Lasik / flying?

[gatt]

Anybody had lasik surgery?

My vision is stable, correctable to 20/20, but things like pollen or the
neighbor mowing his yard can bother my contact lenses. Glasses suck and
contacts aren't good for your eyes over time, so my wife is encouraging
lasik. The #1 facility in the region is half a block away from my workplace
and they have a deal with our company which is why I know so many people
who've had it, but I'm still undecided.

Everybody I've known personally who has had it done raves about it, no bad
experiences at all...but none of them fly.

Thoughts?
-c

[Gary G]

I had lasik 3 1/2 years ago.
I passed my physical for student pilot license last June and had no
problems with any item, including night vision.
I do, however, have some "starburst" effect in one eye, but I was able
to pass the vision test.
My vision used to be -7.0 and -6.75, which is a pretty good correction
amount.
I recently had a vision exam, and am 20/40 in one eye, 20/30 in the
other.
I have a prescription in case I want them for distance seeing,
and I would use if advanantageous during flying.
However, I am not required to do so.

My personal opinion is that it is remarkable - even though my vision has
slipped (explained by aging process and not unusual) - and I would
not hesitate to do it again myself.

There can be problems, and you should be comfortable.
Interestingly enough, I've been asked directly by at least 50 people
whom I know, and about 10 of them have had the surgery, and all are
very happy with the results.

Good luck!

Gary


"gatt" > wrote in
:

>
> Anybody had lasik surgery?
>
> My vision is stable, correctable to 20/20, but things like pollen or
> the neighbor mowing his yard can bother my contact lenses. Glasses
> suck and contacts aren't good for your eyes over time, so my wife is
> encouraging lasik. The #1 facility in the region is half a block away
> from my workplace and they have a deal with our company which is why I
> know so many people who've had it, but I'm still undecided.
>
> Everybody I've known personally who has had it done raves about it, no
> bad experiences at all...but none of them fly.
>
> Thoughts?
> -c
>
>
>

[Jim Burns]

Or???
http://www.usaeyes.org/lasik/faq/lasik-visian-verisyse-icl-p-iol.htm

I've looked into some of these options, but not seriously enough to spend a
lot of time on it. My hesitation mostly concerns the healing time and
checkup appointments. It's my understanding that the FAA rules say that
your vision must be stabilized after the procedures, which, makes me nervous
about the time period that I may not be able or authorized to fly.

Let us know what you learn.

Jim

"gatt" > wrote in message
...
>
> Anybody had lasik surgery?
>
> My vision is stable, correctable to 20/20, but things like pollen or the
> neighbor mowing his yard can bother my contact lenses. Glasses suck and
> contacts aren't good for your eyes over time, so my wife is encouraging
> lasik. The #1 facility in the region is half a block away from my
workplace
> and they have a deal with our company which is why I know so many people
> who've had it, but I'm still undecided.
>
> Everybody I've known personally who has had it done raves about it, no bad
> experiences at all...but none of them fly.
>
> Thoughts?
> -c
>
>

[[email protected]]

gatt wrote:
> Anybody had lasik surgery?
>
> My vision is stable, correctable to 20/20, but things like pollen or the
> neighbor mowing his yard can bother my contact lenses. Glasses suck and
> contacts aren't good for your eyes over time, so my wife is encouraging
> lasik. The #1 facility in the region is half a block away from my workplace
> and they have a deal with our company which is why I know so many people
> who've had it, but I'm still undecided.
>
> Everybody I've known personally who has had it done raves about it, no bad
> experiences at all...but none of them fly.
>
> Thoughts?
> -c

I had PRK (the pre-cursor to LASIK) 10 years ago, and I still have
20/15 vision and almost no astygmatism. It was well worth the money.
I have been flying since 1991.

Dean

[karl gruber]

I had Lasik and it is wonderful. There was no "healing time". BAM two hours
later, perfect vision from two feet to infinity.

