Is lasik or prk eye surgery legal to qualify in the pilot program for the us air force?Elane
there are some rumors that eye surgery would disqualified students who wants to become a pilot and there are some that says it is OK as long you get a waiver with the ROTC detachment after a whole year from the surgery date. What is the truth? Is there a specific specification on measurements that needs to be done the eyes? If so, where can you get it? Thanks!
Coral
If you are interested in becoming an AF pilot and need PRK to correct your vision, I suggest you start doing your research by going here: http://wantscheck.com/PilotSlotResources… and here: http://www.flyingsquadron.com/forums/After I had PRK surgery I had to receive not only a commissioning waiver (not hard to get), but also a Flying Class I waiver (harder to get). However, as long as you do enough research you should be ok to press. Check out those websites and that should clear up some confusion. Good luck!
Daniela
One of the side effects to this type of surgery is high altitude can cause vision issues. Here is a link explaining some of the effects of LASIK and high altitude. In a nutshell, if you fly a plane you are at high altitude and a high risk if you have this surgery done. http://www.usaeyes.org/lasik/faq/lasik-a…
Carmen
Well, I haven't had it myself personally, but a lot of friends swear by it, and are glad that they got it. My brother got it India through India Health Guru Consultants, and he said it was great Lasik eye surgery helped millions of people to be able to see, without the help of contacts and glasses. It will help you too, but make sure you get the right doctor for the procedure. After the surgery, one feels mild discomfort or pain for a couple of days. The procedure itself is not painful because they give you anaesthetic drops to numb the eye. For the first week, one may have sensitivity to light as blurry vision and dry eyes. All these side effects disappear within a few days and. The process is simple, safe and fast. They are making big improvements in this field, so it's probably worth it if you can afford it and don't need to use your eyes for a few daysfor info, please visit the link http://www.indianhealthguru.com
Bradford
In May 2007, the Air Force started allowing flight school candidates, to have had Lasik or PRK.You still need a waiver.And you must wait at least one year after the surgery to get your initial flight physical for your flight school application.
Dorothy
WARNING!! I have seen online how the Air Force is allowing Lasik for everyone including pilots. The Navy is not so please check with a flight surgeon prior to surgery. I did it in the Navy about 3 years ago and at that time and to my knowledge due to Lasik issues if you wanted to fly, dive, or go into special operations PRK was the only allowed surgery. Please ask questions now so you do not get to your flight physical and told oops the policy is now this or that. I would recommend PRK it has been around longer and if you want to do more dangerous things does not have the concerns LASIK has. LASIK leaves the flap on the eye that in the past might also leave an air bubble that a few years ago would pop destroying the eye in pressures of diving or flying. So again ask questions and make sure you do the right think! This is from the internet but again ask the Flight Medicine People: by Master Sgt. Richard B. Searles, Air Force Surgeon General Public AffairsBOLLING AIR FORCE BASE, D.C. (AFPN) -- The Air Force’s “warfighter” corneal refractive surgery program expanded its services to include laser-in-situ-keratomileuis, or LASIK, for qualified people at its centers.Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Air Force vice chief of staff, approved a memorandum written by Lt. Gen. George “Peach” Taylor Jr., Air Force surgeon general, announcing the immediate start of the expanded program.LASIK and photorefractive keratectomy, a similar surgery already being performed at the centers, are Food and Drug Administration-approved elective procedures designed to reduce the need for corrective lenses.“(Because) glasses and contact lenses may be an operational disadvantage, PRK or LASIK may be performed to enhance performance and safety, and increase the readiness of warfighters by eliminating the need for glasses or contact lenses, ” said Col. David Rhodes, chief physical standards at the Air Force Medical Support Agency.LASIK will be offered to airmen who are not considered aviation and special-duty personnel.“Aviation and special-duty personnel will continue to be covered under a separate surgeon general policy and are currently restricted from undergoing LASIK due to concerns regarding the stability of the corneal flap created during this procedure, ” said Rhodes. “Selected special-duty personnel whose duties are not performed while flying, however, will be eligible for LASIK.