses. The difference is how the laser reaches the cornea and how many hours you spend in a haze. Here are the three things you pay extra for.
350,000 ₸−250,000 ₸=100,000 ₸ per eye
ReLEx SMILE
list price 400,000 ₸ special price 350,000 ₸ per eye
The difference is 100,000 ₸ per eye. Here’s what for
1
About 2 mm instead of a flap
Femto-LASIK first lifts a corneal flap and then lays it back in place. ReLEx SMILE does without a flap: the laser creates a thin lens, the lenticule, right inside the cornea, and the surgeon removes it through a side micro-opening of about 2 mm. The corneal surface stays intact — rather like taking the stone out of a cherry without cutting it in half.
2
One laser instead of two
With Femto-LASIK two lasers work: VisuMax cuts the flap, MEL 90 removes the microns. With ReLEx SMILE one VisuMax does everything, and the correction itself takes 25 seconds — less time than it takes you to read this paragraph.
How VisuMax works — on the laser correction page
3
Haze for hours, not a day
After ReLEx SMILE the haze clears within a few hours, and you’re back at work the next day. After Femto-LASIK vision is clear by the next day. The difference is one evening: after SMILE you already spend it seeing clearly.
Femto-LASIK isn’t worse — it’s different. It treats what SMILE can’t: minus up to −12.0 D and plus up to +4.0 D. If the Pentacam scan shows it suits your eye better, the surgeon will say so — and you’ll save 100,000 ₸ per eye. Femto-LASIK treats what SMILE can’t
Dr. Bigeldiyev’s team
Who performs ReLEx SMILE laser correction at RB CLINIC
Choose the surgeon you trust — not the cheapest one. At the clinic ReLEx SMILE is performed by four surgeons from Dr. Bigeldiyev’s team, and the price is the same with each. The founder performs it himself too.
The special price is the same with all four surgeons — 350,000 ₸ per eye. The RB SMILE list price of 10.05.2026 is 400,000 ₸.
Darbuzov Ruslan Nurlybekovich
Laser correction, eyelids, tear duct irrigation and probing
Both Yandex Maps reviews on this page are from his patients: “I see everything at 90%” the next day.
operating since 2018
list price 400,000 ₸ special price 350,000 ₸ per eye
Galiyev Yerzhan Serikkanovich, PhD
Cataract, glaucoma, laser correction
Performs both cataract surgery and laser correction — at the clinic’s listed prices.
PhD degree
list price 400,000 ₸ special price 350,000 ₸ per eye
Zhukeyev Sagat Serikovich
All three correction methods and keratoconus
list price 400,000 ₸ special price 350,000 ₸ per eye
Dyusenbayeva Zhanerke Allabergenovna
Laser correction, appointments, glasses fitting
list price 400,000 ₸ special price 350,000 ₸ per eye
Clinic founder
Bigeldiyev Rishat Kalilullaevich
Academician, founder of RB CLINIC
He performs ReLEx SMILE himself, and the laser correction surgeons are his team. If you want him to do your laser, say so when you book.
over 35,000 surgeries
Four taps
Is ReLEx SMILE right for you
Answer four questions — and see straight away whether SMILE suits you and what it will cost. Your minus and astigmatism are on your glasses or contact lens prescription: SPH is the minus, CYL is astigmatism.
Vision minus on the prescription
Astigmatism
Age
Eyes
Pick your answers — the verdict will appear here
ReLEx SMILE ranges: minus from −0.5 to −10.0 D, astigmatism up to ±5.0, age 18 to 45.
Start with diagnostics
Femto-LASIK treats what SMILE can’t
PRK — when the cornea is on the thin side
What’s done before 18
The ranges are quoted directly from the surgeon. The surgeon names the exact method from your Pentacam scan: it’s decided by the thickness and shape of the cornea, not by the minus alone.
Price
How much ReLEx SMILE costs in Astana
The special price is 350,000 ₸ per eye with any of the four surgeons, 700,000 ₸ for both eyes. The RB SMILE list price of 10.05.2026 is 400,000 ₸ per eye, but we book you at the special price: no “from”, no asterisks and no small print.
ReLEx SMILE laser correction
One VisuMax laser, no flap, a micro-opening of about 2 mm
list price 400,000 ₸ special price 350,000 ₸ per eye
- The doctor’s check before and after surgery — on the same day
- The correction itself on VisuMax — 25 seconds
- Follow-up checks for three months after surgery are free
Diagnostics before laser correction
2 hours, six stages, a corneal scan on Pentacam. Afterwards you know for sure whether SMILE suits you.