Karl


"Jim Burns" > wrote in message
...
> Or???
> http://www.usaeyes.org/lasik/faq/lasik-visian-verisyse-icl-p-iol.htm
>
> I've looked into some of these options, but not seriously enough to spend
> a
> lot of time on it. My hesitation mostly concerns the healing time and
> checkup appointments. It's my understanding that the FAA rules say that
> your vision must be stabilized after the procedures, which, makes me
> nervous
> about the time period that I may not be able or authorized to fly.
>
> Let us know what you learn.
>
> Jim
>
> "gatt" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> Anybody had lasik surgery?
>>
>> My vision is stable, correctable to 20/20, but things like pollen or the
>> neighbor mowing his yard can bother my contact lenses. Glasses suck and
>> contacts aren't good for your eyes over time, so my wife is encouraging
>> lasik. The #1 facility in the region is half a block away from my
> workplace
>> and they have a deal with our company which is why I know so many people
>> who've had it, but I'm still undecided.
>>
>> Everybody I've known personally who has had it done raves about it, no
>> bad
>> experiences at all...but none of them fly.
>>
>> Thoughts?
>> -c
>>
>>
>
>

[LWG]

I had it about 5 years ago. Initially I was disappointed because my vision
with glasses was very sharp. After the lasik, it was good enough to pass
driving and aviation tests, but not as sharp. This is particularly
noticeable at night, where my vision is rather blurry. On the other hand,
at the beach (where the pupils are "stopped down" in photographic terms) my
vision is nearly ideal (and where better to have great vision).

I got some prescription shooting glasses with interchangeable lenses, and a
nose bridge which allows the lenses to be raised a little. The optometrist
said that she would make them "a little in the green," which was trade talk
for better than 20/20. I usually use these for flying, although legally I
don't have to.

All in all, I would do it again, but it is not perfect (at least in my
case). Also, everyone told me it was essentially painless. The first night
hurt like hell. They told me sometimes they give medication to patients,
but they were sure I wouldn't need it. I wish I had their home numbers that
night. I just got a bottle of liquor and started doing shots.


"gatt" > wrote in message
...
>
> Anybody had lasik surgery?
>
> My vision is stable, correctable to 20/20, but things like pollen or the
> neighbor mowing his yard can bother my contact lenses. Glasses suck and
> contacts aren't good for your eyes over time, so my wife is encouraging
> lasik. The #1 facility in the region is half a block away from my
> workplace and they have a deal with our company which is why I know so
> many people who've had it, but I'm still undecided.
>
> Everybody I've known personally who has had it done raves about it, no bad
> experiences at all...but none of them fly.
>
> Thoughts?
> -c
>

[john smith]

In article >,
"gatt" > wrote:

> Anybody had lasik surgery?
> Everybody I've known personally who has had it done raves about it, no bad
> experiences at all...but none of them fly.
> Thoughts?

One thing to consider is your age.
If you are in your 20's, early 30's, 50's or 60's, it may be worthwhile.
If you are in your late 30's or 40's, you eyes may soon or are in the
process of changing. In which case the benefits may be short lived.
Do you wanat to pay for the procedure twice in a short time span?
Also, there are occassions where the procedure may need to be repeated
to get the correction right.

[Matt Whiting]

LWG wrote:

> I had it about 5 years ago. Initially I was disappointed because my vision
> with glasses was very sharp. After the lasik, it was good enough to pass
> driving and aviation tests, but not as sharp. This is particularly
> noticeable at night, where my vision is rather blurry. On the other hand,
> at the beach (where the pupils are "stopped down" in photographic terms) my
> vision is nearly ideal (and where better to have great vision).
>
> I got some prescription shooting glasses with interchangeable lenses, and a
> nose bridge which allows the lenses to be raised a little. The optometrist
> said that she would make them "a little in the green," which was trade talk
> for better than 20/20. I usually use these for flying, although legally I
> don't have to.
>
> All in all, I would do it again, but it is not perfect (at least in my
> case). Also, everyone told me it was essentially painless. The first night
> hurt like hell. They told me sometimes they give medication to patients,
> but they were sure I wouldn't need it. I wish I had their home numbers that
> night. I just got a bottle of liquor and started doing shots.