“There are general concerns with corneal-flap-related complications of LASIK that go beyond routine clinical issues that are specific to the aviation and operational environment, ” said Rhodes. “There is no corneal flap created with PRK. For this reason, PRK remains the preferred procedure, and expectations are that it will continue to be performed in much greater numbers at the (Warfighter Refractive Surgery Center).”Any person electing to have LASIK performed should be aware of the potential for complications associated with the corneal flap that are not associated with PRK. Rhodes said that although an individual is currently in a career field that is qualified for LASIK, having the procedure would make him or her ineligible to later train into most aviation fields under current policy.Though either surgery may be operationally beneficial for some people, it is an elective procedure. There is no requirement for any airman to obtain either LASIK or PRK. Eligible people may undergo either procedure at any operational refractive surgery center.“Wilford Hall Medical Center and the U.S. Air Force Academy’s center currently have the resources to do LASIK and PRK, ” said Rhodes. “The other centers currently perform PRK and will offer LASIK as soon as resources permit.”Other centers are located at Travis Air Force Base, Calif.; Keesler AFB, Miss.; and Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.Because of the expected high demand for this procedure, patients are assigned an operational priority based on mission requirement. They can have either LASIK or PRK depending on the center capability, the opinion of the surgeon, and patient eligibility based on Air Force specialty code.“The individual’s squadron commander must certify the prioritization category, ” Rhodes said.Rhodes said the commander should consider mission impact when granting permissive temporary duty for these surgical procedures because the patient will not be allowed to deploy for a period of time resulting in temporary duty limitations.”The corneal refractive surgery program was initiated in late 2001 with PRK. Since the program began, more than 6, 000 airmen have had the surgery.Airmen seeking more information on the procedures should contact their installation eye-care professional.AGAIN IF YOU DO THIS STICK WITH PRK!
Adina
Yes, both LASIK and PRK are allowed, however you will need a waiver for them and that is honestly not difficult to get.I will recommend however that you consider PRK over LASIK. PRK does cost more, but remember, you get what you pay for. I had PRK last year and have had no problems whatsoever. I know a few people who have opted for LASIK and have had so many problems (dryness of the eyes, halos, reduced night vision, etc.)The surgeries are very different. In PRK, the laser is used to reshape the cornea by removing layers of skin that cause light to be focused incorrectly. In LASIK however, a "flap" is created that does a similar function. The difference is that while LASIK has a quicker recovery time, the eye takes years - and sometimes never - actually heals from the surgery. Because of this, any severe trauma to the head (getting hit with a baseball, car accident, severe g-force, etc.) can cause the flap to open up, creating serious problems. With PRK though, the recovery time is about a week, and after 6 months when the outer layer of skin on the eyes has healed completely, a regular eye doctor may not even be able to tell that you even had the surgery.Another big difference is the side effects, specifically what the surgery does to your night vision. At night, your pupils dialate to allow more light to enter the eye so that seeing in low light conditions is easier. It is not unusual for yout pupils to dilate to 9mm. LASIK can only treat about 6mm of the eye though, thus redusing your capability to see in the dark. PRK though, can treat the entire eye - as much as the doctor thinks needs to be treated.PRK is more customizable than is LASIK. The LASIK procedure is the same for everyone, even though everyone's eyes are very different. In both LASIK and PRK, the computer is used to map the eye prior to surgery, however only in PRK can the doctor "tweak" what the computer will tell the laser to do based upon your individual needs, like astigmatism.One last item that is a LASIK-deal-breaker for most people, is that LASIK is not permanant. Even after you are done growing, your eyes change. PRK resists most change over time although recipients may expect to get a pair of reading glasses at a younger age. LASIK however, changes drastically over the course of even 5 - 10 years. This is why when you opt for LASIK surgery, the doctor tries to sell you "maintenance packages". LASIK recipients find that after about ten years, they need to go back and have their eyes "touched up".PRK is overall, a much better surgery. People assume that because it takes a week to heal before you can take the contact bandage off, that it is painful. I can assure you that it is not. The doctor will prescribe you a neuro-blocker and percocet as well as numbing, antibiotic, and steroid eye drops. PRK is usually done one eye at a time and you can expect to not drive or do any physically strenuous work a week after it is done. It is a surgical procedure. I was better off than some people, as I had no problem going into class the next day and taking a final exam (even on the meds I got a 90% haha).
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