Major airlines and Laser Eye Surgery

[Dumb Pilot]

Is a disqualifier in some airlines abroad, In case you are considering contract work.

 

[LetsGoBuffs]

Anyone have PRK done?

yes. oct of 1995. beacon eye institute in toronto, canada.

20/15 for years. now somewhere between 20/20 and 20/25....

 

[ultrapilot]

Had Lasik done also

I had the top of the line Lasik done in October 05' and still have 20/15 vision. The problem was that I was near sighted and did not need glasses for reading and now I have to have "reading glasses". They are drug store 1.0 glasses so that is not much but I would have had to have them anyway because of age. The point is that you may still need glasses after the surgery. You might be able to get 20/20 and not need glasses but not have sharp distant vision or get something else and need glasses. Ask the Doc.

I get occasional dry eyes when it is late and I am tired but otherwise I enjoy not having to take a pair of glasses into the movie theater just to see a clear picture and the perk is that I can wear regular sunglasses.

Notified the FAA via my last flight physical and that makes everything okay according to their rules.

My advice is to go get a FREE consultation to see if you are even a candidate for Lasik. Not everyone can have Lasik because of your cornea. If the lens is to thin you can not have it done. First things first will make your decision easier.... find out if you can even have it done then go from there.

Good luck,

 

[ERJFO]

I waited till my probation year was up. Actually two years because it took me an extra year to catch up from 1st year pay. Best decision I have ever made. I'm reading 3 on the 20/10 line and everything on the 20/15. I haven't had any problems with dry eyes (maybe the first few weeks), in fact, my eyes feel 100x better than when I wore contacts for 16 hours at a time. My night vision has improved greatly; no halos at all. I had the completely bladeless lasik done, called Intralase. It was more expensive but I didn't want to trust my vision to the lowest bidder.

Did you have halos at night before?

 

[Lear70]

I was 20/350 in one eye and 20/400 in the other (barely legal limit for Class 1 medical) when I had it done.

I don't know what that works out to in the other measurement, but it was pretty d*mn bad...

The whole "lifetime enhancement" thing sounds pretty cool... Got a name and number to refer to the board? Would make for a good search tool later on for other people curious about the same thing.

 

[better up here]

I went to 'the best' doctor in Phoenix about two years ago and he won't perform it on pilots. Says he did a guy that developed night halos and it ended his career. The guy sued, and he settled out of court. He told me the possibility is there, and for a person that does not rely on night vision the way we do, no big deal. Changed my mind.

Not trying to scare anyone, but make sure you ask all the right questions, and all the right doctors.

 

[bubbers44]

The possibility of Lasik ending my career was the reason I waited until sick time could carry me to retirement. It is a very small risk but consider how it would affect your life if it happened. I ended up retiring 6 months early because of the lump sum payout so did it after retirement.

 

[AV80R]

I had the top of the line Lasik done in October 05' and still have 20/15 vision. The problem was that I was near sighted and did not need glasses for reading and now I have to have "reading glasses".

I'm sure you've had enough of surgeries by now, but just so you know, there is a surgery for your condition (needing reading glasses) nowadays. It's called CK. Haven't had it myself as I don't need reading glasses but a friend did and he said that for the first time in more than a decade he doesn't need any reading glasses at all. It's also FAA approved.

Here is a link with some info: 1 & 2

I'm still waiting for the X-ray Vision Lasik surgery

 

[tyler24]

i had it done three years ago and consider it one of the best decisions i have ever made. Do your research on the equipment used and dont fall for the used car salesmen techniques

 

[AV80R]

i had it done three years ago and consider it one of the best decisions i have ever made. Do your research on the equipment used and dont fall for the used car salesmen techniques

Which one? Lasik, PRK, RK, CK, Prebyopia Lasik, Lasek???