ASA Laser Vision Correction
The Modern Alternative to LASIK for New Yorkers
Advanced Surface Ablation (ASA) Laser Vision Correction is the safest and most effective laser eye surgery procedure – even more than PRK.
Advanced Surface Ablation (ASA) 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.
Using newer technology and methods, 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. In terms of long-term complications, ASA is 10x safer than LASIK.
Dr. Craig Moskowitz performs ASA No-Cut Laser Eye Surgery in Manhattan. Schedule a consultation at his office below!
Questions about laser vision correction?
Want to learn more about how ASA compares to PRK and LASIK?
The primary difference between LASIK Surgery and ASA Surgery is that LASIK cuts and lifts part of the cornea – a “flap” of tissue – whereas ASA laser eye surgery does not.
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 my guide comparing these three laser eye surgeries.
Looking for how much ASA costs at Moskowitz Eye Care? Here’s our transparent pricing information.
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. New York City consultations are completely free, casual, and safe.
Read more here to see if you’d be a good candidate for ASA, or contact us to ask a question or make an appointment.
Video Testimonials from ASA Patients
Schedule a free consultation.
Free in-person consultations with Dr. Moskowitz are held at our Manhattan, New York City office.
I also often meet with patients who have visited other 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.
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.
Summarizing the 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 a no-cut refractive surgery option called PRK (PRK is like the grandfather of ASA).