Laser Surgery

[Say Again Over]

Lasik

Went to Bangkok where they are using the most advanced laser, big clinic with about seven full time surgeons, very impressive facility. I went through a presurgical examination to see if I was a good candidate, the best candidate apparently is someone who is near sighted, this type person can be fixed to 20/20 near and far. I've always had perfect vision most of my life, near vision deteriorating in my forties, I opted for the mono vision, one eye is good for near, one for distance, sounds crazy but your brain works it out smoothly. On the day of surgery, they popped me a Valium and 15 minutes later brought me in, 20 minutes later I was finished. Takes a few weeks for your vision to stabilize but I could read my Nokia phone immediately, 6 days later I did a post operative exam, that's it sort of. One month later I went to an eye specialist for a complete exam for the FAA form, no problems for my First class.

My only side effect is sometimes I get dry eyes, like once a month, a couple eye drops, big deal, for people that are active, scuba diving, parachutist, sport bikers, I would highly recommend it. I have experienced NO night vision problems whatsoever, the best part was the $1,500 price tag, not per eye, TOTAL.

 

[Hoodabundy]

WOW 1500 per eye..... I guess I'll have to wait until I get out of the regional pay scale

 

[Say Again Over]

Look again, $1,500 total, plus the ticket to bangkok.:beer:

 

[skid]

A concern to consider is what will the long term effect be. Most likely you will still need glasses...reading or such...when you get older.

My brother had lasik in Jan of 2000. 20/400+ in each eye. Then and still now he has 20/10 and 20/15 in his eyes. I must admit I envy it, but am still scared to do it myself (his career is not as stringent as ours when it comes to eye problems)

 

[myq2u]

Mono vision for a pilot???

"I opted for the mono vision, one eye is good for near, one for distance, sounds crazy but your brain works it out smoothly."

SayAgainOver - I cannot find the reference anywhere right now but I could have sworn that about a year ago I read a statement on one of the FAA pages where it specifically said that "mono-vision was not approved for either pilots or ATC controllers.”

The way I understood it - mono vision gives you good far and near vision with the respective eye HOWEVER it diminishes your depth perception because you brain is no longer "comparing" images from both eyes, which is very critical for pilots and ATC.

So I'm confused, maybe they changed the requirements in the last year or so? Did your FAA doctor mention on the paperwork that you now have mono vision or did he/she just do a regular eye exam (which obviously you should be able to pass now?)

I'm truly not trying to upset you but I know that reference is there somewhere and it was the main reason why my best friend opted NOT to have the surgery about a year ago. Has anyone else seen that reference, anyone??? I hope I'm wrong and that you're right.

 

[Say Again Over]

mono vision

Don't get me wrong, I cannot fly with the mono vision, you are correct, I must correct my near vision eye (when at work) with a Focus Daily contact lens, that gives me 20/20 distance in both eyes, it also requires me to use reading glasses for small print. My strategy is that when I am not flying, it's total freedom from all glasses. The up side is that if I am not happy with mono vision I can correct the under corrected eye to be 20/20 distance vision like the other eye, in this case I will need reading glasses.

 

[Say Again Over]

By the way, for young pilots contemplating surgery, as you get older you can do additional corrections as you age.

 

[myq2u]

I see, now it makes more sense. I am still trying to find a link and once I do I’ll post it here.

From what I remember, if someone had a mono-vision type of surgery, whether RK, PRK or LASIC, there was a way to get approved to fly but you had to go through an additional vision exam and would be issued a special issuance waiver. Something you do not need with a regular RK, PRK or LASIC surgery (all you need then is an eye exam saying your vision is stable, no negative effects in night conditions, etc, and they’ll send you a letter saying that “you do meet 1st class medical criteria unless you experience any negative side effects in the future: blurred vision, halos, etc”)

With mono-vision, on top of that statement, you’re supposed to get a special “waiver” because in essence the FAA treats you as a “one-eyed pilot” when it comes to depth perception.

By the way, there are several one-eyed-pilots out there flying for the airlines, I think FedEx or UPS or maybe even both airlines have one, there’s one at Airtran, and supposedly one at Southwest as well but I cannot confirm that.

Personally I think it’s great because it proves that if one can prove to them that they can handle their duties safely they’re good to go. As opposed to the “top-gun” attitude of the 70’s and the 80’s, but that’s just my opinion.

 

[myq2u]

Re: Mono-vision

Found it!!!


I also called leftseat.com and they confirmed it:
it is OK to have mono-vision however:


- if it is achieved surgically an airman needs a SODA (Statement of Demonstrated Ability) to be attached to his/her file,


- if it is achieved with mono-vision contact lenses only the faa will not allow it period. (FAA is looking into approving special lenses in the future though).


My friend decided to postpone his mono-vision surgery based on his findings, it's OK and it will be approved however technically you're NOT supposed to fly for at least 6 months after a mono-vision surgery!!! [ read below] (I know it sounds crazy and no one follows those rules but...)


http://www.aviationmedicine.com/articles/index.cfm?fuseaction=printVersion&articleID=62

Contact Lens Authorization by the FAA



Pilots and controllers wearing glasses or contact lenses must meet all of the FAA vision standards. Those requiring near and distant correction may do this with either bifocals worn all the time or wearing contact lenses that correct for distant and having reading glasses available for near vision.
Some contact lens manufacturers and eye specialists are touting the advantages of Mono Vision Contact Lenses (MVCL) to eliminate the need for glasses without surgery. The MVCL technique uses one contact lens to focus at near while the lens in the other eye focuses at distant. The pilot suppresses the blurred image from the eye not in use depending on the distance of the viewed object. The FAA continues to prohibit the use of MVCL’s because each eye does not correct to 20/20 at distant and 20/40 at near separately. Because both eyes are not simultaneously focusing on an object at distant, the binocular component of depth perception may be reduced. Many other monocular cues to depth perception, such as shadows, relative size, motion parallax, contrast and texture gradient still exist when using MVCL. These monocular cues are susceptible to illusions in a visually compromised environment, such as reduced lighting or weather. The FAA will only allow monovision correction if induced surgically (see our article on refractive surgery) though it does require at least a six months adjustment period before returning to flying. After that time, the FAA will most likely require a medical flight test and subsequent Statement of Demonstrated Ability (SODA) to remove restrictions. Currently controllers are not authorized any method of monovision correction.
In the Fall of 2005, the FAA approved the use of the newer multifocal contact lenses that correct at distant in the central portion while correcting for near vision at the periphery. This arrangement works fine when looking down at something to read, but blurs images in the periphery on lateral and upward gaze, particularly in low light conditions. The specifics are obtained in the FAA protocol for multifocal lenses in our Information Resource center. Applicants must allow 1 month for adaptation before returning to aviation related duties, must be free from any vision defects, and must meet FAA vision standards.

 

[Say Again Over]

This appears to target an individual trying to fly with mono vision, I am not, my medical certificate clearly states that I must use corrective lens, there is no need to demonstrate ability the way I am doing it, before I go to work I am popping in a one day contact in my r/h eye, after work I throw it away, the FAA required a thorough evaluation and their form filled out after vision stabilization, I did this 30 days after surgery without any problems.