Advanced Surface Ablation (ASA) vs Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)

A Combined Retrospective and Prospective Chart Review Analysis of Visual Outcomes Following Excimer Laser Vision Correction

The purpose of this combined retrospective and prospective chart review analysis is to investigate the safety, efficacy, and predictability obtained via Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) and Advanced Surface Ablation (ASA) over a wide range of refractive errors

The working hypothesis is that there will be no difference in clinical outcomes between patients treated with LASIK or ASA.

Excimer laser vision correction (LVC) is a widely used procedure to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism by reshaping the surface of the eye (cornea). Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) and Advanced Surface Ablation (ASA) and are techniques currently used to prepare the cornea for Excimer LVC.

This review is intended to study whether LASIK is equal in visual outcome (null hypothesis), more effective (alternate hypothesis 1) or less effective (alternate hypothesis 2) than ASA in clinical outcome up to one year.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Eyes that were treated for LASIK or ASA Excimer laser vision correction before December 1st 2006 and newly recruited eyes that qualify for LASIK or ASA Excimer laser vision correction may be enrolled in this study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• There are no exclusion criteria; all patients that went forward with Excimer laser vision correction may be included.