suppakuppa

Hey yall. Im decided to take the route of getting a degree in something other than aviation and then try to become a pilot. I've got 1 1/2 yrs left. Ive been looking into things like the national guard to go become a pilot..but if im right my lasik surgery disqualifies me. Is this so? Is it like this in any military branch? Can I even become a pilot period? I appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

rickair7777

LASIK is OK for civilian pilots as long as you can see 20/20 (with or without glasses) and don't have complications which would create visual problems (such as glare at night).

Last time I checked, no military branch was accepting LASIK for off-the-street applicants.

However...the navy (and I think the AF) has been experimenting with LASIK for pilots and pilot-candidates who are already in the military (ie service academy students) . The LASIK is done by military doctors.

Depending on the success of this program they may open LASIK up to all-comers eventually, you might check on the status of that.

In general, don't get any vision surgery if you want to be a military pilot. There may be options such as PRK, but there are limitations on that too. Best to talk to the military first.

Triumph

Last I was told from an AF flight surgeon, is that if you weren't prescreened for needing lasiq and then the procedure done by an air force approved doctor, you would be permanently DQ'd, that included current AF pilots that went out and did it on their own.
Obviously there are waivers for everything, and maybe there is a waiver for this as well, but that's what I was told. This info applies to the air force, not sure about any other branches. The air force tends to be the most critical when it comes to medical standards and regulations.
Good Luck

crewdawg

My advice to you, it to not listen to a bunch of pilots on a forum. Most of what we know is heresay. If you really want to be a pilot, I would not let anything stop me until about the second or third flight Doc disapproved me. FWIW...

suppakuppa

First off, NICE pic. Second, this is probably a simple question but what do you mean by "second or third flight doc" and third, what does FWIW mean? I really like that train of thought regardless! (the dont give up just because thing) Thanks!!

Zoomies12

The Air Force gave me PRK to get me a pilot slot and I have heard that they are thinking about doing LASIK. Im not sure whether or not they are accepting people who have already had it done

AZFlyer

From AFI48-123 Medical Examinations and Standards

(RS means Refractive Surgery)

"12.1.8. For the purpose of this guidance RS authorized for AASD only includes the following: Note: See Aircrew waiver guide for specific clinical guidelines.
12.1.8.1. Advanced Surface Ablation (ASA) procedures.
12.1.8.1.1. PRK.
12.1.8.1.2. LASEK.
12.1.8.1.3. Wave-Front Guided Photorefractive Keratectomy (WFG-PRK).
12.1.8.1.4. Epi-LASIK.
12.1.8.2. Intra-Stromal Ablation (ISA) procedures
12.1.8.2.1. Standard LASIK and its variants.
12.1.8.2.1.1. DELETED
12.1.8.2.2. Wave-Front Guided Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis (WFG-LASIK) -
―custom ablation.
12.1.8.2.3. Technological advances of the basic LASIK procedure, such as
femtosecond technology, ―all laser LASIK."

And from the USAF Waiver Guide:

"The USAF-RS Program permits both advanced surface ablation (ASA) and intra-stromal ablation (ISA) procedures in eligible AF active duty and AF Reserve Component (ARC) members. ASA approved procedures include photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), laser in-situ epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK), epi-LASIK and wave-front guided photorefractive keratectomy (WFGPRK). ISA approved procedures include standard laser in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and its variants, wave-front guided laser in-situ keratomileusis (WFG-LASIK), and technological advances in the basic LASIK procedure, such as femtosecond technology. The incorporation of WFG treatments into RS is expected to improve visual outcomes, particularly in low light and low contrast situations. For this waiver guide unless specifically specified, PRK will be used in place of ASA and LASIK in place of ISA."

