Advanced Surface Ablation (ASA)

ASA is an excellent alternative refractive surgery technique for treatment of Myopia, Hyperopia and Anstigmatism for patients with thin cornea for which LASIK isn't the best choice. It a more extensive procedure than LASIK with a longer recovery time, but the results is very similar.

How ASA works:

ASA works on the surface of the Cornea, no flap is made. Cold excimer lasers are capable of tracking the eye and are wavefront customized to reshape the front surface of the cornea to correct vision. The treatment duration is very brief, it just takes a few minutes and it consists of: anesthesia (using anesthetic drops), the epithelium (surface layer of the cornea) is then gently removed, laser treatment is performed to achieve the required reshaping of the cornea, then the cornea is rinsed and finally a clear bandage contact lens is placed on the eye for several days until the epithelium regenerates.

Advantages & Disadvantages:

The most important advantage of ASA is preservation of the corneal structure which is not the case in LASIK where a flap is created. A disadvantage of ASA is the recovery time which is around one week longer than in LASIK. However, there is no difference in the ultimate result and excellent vision attained when comparing ASA and LASIK.

Are you a candidate?

You may be a candidate for ASA if:

You are over 18
You need to stop wearing contact lenses or eyeglasses
You Have had a stable eye prescription for at least one year
You Have no other health problem that affect your eyes
You Have wide pupils
You Cannot have LASIK because of thin cornea, Glaucoma or corneal dystrophy
Want to avoid LASIK flap complication

Expectations and results:

After the procedure, your vision might be blurry for few days and you will be taking eye drops for the following week. You will follow-up in 3-5 days to assess healing and have the contact lens removed. Vision improves remarkably by the 7-10th day and can fluctuate for several months. ASA results are as excellent as LASIK; however ASA requires more healing time.