kbarron
Member
Hello all,
I recently went to NAMI for my flight physical and it was determined that I met the pre-op requirements to get corrective eye surgery. Currently I only qualify as an SNFO, but I would like to see if by getting corrective surgery I can qualify for SNA because if possible, that would be my preference.
I was told by the docs at NAMI that I should get a certain form of custom Lasik including laser flap creation. During the eye exam with the flight surgeon he told me Lasik offered an easier recovery time and had less risk of getting scars on your eyes, etc, that would make the surgery ineffective for purposes of qualifying for SNA.
I went to an ophthalmologist in my area (MA, USA) and he told me he does not do Lasik , only PRK. He strongly believes PRK is the superior procedure despite the longer healing time and initial discomfort because it offers less risks overall compared to Lasik. He said the PRK can do the custom/waveform part of the surgery as well, and does not include the complications that come with having a slit cut into your eye even if it is laser created. I mentioned him the issue of potential scarring and he said that because my correction is so light (only -2 diopters) combined with antibiotics I should have 0% chance of getting a scar. He said that with Lasik, the flap never truly 100% heals back into your eye so there is always the risk of physical force or debris dislodging the flap ( I am concerned this may be a possibility during training.)
I am willing to undergo a bit more discomfort in order to reduce the risks of side effects. The civilian eye doctor I went to also says while he has performed 1000's of surgeries, he uses a room at an eye clinic in Boston to do his work and does not actually own the lasers. Any comments on this?
Any comments on what to look for in a good eye doc? Also, any comments from anyone who has done 1 or the other procedure and if you would do it again or make the alternative choice given the option to re-do. From what I understand they both offer the same end result if everything goes well.
I recently went to NAMI for my flight physical and it was determined that I met the pre-op requirements to get corrective eye surgery. Currently I only qualify as an SNFO, but I would like to see if by getting corrective surgery I can qualify for SNA because if possible, that would be my preference.
I was told by the docs at NAMI that I should get a certain form of custom Lasik including laser flap creation. During the eye exam with the flight surgeon he told me Lasik offered an easier recovery time and had less risk of getting scars on your eyes, etc, that would make the surgery ineffective for purposes of qualifying for SNA.
I went to an ophthalmologist in my area (MA, USA) and he told me he does not do Lasik , only PRK. He strongly believes PRK is the superior procedure despite the longer healing time and initial discomfort because it offers less risks overall compared to Lasik. He said the PRK can do the custom/waveform part of the surgery as well, and does not include the complications that come with having a slit cut into your eye even if it is laser created. I mentioned him the issue of potential scarring and he said that because my correction is so light (only -2 diopters) combined with antibiotics I should have 0% chance of getting a scar. He said that with Lasik, the flap never truly 100% heals back into your eye so there is always the risk of physical force or debris dislodging the flap ( I am concerned this may be a possibility during training.)
I am willing to undergo a bit more discomfort in order to reduce the risks of side effects. The civilian eye doctor I went to also says while he has performed 1000's of surgeries, he uses a room at an eye clinic in Boston to do his work and does not actually own the lasers. Any comments on this?
Any comments on what to look for in a good eye doc? Also, any comments from anyone who has done 1 or the other procedure and if you would do it again or make the alternative choice given the option to re-do. From what I understand they both offer the same end result if everything goes well.