Advanced Surface Ablation

Advanced Surface Ablation, or Photo-Refractive Keratectomy (PRK), is a no-flap technique utilized to correct the same visual errors as LASIK (nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.)

Advanced Surface Ablation is the same type of corneal laser reshaping procedure as LASIK, but without the step of making a corneal flap. Instead, the surface of the cornea is treated directly by the excimer laser system. Like the LASIK procedure, PRK takes approximately 5 minutes per eye with very minimal discomfort. Because the surface of the cornea has been temporarily disrupted with Advanced Surface Ablation, healing and visual recovery are longer than LASIK. LASIK treats under the surface of the cornea, below the flap that is created by the IntraLase FS. Advanced Surface Ablation is utilized in select cases where LASIK and the creation of a corneal flap are not the most desired approach to performing laser vision correction. However, the accuracy Advanced Surface Ablation is equal to that of LASIK, so it is also an excellent procedure for correcting vision errors.