22,000 ₸ per visit
repeat visit — 12,000 ₸ per visit
What pre-correction diagnostics include
Kaspi Red
Kaspi instalments with no overpayment for 12 months, for any surgery; up to 24 months with Kaspi Juma. Halyk — 12 or 24 months, for cataract and laser vision correction only: the sales team will confirm Halyk’s termsSurgery day
How the day goes: in at 9:00, home at 10:20
80 minutes from the door to discharge, and the laser works for 25 seconds of them. The rest is the check, preparation and a few calm minutes afterwards. You arrive in glasses in the morning and leave without them by lunchtime.
Walk through the clinic — 8 rooms in a minute Starting with the laser room
Arrival
Registration, pre-surgery diagnostics and the doctor’s check: we recheck all your eye measurements.
25 seconds of laser
You’re taken into the operating room. The ReLEx SMILE correction itself takes 25 seconds; you’re awake and hear every word the surgeon says.
Home
A post-surgery check and discharge. You’re free to go: no drips and no overnight stay.
The whole day minute by minute — on the laser correction page
Day-by-day recovery for all three methods
Pick your surgery day — see when you’re back at work
What you’ll feel during the surgery itself
We ask about this separately, because this is exactly what people fear. Here is the surgeon’s honest answer: you’ll feel cool liquid on the eye and the doctor’s touch, but not on the eye itself. The bright light will feel uncomfortable: you’re simply not used to it.
What if I blink or flinch?
You can’t. A lid speculum holds the eyelid open: you physically can’t close the eye, even if you want to. That is the answer to the biggest fear. Two people are beside you the whole time, the surgeon and the theatre nurse; you’re awake and hear every word.
So the day goes to plan
Before surgery, give up make-up, alcohol, coffee and energy drinks, and don’t wear contact lenses. On the day itself — no perfume at all, not even scented shampoo or shower gel. The doctor will give you the timings for your case at diagnostics.
Honest limits
When ReLEx SMILE isn’t suitable
SMILE isn’t for everyone — and we’ll tell you before you pay, not after. Here are the method’s limits in the surgeon’s words. If you’re beyond them, it isn’t a refusal but a different road to life without glasses.
SMILE — yes
- Minus from −0.5 to −10.0 D. That’s myopia from mild to high.
- Astigmatism up to ±5.0. SMILE corrects it together with the minus, in one operation.
- Age 18 to 45. Exceptions — at the doctor’s discretion after diagnostics.
- Your minus has stopped growing, and your cornea is thick enough for your minus — the Pentacam scan will show this.
SMILE — no, and what instead
- Minus over −10.0 D. Femto-LASIK treats up to −12.0 D. Femto-LASIK treats what SMILE can’t
- Plus, hyperopia. SMILE only works with minus. Plus up to +4.0 D is treated by Femto-LASIK, up to +3.0 D by PRK.
- A cornea too thin for your minus. Then a method that works with the surface is chosen. PRK — when the cornea is on the thin side
- Under 18. Correction isn’t done: vision is still changing. What’s done before 18
- Keratoconus, worsening myopia, diabetes, acute eye inflammation. Laser correction isn’t done or the doctor decides — you’ll be told plainly at diagnostics.
Postpone, not cancel: with marked corneal dryness, after treating eye inflammation, and when taking systemic retinoids — 6 months after the course.
First step
Start with diagnostics
In 2 hours the doctor checks your eye in six stages, scans the cornea on Pentacam and tells you straight: whether ReLEx SMILE suits you or another method is better.
- Autorefractometry and a visual acuity test
- Eye pressure
- Corneal topography on Pentacam
- Slit-lamp examination
- Pupil dilation and a check of the back of the eye
- Going through the results with the doctor
If SMILE isn’t right for you, we’ll say so.
What pre-correction diagnostics includePrefer to talk? +7 771 848 00 00
If you want the details
How ReLEx SMILE works
The fear of “they’ll cut my eye” goes away once you see what the laser actually does. This section is for those who like to understand. If your doctor has already explained it all, feel free to scroll on: it doesn’t affect the decision.
- A side micro-opening of about 2 mm. The surgeon removes the lenticule through it. That’s the only intervention on the surface.
- The lenticule is a thin lens inside the cornea. Its thickness is calculated from your minus, and the VisuMax laser creates it within the cornea.