And you wonder why your night vision is blurry. :-)


Matt

[Matt Barrow]

"gatt" > wrote in message
...
>
> Anybody had lasik surgery?
>
> My vision is stable, correctable to 20/20, but things like pollen or the
> neighbor mowing his yard can bother my contact lenses. Glasses suck and
> contacts aren't good for your eyes over time, so my wife is encouraging
> lasik. The #1 facility in the region is half a block away from my
> workplace and they have a deal with our company which is why I know so
> many people who've had it, but I'm still undecided.
>
> Everybody I've known personally who has had it done raves about it, no bad
> experiences at all...but none of them fly.
>
> Thoughts?

I had it done in 2003 to cure a "lazy" right eye (It used to be 20/150, now
20/20. The left has been 20/30 since my teens).

For the treatment, I was in at about 9:00AM and out by 11:00. Slight pain
for about two hours, then all was well.

You might find this article informative.

http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2004/11/seeing_is_belie.html


--
Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Site-Fill Homes, LLC.
Montrose, CO (MTJ)

[Richard Riley]

wrote:
>?
> > -c
>
> I had PRK (the pre-cursor to LASIK) 10 years ago, and I still have
> 20/15 vision and almost no astygmatism. It was well worth the money.
> I have been flying since 1991.

I also had PRK. The recovery time is longer, but the complication rate
is virtually zero. The complication rate on LASIK is low, but PRK is
lower.

Very happy I had it.

[karl gruber]

I had Lasik last September.

It took ten minutes.

There was no recovery time after the anesthetic wore off in about two hours.
There was no pain ever and there were no complications. I LOVE seeing 20/20.
I do have to wear close up readers, but I had to do that anyway.

Karl
"curator"



"Richard Riley" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> wrote:
>>?
>> > -c
>>
>> I had PRK (the pre-cursor to LASIK) 10 years ago, and I still have
>> 20/15 vision and almost no astygmatism. It was well worth the money.
>> I have been flying since 1991.
>
> I also had PRK. The recovery time is longer, but the complication rate
> is virtually zero. The complication rate on LASIK is low, but PRK is
> lower.
>
> Very happy I had it.
>

[Matt Barrow]

"Richard Riley" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> wrote:
>>?
>> > -c
>>
>> I had PRK (the pre-cursor to LASIK) 10 years ago, and I still have
>> 20/15 vision and almost no astygmatism. It was well worth the money.
>> I have been flying since 1991.
>
> I also had PRK. The recovery time is longer, but the complication rate
> is virtually zero. The complication rate on LASIK is low, but PRK is
> lower.
>

Do you have a cite for that?

[Dave S]

I did it. best money I've EVER spent.

I was a medical person, and already flying, when I underwent the
surgery. I was VERY cognizant of the risks... maybe a little TOO
cognizant.. but it IS our eyes we are dealing with here.

I did two freebee screenings at two different places months apart until
I got the nerve to do it.. went someplace that was able to explain not
only that I was a good candidate, but WHY I was a good candidate: things
such as corneal thickness, zone of correction, slope of the cornea.

I had mild side effects that cleared within 2 weeks. If I understand
correctly, most people have some sort of side effects immediately after
surgery (starbursts, halos, shadows, night "blindness" and it clears..
only in the odd/rare chance that it DOESNT clear is it considered a
complication.

I was self grounded 3 weeks. I went to my surgeon and he said that he
had done other pilots before.. so i kinda relaxed..

Then after two weeks went back to him (after followups) with a
boilerplate statement I needed him to put on a letterhead so I could
send it to the FAA (AOPA Medical website has good guidance on this)..
and he had a cow and was clearly unprepared to sign what I had brought
(certifying absense of side effects, etc.. nothing untoward..).

