What Is the Difference Between ASA and Lasik Eye Surgeries?

A lot of people who are considering having their vision fixed permanently want to know what the difference is between a Lasik eye surgery and a ASA procedure. The first thing you should know is that although I consult with medical professionals in the Lasik and ASA industry I am not actually a Lasik doctor so this piece is purely my opinion on the matter. If you would like more detailed results I would contact a local ASA or Lasik surgeon in your city.

Lasik and ASA results wise do not vary much from each other. Patients who receive ASA usually have the same benefit and result as patients who receive Lasik. So you may wonder what the big difference is between the two and why it really matters. Well the answer is recovery time. People who have Lasik performed usually recover much quicker then the people who get ASA. In addition Lasik patients use less eye drops and have less pain and stinging than ASA. Some may say well why not just always go with Lasik then? Well simply because of cost and professional opinion. Some surgeons will recommend different procedures for different patients completely based on whether or not they will have more benefits from one or the other.

So how do they work? Well with lasik eye surgery will use a laser to cut a small slit in your cornea. The doctor will then go inside with a tool to break up and remove your old lens that is making it difficult to see. Once the lens has been removed a new one will be inserted into your eye and the incision will be sewn up. The entire procedure doesn't really take very long and most people are in an out within a couple of hours. ASA on the other hand is a procedure where the surgeon removes a small layer on your cornea almost like sanding it off (you can see why it takes longer to heal). By removing this layer the surgeon is going to get down to a fresh layer and remove any of the old stuff on top. This way you should be able to see better.

Either procedure will depend on the doctor and what they recommend for you. Your best bet is to go in for a free consultation to find out for yourself. I would ask lots of questions and find out why your doctor will recommend one over the other. If you go in educated your doctor will be impressed and more than willing to talk you though any questions that come up.

Joseph Stevenson is a Las Vegas Lasik consultant and eye surgeon guru.