Corrective Eye Surgery Question

[kthompson2k]

I am sure this has been asked before but,
Does anyone have any experience with having Lasik or whatever and what were the hoops to getting your medical back.
I am 42 and this last year has been tough on the eyes, i have worn contacts for the last 10 years or so but now my up close vision is going fast.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[TMetzinger]

I still wear glasses, and will do so until my insurer decides it's less risky to fix my eyes with lasik rather than pay for glasses at $400 per pop every 2 years.

However, I know several pilots who've had corrective surgery and got their medicals reissued with no problems. Document the surgery, and have your opthamologist write a note stating the results of the operation and that you do not require further post-operative care.

I think AOPA can help on this too.

Now, if your problem is that you used to have problems with distance vision, and now your near vision is going, the surgery may correct the distance and you'll still require half-lenses for near work.

At your age, you'll also want to be evaluated for diabetes or other medical issues that could effect your vision - but your opthamologist should do this when you get evaluated for surgery.

 

[kthompson2k]

Thanks Tim

I have always had distance vision troubles but since turning 40 the near vision has started going as well, I have always disliked wearing glasses so have went the contact lens approach.

Also have always cringed at the thought of eye surgery but have been considering it as a way to at least fix the distance problem.

 

[Ken Ibold]

Lasik is a not an issue with the FAA if you get it done at a time where your vision has a chance to stabilize before your medical.

Better yet, keep the mad scientists away from your baby blues. I had RK in 1984 and got excellent results, but if I'da known then what I know now, no way.

With Lasik, you have a very definite chance that 1) your correction will be declared a success by the doc but you'll still need glasses to pass an FAA medical or 2) your best corrected vision will be worse than it was before surgery.

There have been a number of threads on this option here and on the red board. Many people chime in about how successful it was for them. The failures are no longer pilots and so they don't read these boards.

 

[kthompson2k]

Ken,
That is exactly what has kept me from having it done before now.
What troubles have you had with your RK procedure?

 

[Ken Ibold]

What troubles have you had with your RK procedure?

I have had no troubles at all except for starburst, but remember I did this when it was still the stone ages of vision correction surgery. I went from 20/400+ to 20/25 and 20/30, so I was happy. Now I understand just how lucky I was, and I can't believe I engaged in such a risky surgery that could have left me blind, just for the sake of vanity and convenience.

This was when I was 24. In my mid-40s I had to get bifocals and, y'know, they're really not all that bad. I can still play baseball.

 

[kthompson2k]

The thought of letting them "mess" with my eyes has kept me from making a decision for a lot of years. However i know a bunch of people that have had it done and most if not all swear it was the best thing they ever did.

 

[Ken Ibold]

most if not all swear it was the best thing they ever did.

As did I, as did I.

Then I sat in on a presentation by a CAMI doc at AOPA in Tampa last year. Yikes!! The horror stories are truly shocking.

 

[ScottM]

I did RK over 15 years ago. I opted for RK as it has a much better known long term result and at that time Lasik was pretty new. I have been happy and glasses free. I have had no problem with my medical. What you would need to do is get a opthalmologist to certify that your vision is stable. For Lasik that can be a couple of weeks to a month and for RK it is longer.

 

[tonycondon]

Ive seen them do Lasik on TV.

Ill be keeping my glasses/contacts.

 

[ScottM]

Ive seen them do Lasik on TV.

Ill be keeping my glasses/contacts.

Wait until you see getting a suture in one''s eye. I have seen knee and hip replacements. It is like watching an episode of this Old House.

 

[Ken Ibold]

Wait until you see getting a suture in one''s eye. I have seen knee and hip replacements. It is like watching an episode of this Old House.

I watched my wife's C-section. THAT was pretty neat!!

 

[Skip Miller]

Ive seen them do Lasik on TV.

Ill be keeping my glasses/contacts.

Surgery on the eye has come a long way! I saw a TV special on the early days of surgical vision correction. This was done in South America. They used a tiny device with a rotating blade - like a tiny meat slicer in the deli - to slice off the cornea. Then they froze the cornea in liquid Nitrogen, put the thing on a computer controlled lathe, and shaped the lens as desired. Thawed it out, stitched it back in place, and voila!

Not for me. I couldn't believe they actually got sentient humans to undergo that procedure.