He waited one more week, then I sent a copy off to OKC and resumed
flying without any probs. Reported on my next medical app as "previously
reported" and no probs since. That was 5 years ago. I'm still 20/20.
from a previous 20/200 to 20/400.

My Advice. If you do it, get the language of the statement you need the
surgeon to sign in advance from AOPA, and show it to your surgeon before
you consent to the procedure so that he understands what you require of
him/her.

Dave

gatt wrote:
> Anybody had lasik surgery?
>
> My vision is stable, correctable to 20/20, but things like pollen or the
> neighbor mowing his yard can bother my contact lenses. Glasses suck and
> contacts aren't good for your eyes over time, so my wife is encouraging
> lasik. The #1 facility in the region is half a block away from my workplace
> and they have a deal with our company which is why I know so many people
> who've had it, but I'm still undecided.
>
> Everybody I've known personally who has had it done raves about it, no bad
> experiences at all...but none of them fly.
>
> Thoughts?
> -c
>
>

[Richard Riley]

Matt Barrow wrote:

>
> Do you have a cite for that?

Was told to me by Dr. James Freeman, an opthamologist and pilot
(Cirrus, RV-8 and Air-Cam) from Memphis. He was one of the first to do
LASIK and does a lot of them, but my correction was fairly small so he
recommended PRK. He posts to the rec.av groups on occasion.

Basically, with PRK you're waiting for the epithilium to re-grow, and
that takes a while. With LASIK you aren't waiting for it, but there's
a possibility of the flap getting a wrinkle when it's replaced, being
mis-positioned, that kind of thing.

[Richard Riley]

Matt Barrow wrote:

>
> Do you have a cite for that?

Was told to me by Dr. James Freeman, an opthamologist and pilot
(Cirrus, RV-8 and Air-Cam) from Memphis. He was one of the first to do
LASIK and does a lot of them, but my correction was fairly small so he
recommended PRK. He posts to the rec.av groups on occasion.

Basically, with PRK you're waiting for the epithilium to re-grow, and
that takes a while. With LASIK you aren't waiting for it, but there's
a possibility of the flap getting a wrinkle when it's replaced, being
mis-positioned, that kind of thing.

[Richard Riley]

john smith wrote:

> One thing to consider is your age.
> If you are in your 20's, early 30's, 50's or 60's, it may be worthwhile.
> If you are in your late 30's or 40's, you eyes may soon or are in the
> process of changing. In which case the benefits may be short lived.
> Do you wanat to pay for the procedure twice in a short time span?
> Also, there are occassions where the procedure may need to be repeated
> to get the correction right.

I had mine done in my early 40's, on the theory that when I needed
reading glasses, I just wanted magnifiers, not bifocals. I ended up
with a little "monovision" - one eye is slightly nearsighted. I'm now
46 and don't need reading glasses yet. I know they're coming, but the
monovision should put it off for a few years.

[Matt Barrow]

"Richard Riley" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Matt Barrow wrote:
>
>>
>> Do you have a cite for that?
>
> Was told to me by Dr. James Freeman, an opthamologist and pilot
> (Cirrus, RV-8 and Air-Cam) from Memphis. He was one of the first to do
> LASIK and does a lot of them, but my correction was fairly small so he
> recommended PRK. He posts to the rec.av groups on occasion.

Okay.

>
> Basically, with PRK you're waiting for the epithilium to re-grow, and
> that takes a while. With LASIK you aren't waiting for it, but there's
> a possibility of the flap getting a wrinkle when it's replaced, being
> mis-positioned, that kind of thing.

IIRC, the slip-ups with PRK could be even more devastating.