Continuing on, it reads:
"For AASD and AASD applicants, ASA is the preferred RS procedure recommended by the Aeromedical Consultation Service (ACS) and AF/SG RS consultant. Clinical criteria required before permission to proceed is granted in AASD personnel and applicants to AASD for waiver:
A. Age 21 or older.
B. Refractive error limits do not exceed those listed in Table 1. (see AFPAM 48-133 for cycloplegic protocol).
C. Show demonstrated refractive stability with no more than 0.50 diopter shift in manifest sphere or cylinder power between two or more refractions (one refraction current with application data and the other at least one year older).
D. Normal corneal topography (CT) – no evidence of abnormal corneal surface topography (including but not limited to): corneal irregularity, abnormal videokeratography, keratoconus, and/or “topographical pattern suggestive of keratoconus” (TPSK) in either eye.
E. No history or evidence of (including but not limited to): active ophthalmic disease, corneal neovascularization within 1 mm of intended ablation zone, central crystalline lens opacifications (i.e. post subcapsular cataracts), severe dry eyes, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, uveitis, keratitis,
excessive pupil enlargement, glaucoma, predisposing disorder to glaucoma development (i.e. pigment dispersion syndrome with IOP greater than 21 mm Hg) or retinal pathology.
F. Not currently pregnant or actively nursing--must be greater than 6 months post-partum or greater than 6 months after discontinuing nursing.
G. Not using concurrent topical or systemic medication which may impair healing (including but not limited to): corticosteroids, antimetabolites, isotretinoin (Accutane®), amiodarone hydrochloride (Cordarone®), and/or sumatriptan (Imitrex®).
F. No history of medical conditions which, in the judgment of the treating corneal refractive surgeon may impair healing (including but not limited to): collagen vascular disease, autoimmune disease, immunodeficiency disease, active or history of ocular herpes zoster or simplex, endocrine disorders (e.g. thyroid disorders and diabetes)."

In short, pretty much all eye surgeries are approved for applicants and current rated aviators, however there are a few that are not approved. Referencing line "12.1.8.2.1. Standard LASIK and its variants." makes it sound like you are okay if LASIK was what you had done. Contact a squadron Flight Surgeon and he/she will be able to tell you for sure. The flight surgeon from the unit that I applied to was able to give me the proper guidance to make an informed decision, as I'm going under the knife for WFG-PRK in two weeks for the purpose of pursuing a guard pilot slot. From reading these documents, it seems the Air Force believes that WFG-PRK achieves the best results and more reliably than other types of refractive surgery.

Further, just understand that having ANY approved surgery will still require a waiver before you can be given the stamp of approval for flight training. (Not a waiver to be allowed to have the surgery, but a waiver for the fact the you have had the surgery already).

Both of these documents are easy to obtain via a two second google search: "USAF Waiver Guide" and "AFI48-123".



Good luck!

rickair7777

WFG (wave front guide) offers the best potential for vision improvement because it maps your inner eye for normal, natural, optical defects within the eyeball and then carves corrections for that into your cornea. These corrections are on top of (combined with) the correction for the corneal refractive error.

Since glasses and contacts cannot correct for those errors, WFG offers the potential for really marked improvement in your uncorrected acuity.

AZFlyer

You are correct sir. A friend of mine who is also pursuing a pilot slot had WFGPRK not too long ago, and he says the results are very impressive. His eyes are still healing but there are times where he is already able to clearly read the letters on the 20/15 line of an eye chart.

crewdawg

Pic = Catherine Bell...chick from Jag

What I meant is that just because one doc says no, doesn't mean that is the end of the line. My flight doc told me (before I went to training) that you can't have any kind of corrective eye surgery. I had friends in pilot training, so I had to get him to look into the reg for me. Not all docs are up to speed on the latest updates. So if one says, no...go to another one, or ask for a second opinion. Don't be afraid to go over their head (just do it as a last resort)...it's your life and your career. I was told to never call Randolph about my medical...when after 5 months of hearing nothing, I finally did and they told me they didn't even have my medical. It was in the system, waiting for a few signatures, AT MY BASE!

FWIW = For what it's worth

If you don't look out for yourself, no one else will! Do not give up until you feel you have sufficiently fought your battle! Where there is a will, there is a waiver...