 

[kthompson2k]

[b]Not for me. I couldn't believe they actually got sentient humans to undergo that procedure.[/quote][/b]
[b][/b]

sentient might be the wrong description.

Sorry Guys i dont know how I did that.

I once let me wife talk me into this, I went to a highly advertised place here in Big D, went thru their screening program, met with the doctor, the entire operation scared me so bad I got up and left, it has taken her six years to get me to consider it again.

KT

 

[TMetzinger]

Wait until you see getting a suture in one''s eye. I have seen knee and hip replacements. It is like watching an episode of this Old House.

Orthopedics was my favorite clinical rotation when I went through the CG Physician Assistant program. Where else could you grunt like Tim Taylor on "Tool Time"?

 

[gismo]

Thanks Tim

I have always had distance vision troubles but since turning 40 the near vision has started going as well, I have always disliked wearing glasses so have went the contact lens approach.

Also have always cringed at the thought of eye surgery but have been considering it as a way to at least fix the distance problem.

There is another procedure where your lens is removed and replaced with a plastic one. One of the key advantages of this approach is that it can be repeated if your vision changes. And AFaIK you can get a multifocus lens for that as well (improves both near and distant vision somewhat). I've heard that they are working on a compliant lens that would restore some or all of the accomodation (ability to focus at different distances) you've lost as well.

I'm currently using multifocus contacts optomized for distant vision and they work pretty well except that I still need reading glasses when I'm tired, the print is small, and/or the light level is low. The best part compared to regular contacts is that I can see the instruments on my car's dashboard and the plane's panel quite clearly without any other correction but still measure up as 20/20 on the distance part.

 

[cwyckham]

I am sure this has been asked before but,
Does anyone have any experience with having Lasik or whatever and what were the hoops to getting your medical back.
I am 42 and this last year has been tough on the eyes, i have worn contacts for the last 10 years or so but now my up close vision is going fast.

Thanks,
Kevin

As has been mentioned above, the surgury only helps your distant vision. When your eyes get older and you start making jokes about needing longer arms, that's because the lens itself is stiffening up. Reshaping the cornea won't help that. You'd still need glasses for close in work.

At least, that's how I understand it.

 

[alaskaflyer]

Here's a good article about what the military is currently doing.

Hardly anyone opts to receive the traditional RK surgery. You now have the option of PRK or Lasik, both of which use lasers. Note the article compares and contrasts the two.

The military is nervous about Lasik - it may simply be because it is newer and thus has less long term data. But...

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In addition to quality of vision issues after both LASIK and PRK, the short- and long-term stability of the corneal flap after LASIK remains a serious concern, particularly in individuals with active lifestyles and for the military. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“While these flaps can be regarded to be relatively stable during most common daily activities, they remain unhealed probably for life,” said Ivan. “Such corneas have proven to be susceptible to damage years after surgery from trauma, such as from vigorous eye rubbing, blunt eye trauma, airbags, water skiing and a variety of other forces, that would not seriously injure the cornea of a normal eye, or even a post-PRK eye.”[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]According to Ivan, the Air Force and Navy have extensively studied PRK and continue to do so. However, LASIK still has many unanswered questions, particularly as related to military operational requirements and environments. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“The ability of LASIK flaps to withstand conditions likely to be exposed to in military situations remains largely unknown, and this includes those effects related to elements to be encountered in basic military aviation such as altitude, windblast, waterblast, and high G levels,” said Ivan. “Furthermore, the overall stability of the LASIK flap over the long-term is definitely a concern.[/FONT]

I'm looking at PRK to replace my soft contacts (my correction is -4.25), because though I'm unlikely to be pulling more than 5 G's, I play a lot of sports and spar in boxing and martial arts, and I'm concerned about the liability of an eye blow with a Lasik scar. Unfortunately it is more expensive too

 

[alaskaflyer]

As has been mentioned above, the surgury only helps your distant vision. When your eyes get older and you start making jokes about needing longer arms, that's because the lens itself is stiffening up. Reshaping the cornea won't help that. You'd still need glasses for close in work.

At least, that's how I understand it.

True enough and in fact I know a couple of people my age (late 30's) who needed reading glasses with mild correction as soon as their vision stabilized after surgery. However, they said the trade off for better (in both their cases 20/20) distance vision was worth it!