Old 02-06-2019, 03:47 PM
  #1  
ElenaBH
New Hire
 
Joined APC: Feb 2019
Posts: 1
Default Refractive Eye Surgery and Medical. Advice?

Hi,

I am a beginning flight school in September, and am trying to decide whether I should get laser eye surgery before getting my medical.

My eyesight is okay. The VA in my right eye is 20/15, so it is really good, but my other eye is 20/200 (bad).
In general I do not wear contacts or glasses because my good eye compensates for the bad one. As soon as I am unable to use my right eye though, it is not a good situation. I know I would not be comfortable flying with my vision the way it is, and I know I will not pass the medical without my glasses anyway. Since I am looking at a lifelong career here, I would rather just get my eyes fixed and not have to worry about glasses.

I got one consult yesterday for LASIK and they said they would only have to do my one eye. I am going for another consult at a different clinic tomorrow to get a second opinion. The more I have dug into it, the more I think I would prefer to have PRK over LASIK. I do not like the idea of having a "flap", so with PRK it is longer recovery, more pain, etc but you don't have the flap.

My biggest concerns are with the risk of haloing/starbursts at night which are two "rare" side-effects.

So two things, anyone out there who has had any type of refractive eye surgery, and can detail their experience (any issues with night-time vision?)?

Also, is there any problem with me getting the surgery (if I make that decision), and then getting my medical done. I live in Canada, so it would be with Transport Canada. I have looked around, and it doesn't seem to be disqualifying or anything, and I have only really seen discussion around current pilots with their medicals who get surgery and what the protocol is for them after surgery to get back up in the air again. Anybody got some info on that that I am unaware of?

Thanks in advance.
ElenaBH is offline