Advance Surface Ablation, or ASA, represents a breakthrough alternative for certain patients who have thin or atypical corneas that do not fit the criteria for iLASIK. In this procedure, a flap is not created in the cornea using the blade-free Intralase. Rather, the laser treatment is applied to the surface of the cornea after removing some of the superficial cells with an alcohol solution. Then a customized “wavefront-guided” treatment is delivered allowing the patient to see like never before. A contact lens is placed on the eye to allow the top layer of cells to completely regenerate. The contact lens is removed in a few days with sharp vision following soon thereafter. However, fluctuations in vision are common and complete recovery can take several weeks.
Advanced Surface Ablation is similar to PRK in how the treatment is applied to the surface of the cornea. The major difference is that, in ASA, the cornea received a customized “wavefront-guided” treatment. However, compared with iLASIK, patients tend to have more discomfort, slower recovery, and more fluctuations in vision early on. In some cases, patients with very thin corneas who are not candidates for iLASIK can enjoy amazing vision with ASA.
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