[Joe Feise]

wrote on 06/02/06 13:13:

> gatt wrote:
>> Anybody had lasik surgery?
>>
>> My vision is stable, correctable to 20/20, but things like pollen or the
>> neighbor mowing his yard can bother my contact lenses. Glasses suck and
>> contacts aren't good for your eyes over time, so my wife is encouraging
>> lasik. The #1 facility in the region is half a block away from my workplace
>> and they have a deal with our company which is why I know so many people
>> who've had it, but I'm still undecided.
>>
>> Everybody I've known personally who has had it done raves about it, no bad
>> experiences at all...but none of them fly.
>>
>> Thoughts?
>> -c
>
> I had PRK (the pre-cursor to LASIK) 10 years ago, and I still have
> 20/15 vision and almost no astygmatism. It was well worth the money.
> I have been flying since 1991.


Similar here. I had PRK 15 years ago, still have 20/20, the docs can't see any
evidence of the surgery in my eyes. Flying since 1995, without problems. The FAA
of course knows about the surgery, no problem from their side. They gave me a
letter to inform them of changes.

-Joe

[gatt]

Thank you everybody for your information! Still haven't decided to make the
jump, but I've yet to hear a real horror story so I'll continue to look into
it.

Looks like it's getting pretty competitive, down to under $300 per eye.

-c

[Richard Riley]

gatt wrote:
> Thank you everybody for your information! Still haven't decided to make the
> jump, but I've yet to hear a real horror story so I'll continue to look into
> it.
>
> Looks like it's getting pretty competitive, down to under $300 per eye.

It's not something I would go bargain shopping for. My opthamologist
has a nice business patching up people that did it on the cheap. If
they're charging less that $1500 an eye, they're cutting corners.

[Matt Whiting]

Richard Riley wrote:

> gatt wrote:
>
>>Thank you everybody for your information! Still haven't decided to make the
>>jump, but I've yet to hear a real horror story so I'll continue to look into
>>it.
>>
>>Looks like it's getting pretty competitive, down to under $300 per eye.
>
>
> It's not something I would go bargain shopping for. My opthamologist
> has a nice business patching up people that did it on the cheap. If
> they're charging less that $1500 an eye, they're cutting corners.

How do you cut corners with LASIK since most of the hard work is
automated? Are there better and worse LASIK machines? I thought all
had to be FDA approved.


Matt

[John T]

Do be careful of the cheap places. I had mine done at a place that was
(at the time) $750 per eye. They are now advertising 299.00 per eye. My
Wife had hers done a couple of years ago, about $1500 per eye. The big
difference is the care!

The place I had mine done did it assembley line style...lots of people
on a given surgery day. Their office as a couple hours drive away, but
they have lots of local reps. Unfortunatelly, the local rep seemed to be
in it for the money. He was very perfunctionary, in and out, and the
piles of literature for sports cars didn't help his image!

My wife, OTOH, had hers done locally, and followup by the same people.
quality care all the way through.

We both have 20/20 vision, so it DID work for both of us. But if I had
to do it again, I go with the better quality care.

John

[Richard Riley]

> How do you cut corners with LASIK since most of the hard work is
> automated? Are there better and worse LASIK machines? I thought all
> had to be FDA approved.

Off the top of my head - don't have a laser tech on staff. Use the
laser tube itself for more than 1000 procedures - it's still within FDA
spec, but not as accurate as it was earlier in it's life. Use a laser
that's 5 years old (same thing). Hire people that graduated at the
bottom of their class, from a foreign med school.

[gatt]

Good to know, John! Thanks.
-c

"John T" > wrote in message
...
> Do be careful of the cheap places. I had mine done at a place that was (at
> the time) $750 per eye. They are now advertising 299.00 per eye. My Wife
> had hers done a couple of years ago, about $1500 per eye. The big
> difference is the care!
>
> The place I had mine done did it assembley line style...lots of people on
> a given surgery day. Their office as a couple hours drive away, but they
> have lots of local reps. Unfortunatelly, the local rep seemed to be in it
> for the money. He was very perfunctionary, in and out, and the piles of
> literature for sports cars didn't help his image!
>
> My wife, OTOH, had hers done locally, and followup by the same people.
> quality care all the way through.
>
> We both have 20/20 vision, so it DID work for both of us. But if I had to
> do it again, I go with the better quality care.
>
> John
>