Anyone Have LASIK Surgery?

[DrewBlows]

I'm getting LASIK surgery next month to correct my vision and would like to hear from other pilots who have had the surgery.

What was your experience like?
How long was it before you could fly?
Any night vision proplems?
Has anyone had the Custom LASIK with wavefront scan?
How did your next medical go?
How were the results?
Did your company have an opinion or special requirements before you could get the procedure done?

I would appreciate any and all comments about this. I'm currently a flight instructor with asperations to fly something that burns JETA.

 

[CitationLover]

i got lasik three years ago.

20/15 vision since with no side effects other than dryer than normal eyes.

consult an ame to see how it will determine your medical status.

i would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[PBE]

Think long & hard before you do this. I know of only 1 guy that was sucessful in ditching the specs and have heard lots of horror stories about night vision problems from people who test out 20/20 after the procedure.

Don't end your career before it has really started. Don't do this at one of those $299 do it in a truck trailer parked at the mall places. Get lots of medical opinions and if you decide to go through with it pay for the best MD at a major hospital.

Yes, I have been wearing glasses for 20 years. It sucks, but I'll wait till I retire before I let anyone touch my eyeballs!

 

[norskman2]

I think the article below tells you all you need to know. Yes, I've had friends who had Lasik and they loved it! But you know, even with a 99.5% or so success rate, SOME poor slob out there is going to be the unlucky sap who suffers complications.

Is it worth the risk, no matter how slim? That's up to you.

If you do decide to do it, find a surgeon who has performed several thousand of the procedures.


The Arizona Daily Star

Friday May 10 06:18 AM EDT
Damaging eye surgery brings $4M
By Carla McClain , ARIZONA DAILY STAR


2001 Star photo
Steve Post, 35, of Sierra Vista, lost his job - and his career - after LASIK surgery destroyed his night vision. He had become a United Airlines (news - web sites) 737 captain about 10 years ahead of most pilots.


UA case yields biggest LASIK verdict ever


A former airline pilot who lost his job after undergoing LASIK eye surgery at a UA clinic was awarded a record $4 million in a unanimous jury verdict Thursday.

It is the largest award ever given in this country for damage done by the extremely popular, elective surgery to correct common vision problems.

The amount - more than double the previous LASIK damage record - was given to Steve Post, 35, of Sierra Vista. He was grounded by United Airlines a year ago, after LASIK surgery destroyed his night vision, leaving him unfit to fly for any major commercial airline.

Post had flown for United since 1991 and had risen to the rank of captain of the 737 jet about 10 years ahead of most pilots.

His surgery was performed in May 2000 at The LASIK Center in Tucson, affiliated with the University of Arizona, to correct nearsightedness and allow him to function without glasses or contacts.

"The bottom line is that no matter what the amount of the money, my career basically is gone and no jury award will bring it back," Post said shortly after yesterday's verdict in Pima County Superior Court.

"So I think this is a good point for me to go on with the rest of my life. No matter how small or large the award, I was just happy to have the jury validate what I did accomplish in my career, and that what happened to end it was not right."

After coming into widespread use by the late '90s, LASIK surgery - technically known as Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis - has exploded in popularity, making it the most common elective surgery in the United States, surpassing even high-demand cosmetic surgery such as breast implants and fat suction.

About half of all Americans suffer the vision problems - nearsightedness and farsightedness - that LASIK can correct, enabling people to chuck their glasses and other vision aids (news - web sites). That's why nearly 2 million are expected to demand it this year.

An elective procedure - not considered "medically necessary" - LASIK is not covered by insurance, so patients pay out-of-pocket for it, at about $1,000 to $2,000 an eye. LASIK requires only 10 to 15 minutes of a surgeon's time, and has developed into a major money-maker for doctors and clinics, triggering intense competition for a high volume of patients.

Those high-profit dynamics are blamed by critics for a creeping number of bad outcomes - up to 5 percent of all patients - and about 200 LASIK-related lawsuits now working their way through U.S. courts.

Post is typical of many LASIK patients who suffer damage not because the surgery itself was botched, but because they were improperly screened and accepted as candidates, according to testimony in the case.

Post's attorneys - Robert Beal, Ted Schmidt and Michael Redhair - argued that the UA's LASIK team failed to accurately measure the size of his pupils in dim light. Patients with pupils that are especially large under those conditions are considered poor candidates for LASIK, because they often emerge from the surgery with damaged night vision, as Post did.

"I think the jury was very definitely trying to send a message that it's important for LASIK centers to properly train and supervise those who are doing the preoperative screening," said Schmidt.

"That's the single most important area where problems can be prevented."

Schmidt acknowledged that the surgery itself, done by UA chief of ophthalmology Dr. Robert Snyder, was "superb."

