ASA Laser Vision Correction
A Modern, Safe Alternative to LASIK in NYC
Advanced Surface Ablation (ASA) is the safest and most effective laser eye surgery available in New York City.
Advanced Surface Ablation treats the cornea in the gentlest and least invasive way possible. Without cutting. Without a flap. That’s why, in terms of long-term complications, ASA is 10x safer than LASIK.
ASA eye surgery eliminates the need to cut a flap by working directly on the surface of your eye using excimer lasers that precisely alter the shape of your cornea.
What’s the difference between ASA and PRK Surgery?
Using newer technology and methods, Advanced Surface Ablation (ASA) is a more modern and refined version of Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) that results in less haze, scarring, post-op pain and a quicker recovery.
ASA laser eye surgery shares a lot in common with PRK, but there are meaningful distinctions. It uses no alcohol or blade, and its treatment of the cornea is more sophisticated compared to PRK, making it less painful and reducing complications over time.
Sick of glasses or contact lenses?
Dr. Moskowitz performs ASA Laser Eye Surgery in Manhattan. Schedule a free consultation at his office by clicking the button below!
To recap… the key distinction between LASIK Surgery and ASA Surgery is that LASIK cuts and lifts part of the cornea – a “flap” of tissue – whereas ASA does not.
With ASA, the surgeon loosens the outer layer of the cornea (the epithelium) to allow the laser to reshape the deeper corneal tissue layers. With LASIK, the cornea flap is cut and lifted to perform the laser; once the laser is performed, the flap is replaced.
The main issue with this technique is that after the flap is cut, your cornea remains in two parts instead of one. The two parts never fuse completely, resulting in myriad long-term vision problems (the two most common relate to night vision and chronic dry eyes, but some are more serious).
Looking for more details comparing ASA, LASIK, and PRK? Check out this guide.
Want to know what ASA costs at Moskowitz Eye Care? Here’s our transparent pricing information.
Interested in making an appointment to see if you’re a good candidate? Click here.
Who is ASA Eye Surgery for?
If you’re currently considering LASIK or PRK for moderate-to-severe myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), or astigmatism, you’re likely a candidate for ASA and I’d love to sit down and discuss the benefits of the procedure.
I often meet with patients who have visited LASIK centers where they were told that they were not good candidates for laser vision correction. The most common reason for this is that their corneas were too thin to withstand a procedure like LASIK in which a flap is cut. The higher prescription a patient has, the more corneal tissue is necessary for the correction. Hence, many patients with higher prescriptions who are turned away from LASIK are obvious candidates for ASA.
In-person consultations at our New York City office are completely free and casual. For more information to help determine if you’re a good candidate for ASA, read more here or use the form below to contact us!
Schedule a free consultation!
Free in-person consultations with Dr. Moskowitz are held at our Manhattan, New York City office.
More About Why ASA is “A Safer Alternative”
By not cutting the flap, ASA surgery preserves 100-150 microns of cornea tissue. That’s enough to treat another 10 diopters of prescription.
An evaluation of the corneal thickness explains why a patient’s cornea is usually too thin for higher prescriptions to receive LASIK. The average cornea is 550 microns thick. After laser vision correction, a patient should be left with 300 microns untouched, leaving the surgeon 250 (550-300 = 250) to work with.
When a flap is cut, either with a blade or with a laser like Intralase, that flap usually eliminates up to 100-150 microns of the working 250 microns. Therefore, with LASIK, instead of having the 250 microns to work with like you would if you had not cut the flap, you are left with only 100-150. Having only 100-150 microns left to work with prohibits patients with higher prescriptions from receiving this procedure.
The Two Biggest Issues with LASIK
Cutting the flap permanently cuts the nerves of your eye (the nerves that tell you when to blink). After LASIK, a patient has much fewer nerves and therefore a much lower blink rate. Before LASIK, a patient typically blinks every 5-10 seconds. After the procedure, the blink rate drops to every 10-15 seconds. In ASA, by not cutting, there is no change in the blink rate and therefore less dry eyes. In many cases the dry eyes improves because the patient is no longer wearing a plastic contact lens on their eye!
The other most common LASIK complaint concerns night vision. This happens because the cornea is in two parts instead of the one it’s supposed to be. Where the two severed parts come together, there is a “sandwich” configuration. When light rays enter the eye, they encounter this interface and scatter, resulting in glare and halo effects which patients are more aware of at night.
These are among the reasons why the U.S. federal government for decades banned LASIK for pilots and other officers, insisting on no-cut refractive surgery.
Watch Video Testimonials from ASA Patients
