Good heads up for anyone considering lasik. I thought about doing it myself a few years ago, but decided not to based on the research I did and that fact that one of my sim instructors was a permamently grounded 121 CA thanks to lasik. There are many satisfied customers who will vouch for vision surgery, but there are also real risks...which have even more significance for pilots.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/04/25....ap/index.html

 

yeesh. I can't tell you how badly I want to get rid of glasses. I've been mulling this decision to get lasik for quite some time. I can't wear contacts because my eyes dry out instantly.

 

Dry eyes is one of the things that should disqualify you. Others are:

Thin cornea
Large diameter dilated pupils
Very flat cornea

I had it done 4 years ago and have been very happy. I needed reading glasses the next day but that would have happened if I had normal vision anyway so...

There are many horror stories but for every horror story there are 99.9 success stories.

 

Bet money I ever spent, that Lasik.....

 

I had epi-lasik, different than traditional LASIK. It is a surface ablation, similar to PRK which is now accepted by the military. I could not see much for a few days, and did have pain. Took a week to drive, and a month for my eyes to settle 20/20.

I had astigmatisms and thin corneas around the sides, and was not even a candidate for traditional LASIK. My kind did not have complications that traditional LASIK has- no halos, no night vision issues. But it was a one shot deal, I cannot get an enhancement later.

Go to several laser centers and get a (usually) free consult and see what you are eligible for. Ask for references. Do research. And you can get one eye done at a time.

Consult your FAA doc. If you are an ALPA member, contact Virtual Flight Surgeons for additional free info, www.aviationmedicine.com. They can tell you what forms to get filled out to return to flight status.

 

I had Lasik, in October of 07'. Best $5000 I've ever spent. I was seeing 20/40 immediately after the procedure and was seeing 20/15 the next day at my follow-up eye exam. I can even see, just barely 20/10. No complications at all. One trick a doctor told me to keep my long range vision strong, is to follow the 20/20 rule. If you sit behind a desk for long periods of time, every 20 minutes stare out the window and focus on an object in the distance for 10-20 seconds.

 

Ditto. Thanksgiving in Quebec, 1998...$2000 for both eyes.

 

Going for my visit next friday. I did my research and am going to the most highest rated doctor, along that there is a high price! $6000.

 

I do not recommend doing lasik on your self. It is best to have a doctor do it for you.

That said I have heard PRK is much better and would probably get it but I like the fact my glasses help to hide the bags under my eyes.

gremlin

 

I think the benefits of Lasik far outweight the risks assuming you go to a doctor who as done at least a decade of this work. I'll be going to one here in California this fall who charges a lot, $5,000, but has done thousands of procedures successfully and is well known in his field.

Always a risk involved, but I feel I have a greater risk of losing my ability to fly with a driving accident this summer than from the operation.