Advanced Surface Ablation

Surface ablations, previously known as PRK and now called ASA, became popular worldwide in the early 1990’s when the excimer laser was first approved by the FDA for laser vision correction. The laser brought tremendous advancements to refractive surgery.

While the original PRK procedure took several weeks to heal, the modern version, called Advanced Surface Ablation, or ASA is a very different experience. Today’s spot lasers and medications have dramatically shortened the healing curve and made for a much more comfortable recovery.

ASA offers the same, if not better vision improvements as LASIK. However, it works directly on the surface of the cornea, instead of the deeper cornea for better structural support. Some patient’s corneas are too thin to have safe LASIK. Many of these patients may still qualify for the blade-free IntraLASIK procedure, but for others a surface treatment is still the safest option.

With ASA, patients trade a slightly longer healing period than LASIK for safety and the ability to still have a laser vision correction procedure.

The Procedure

ASA is performed in the comfort and convenience of our laser suite. First, very powerful eye drops completely numb the eye. Next, the clear, protective surface layer (epithelium) of the cornea is loosened from the underlying layers of the cornea and is removed. Then in a matter of seconds, the excimer laser is applied to the cornea, using either a Custom Treatment or conventional, reshaping it to the correct focusing power.

After the procedure, a protective contact lens bandage is placed on your eye to make it more comfortable during the healing process. It usually takes three to five days for the epithelium to fully heal. Most ASA patients notice an improvement in their vision soon after surgery. Vision can be somewhat blurred during the epithelial healing process, with every day getting clearer.