Originally Posted by
joepilot
My understanding is that PRK is only normally used if you are not a good candidate for LASIK, such as thin corneas or very severe myopia. The healing process is much slower with PRK than with LASIK, and it takes several months for the vision improvement to settle to its final value.
My wife is a pilot, and she had PRK two years ago, and is quite happy about it.
Joe
PRK is approved for military pilots and some applicants (with many caveats).
Last I heard, LASIK is generally NOT approved for military pilots or applicants, but some services have been conducting test programs. If you are not part of the test programs, it's no good. Also I believe that only current pilots, not applicants, were authorized to participate.
LASIK is better, but there was concern that the flap cutting could weaken the cornea and allow damage due to overpressure (ejection, explosive munitions, etc)