LASIK eye surgery and 3rd class medical

Transport Canada requires a three month period, after the cessation of
medicated drops (required for about a week after the surgery), and then
a re-test, before allowing PIC duties. I don't believe the same exists
in the US (several postings here already detailing requirements).

I had both eyes done in January. Love the freedom, but the three
months was a drag. Was training at the time, so managed to do lot's of
my dual time in the intervening months (which is why I did the surgery
then and didn't wait for post licensing). Solo was a long time coming
because of it though.


John T wrote:
I had my surgery in 2001. I went for my 1st 3rd class in 2002, about 18
months later.

FAA sent me a 2 page form for my opth (I can't spell it...) to fill out.
Unfortunately at the time, I didn't know better, and trusted the doctor
to send it in. Now that I'm nearing my check ride, I find out about
this, so they sent me another copy of the form, I go to a different
doctor and I send in the forms myself. FAA said no problem.

I think there is also the possibility you might have to wait 6 months
after the surgery??? I seem to recall something about that.

It doesn't stop you from flying though. You can fly, just not as PIC.

John

Dave S wrote:

There is another change that occurs in they eye as you reach middle and
older age: The lens of the eye becomes stiffer and less flexible. This
affects the eye's ability to "accomodate" or focus on items at different
distances.

My opthamalogist told me that there's a new procedure coming along that will
also take care of this. He says it will cost about the same as LASIK. Come to
think out it, his office should start offering it about now. I need to check
into it a bit more.

George Patterson
Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a person to
use the Internet and he won't bother you for weeks.

I had it and have no problems.
As long as you pass the vision tests.

There are possible side-effects, especially with night vision.
I have some "unsharp edge" in low light conditions, but
am still able to pass the vision test.
I'm 20/20, but in low-light, I'm still 20/20, but with
some little things due to the surgery.

Now - if you're able to pass the regular light condition
vision exam, but not night vision, you could have
a restriction to daytime VFR conditions only.
You cold still even get the PP ticket, but no night flying.
Otherwise, you'd have to go Sport Pilot, which doesn't
have anything more than the Drivers License vision exam.

Gary

"Gary G" wrote in message
...
I had it and have no problems.
As long as you pass the vision tests.

There are possible side-effects, especially with night vision.
I have some "unsharp edge" in low light conditions, but
am still able to pass the vision test.
I'm 20/20, but in low-light, I'm still 20/20, but with
some little things due to the surgery.

Now - if you're able to pass the regular light condition
vision exam, but not night vision, you could have
a restriction to daytime VFR conditions only.
You cold still even get the PP ticket, but no night flying.
Otherwise, you'd have to go Sport Pilot, which doesn't
have anything more than the Drivers License vision exam.

Gary

And your still limited to Day VFR

George Patterson wrote:
Dave S wrote:


There is another change that occurs in they eye as you reach middle
and older age: The lens of the eye becomes stiffer and less flexible.
This affects the eye's ability to "accomodate" or focus on items at
different distances.


My opthamalogist told me that there's a new procedure coming along that
will also take care of this. He says it will cost about the same as
LASIK. Come to think out it, his office should start offering it about
now. I need to check into it a bit more.

The doc that was manning the optical society (or whatever it's called) booth at
Oshkosh mentioned this possibility, also. I think it involves implantation of an
artificial lens? ... or am I thinking of something else?

My LASIK story:
I was in the -4.0 to -4.5 range in both eyes and had them both done about 6
years ago. I was already presbyopic and using reading glasses. I had both eyes
adjusted for distant vision.

From my perspective it was hugely successful and worth it. It freed me from
wearing glasses or contact lenses for a lot of activities. I particularly liked
being able to walk in the rain without looking through wet glasses, and being
able to do sports without glasses.

I still needed reading glasses, but I knew to expect that going in. I had
slightly more coma. I think that's what it's called - bright lines appearing to
pass through a point source of light at night. I had some coma before, and I
quickly accommodated to the change and it was not troublesome.

Now, 6 years later, I am back to wearing glasses for driving and flying, and
increasingly for other activities as well. One eye has drifted significantly
back toward myopia, so I have a sort of accidental monovision (one eye is
optimized for distant vision, and the other for close-up). The monovision
actually has some advantages. When I wear my bifocals, I have good vision in
both eyes both distant and close-up.

Subjectively, I possibly have slightly less acuity corrected now than I did
corrected before the surgery, but I'm not sure. Anyway I have adequate acuity
and can get along without corrective lenses for a lot of activities, which is good.

The reason one eye has drifted back toward myopia, I'm told, is that I have an
incipient cataract in that eye. No prediction about how fast it will develop.

Dave

Right.

I had to have a recent eye exam (within past year)
from Opthamologist (not optometrist).
There is a standard Eye Exam form that the FAA
uses and requires.

Quite fortuitously, my Opthamologist happened
to be a former flight surgeon and was quite familiar
with the form.

There is a specific form - yes.
It cost me no extra than a "routine eye exam" with
my opthamologist.

But it is "more than typical".

Just saw a short segment on the new type surgery, its called EPI-LASIK.
They qouted about $5600.00 on the show. Do a google and see what else
can be found