"The problem is, they should have never done it in the first place on Steve - he was not a proper candidate. And because of his occupation - which required him to fly planes at night - he should have had a very specialized screening. But they didn't even consider that," he said.

Attorneys for the defendants - the UA LASIK team and University Physicians Inc., the nonprofit doctors group at the UA College of Medicine - have not decided if they will appeal.

"Of course, we're disappointed with this verdict," said Jeff Campbell, who represented University Physicians. "I think UPI met the standard of care for this procedure in this region.

"And Steve Post was aware of the risks involved in LASIK, the possible outcomes were known to him and he elected to go ahead with it. Yes, we are disappointed, but this kind of thing can happen with a jury verdict."

During the trial, which began April 23, the eye surgeon, Snyder, argued that the preoperative pupil measurement was not related to the postoperative night vision damage, Campbell said.

"What happened was due to spherical aberrations in the eyes, that can be increased by the LASIK procedure," he said. "Every patient has some degree of aberration, but there is no way to know in advance how significantly it will be increased by LASIK. That differs in every patient."

Campbell described Snyder as a "very conservative" LASIK surgeon, who will not operate on a patient whose pupils are larger than the area to be ablated by the laser.

The $4 million awarded to Post was based on losing his high-paying career at such a young age and on the possible cost of future surgery to correct his vision damage, said his attorneys. Such surgery has not yet been approved in the United States and might not be available for three to five years.

"To be honest, the thought of undergoing another eye surgery doesn't seem like a very good idea to me right now," Post said.

In the past year, Post has radically changed his life - volunteering to work with troubled teens at the Cochise County Children's Center, where he is now employed as a behavioral health worker. He also volunteers as a court-appointed special advocate for youth and has trained his dogs to provide pet therapy for nursing home patients.

He said he plans to use some of his award to improve conditions and programs for neglected children in Southern Arizona.

Before yesterday's Tucson jury verdict, the largest award ever made to a LASIK patient was $1.7 million, to a 38-year-old Kentucky woman in November, after four flawed LASIK surgeries forced her to undergo a corneal transplant to restore vision in one eye.

The year before, a Buffalo, N.Y., man was awarded $1.2 million after his eye was lacerated by the laser, leaving him nearly blind without corrective lenses.

 

[USMCAirWinger]

I got PRK because of the military and I highly recommend it. The healing time is longer but there is no flap to be made. Make sure that you use wavefront. My vision is 20/10.

 

[bailout]

Im sure you can find "horror" stories with any kind of surgery. I had it done two years ago, and flew the following night, and have had no issues what so ever. You dont have to do anything until your next medical. Simply bring the FAA form with you to the medical(the one the eye doctor fills out, i think 8500-10??) , take the eye test, and if you can see, the restriction will be removed. That simple.

 

[GFRacerX]

Had Lasik surgery done 14 months ago.........absolutely amazing!! Was in the operating room no more than 6 or 7 minutes, with the actual procedure about 45 seconds per eye. Since then my parents and 3 of my friends have all done it at the same place with the same results. Just got a new medical last month with 20/15 vision. Waited a couple days before I flew again but really no need to. The night vision however takes a little longer, the "starbursts" around lights take about two weeks to clear up. They're actually kind of cool!! LOL I did a search on Aopa and read about the FAA and Lasik, downloaded the form they have, my eye doctor filled it out and I just brought it to my next medical. When I got it done I went to the best place around in Orlando, they have done thousands and thousands of eyes and it was only $299.00 per eye plus an optional $200.00 for what is called enhancements. About 7% of the eyes don't come out perfect the first time and/or after a couple weeks or a month the eye tries to go back to the way it was and the vision is not as crisp as it could be. The extra $200.00 was kind of an insurance so they would fix that if that were the case but I don't know anyone that needed to go back. I wore glasses and/or contacts fo 25 years and still can not believe what I've been missing!!! GO FOR IT!!

 

[DrewBlows]

I have already been screened, it was very thorough and they said I was a good candidate. I don't remember exactly what they tested for, but the technition said that I was right in the middle of the tolerances. He did the wavefront during the exam.

My doctor has performed between 5000-6000 surgeries including about 300 with wavefront, although I guess the only difference between the surgeries is the laser (the surgeon just cuts the eye and lets the laser do the work).

I didn't cheep out on this one. Its going to cost me $1950 per eye, but that includes pre-surgery, day after, week, month, 6 month, and year exams by my own doctor.

Everyone I have spoken to who has had the procedure done has said literally that it's the best thing they have ever done. I realize that there are risks involved but it seems to me that they are minimal and that the wavefront minimizes the night vision complications.

I'm still interested in hearing other pespectives.