- The corneal surface stays intact. There’s no flap as with Femto-LASIK.
With myopia the eye focuses the image in front of the retina, so distant things look blurry. Laser correction reshapes the cornea, the eye’s clear “window”, so the focus lands precisely on the retina. In ReLEx SMILE the laser doesn’t remove tissue from the surface; it creates a lens of the right thickness inside the cornea. The surgeon takes it out, the cornea becomes slightly flatter, and the image falls into place. The correction itself takes 25 seconds.
- Lenticule
- A thin lens of corneal tissue created by the laser. Its thickness is your minus converted into microns.
- Micro-opening
- A side entry of about 2 mm through which the lenticule is removed. There’s no flap with ReLEx SMILE.
- VisuMax
- The Carl Zeiss femtosecond laser. With ReLEx SMILE it does all the work on its own. How VisuMax works — on the laser correction page
- Pentacam
- A device that scans the whole cornea: its thickness and shape. The surgeon chooses the method from this scan.
- Dioptre, D
- The unit of lens power. “−4.5” on a prescription means 4.5 dioptres of myopia. ReLEx SMILE corrects from −0.5 to −10.0 D.
- Astigmatism
- When the cornea is unevenly curved and the picture doubles or blurs. ReLEx SMILE corrects it up to ±5.0. More about astigmatism
- Femto-LASIK
- Laser correction with a flap and two lasers: special price 250,000 ₸ per eye (list price 300,000 ₸), treats minus up to −12.0 D and plus up to +4.0 D.
- PRK
- Laser correction on the corneal surface, no incision: special price until 31 October — 100,000 ₸ per eye (list price 175,000 ₸), from +3.0 to −6.0 D.
Questions
Questions about ReLEx SMILE laser correction
How much does ReLEx SMILE cost in Astana?
The clinic books at the special price: 350,000 ₸ per eye, 700,000 ₸ for both eyes. The RB SMILE list price of 10.05.2026 is 400,000 ₸ per eye and 800,000 ₸ for both. The special price is the same with all four surgeons. Pre-correction diagnostics are paid separately: 22,000 ₸ per visit, a repeat visit — 12,000 ₸ per visit. Follow-up checks for three months after surgery are free.
How is SMILE different from Femto-LASIK?
In three ways. ReLEx SMILE has no flap: the lenticule is removed through a side micro-opening of about 2 mm, while Femto-LASIK lifts a corneal flap and lays it back. SMILE uses one VisuMax laser, Femto-LASIK uses two: VisuMax and MEL 90. After SMILE the haze clears within a few hours; after Femto-LASIK vision is clear by the next day. On the other hand, Femto-LASIK treats minus up to −12.0 D and plus up to +4.0 D and costs 250,000 ₸ per eye at the special price.
Does the surgery hurt?
No: the eye is numbed with drops. You’ll feel cool liquid on the eye and the doctor’s touch, but not on the eye itself. The bright light will feel uncomfortable: you’re simply not used to it. You can’t blink — a lid speculum holds the eyelid open.
How long does the surgery take?
The ReLEx SMILE correction itself takes 25 seconds. From the clinic door to discharge takes 80 minutes: in at 9:00, free by 10:20. The rest of the time is diagnostics, the check, preparation and rest afterwards.
When can I go back to work after ReLEx SMILE?
The next day. For the first few hours after correction there’s a haze, which clears within a few hours. The doctor explains how to protect your eyes in the first days before discharge, and follow-up checks for three months after surgery are free.
Who is ReLEx SMILE not suitable for?
SMILE treats minus from −0.5 to −10.0 D and astigmatism up to ±5.0, age 18 to 45, exceptions at the doctor’s discretion. It isn’t suitable with plus, minus over −10.0 D, keratoconus, a cornea too thin for your minus or worsening myopia; with diabetes or acute eye inflammation the doctor decides. For many of these cases there’s Femto-LASIK or PRK — the surgeon picks the method from the Pentacam scan.
How do I prepare for laser correction?
Start with diagnostics: 2 hours, six stages, 22,000 ₸ per visit. Before surgery you’ll need gonioscopy of both eyes, blood biochemistry, a complete blood count, a syphilis test, and tests for hepatitis B and C and HIV. Before surgery, give up make-up, alcohol, coffee and energy drinks and don’t wear contact lenses, and on the day itself — no perfume at all, including shampoo and shower gel.