GFRacerX,

Did you have the regular LASIK or the LASIK with wavefront technology?

 

[Singlecoil]

There was an interesting article in the paper yesterday about the effect of humidity on the procedure. Doctors have found that they have to set the laser differently depending on the humidity in the atmosphere. Apparently the cornea absorbs more or less moisture depending on the humidity of the surrounding air. This changes the resiliency of the cornea under the laser and results in a different depth of cut.
The problem seems to be most acute in areas of the country where the humidity changes a lot from winter to summer. It sounds like as they do more research into this, they will be able to program this variable into the laser, but for now they are relying on technique to make this adjustment.

 

[GFRacerX]

I had the regular Lasik done with the blade. The machine actually makes the cut and you don't feel anything. The new technology is cool but I would not have been able to afford it anyway. All my doctor visits were also included in the price all the way up to the 1 year mark. The weirdest thing for me was getting up in the morning and being able to see the alarm clock without contacts! I would do it again in a second. It's really amazing how many they can do in a day, every time I went in for either the pre-op, the operation, check-ups etc. there was about 20 people getting it done that day! Good Luck!

 

[DrewBlows]

Thanks,

Apparently temperature has an effect on the laser, they said to dress warm because they keep the room at 65 degrees. I hadn't heard that humidity had an effect.

 

[LegacyDriver]

Humidity isn't the issue as much as light. Supposedly in summer months your pupil doesn't dilate as much (duh!) and results in the need for more enhancements than those done in the Winter.


Also, anyone who goes flying the day after having LASIK surgery is...lacking judgment. The flap is attached but not totally healed and if you get bonked in the eye you're going to wish you had stayed at home with your protective shields on.

 

[USMCAirWinger]

PRK, PRK, PRK...

There must be a reason why military aviation only allows this and not Lasik. You also want to look at all the different lasers. Some are more precise than others, and look for the one with the radar laser eye tracker. Its the fastest in the industry.
I went to three different doctors, with different lasers before choosing. It's your career

 

[bailout]

>>Also, anyone who goes flying the day after having LASIK surgery is...lacking judgment. The flap is attached but not totally healed and if you get bonked in the eye you're going to wish you had stayed at home with your protective shields on.<<


The protective shields are only for blocking bright lights, as in 'sunglass' purposes, not for "bonking" protection. The doctor said if they are not bothering you, then no worries. You can get "bonked" just as easy anywhere. The flap actually takes @ 6 weeks to heal, which is why you cannot get your eyes wet for 6 weeks.

 

[DrewBlows]

USMCAirWinger,

How long after the surgery was it before your night vision was normal. My aunt and uncle both had PRK and saw stars around lights for about six months after, but both say it was the best thing they have ever done.

 

[LegacyDriver]

>>Also, anyone who goes flying the day after having LASIK surgery is...lacking judgment. The flap is attached but not totally healed and if you get bonked in the eye you're going to wish you had stayed at home with your protective shields on.<<


The protective shields are only for blocking bright lights, as in 'sunglass' purposes, not for "bonking" protection. The doctor said if they are not bothering you, then no worries. You can get "bonked" just as easy anywhere. The flap actually takes @ 6 weeks to heal, which is why you cannot get your eyes wet for 6 weeks.

I don't know who your doctor was but I had protective shields over my face and could only remove them to put drops in for the first 24 hours. In fact, I was told not to even open my eyes for 24 hours except to medicate them. I wonder if your doctor was stoned...

 

[USMCAirWinger]

It took like a week before I was to 20/20 or better and I think like 2 weeks of the "stars". This is part of the healing process just like in Lasik, just longer. In case you didn't know it, PRK and Lasik are the same exept the cut that you get along with Lasik...they use the same laser.
I guess it depends on how long your family members had the procedure. With the wavefront tech, It fixes some of the "imperfections" that normal people have in their eyes. Like I said, I ended up with 20/10 and see everything super clear, better than with glasses. It's what the docs call "super-vision" .

Like any procedure there are risks and the greater the amount of cornea that they have to blast the greater the chances of getting less than great vision. I was 20/100 before I got it.

Good luck.

 

[ATR-DRIVR]

did you have any astigmatism?

 

[DorkProp]

Four and a half years and still 20/15. Was a -2.0 with astigmatism before. Dry eyes still, though I had them before the surgery. Would do it again in a heartbeat. As with anything, there is risk. There's risk in my 401(k) too, but I still invest.

 

[LegacyDriver]

-5.75 Astigmatic. 20/15 now.

Some distortion at night and in very low light situations. When I consider all the reflection from the inside of my glasses I would say the night glares I have now are actually nowhere near as bad as the former.

Did the WaveFront Custom Lasik. Have been flying with it for a long time. Would do it again any day.