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The Eyes have it - All things Vision-related
- Thread starter stealthspy1
- Start date
Strabismus is just an umbrella term that optometrists use that covers all forms of tropia and phoria. Before you do anything else, you need to figure out if it's a phoria (not DQ, within limits) or a tropia (DQ). Regardless, you'll be subjected to a cover test during your flight phsyical, and any form of tropia, mild or not, will get you disqualified. You should get a randot depth perception test done to verify if you can pass or not prior to going to MEPS, it's usually the first indication. Go through MEPS and make them tell you no.
thank you, I have another appointment with my optometrist soon, so I'll ask about doing that specific depth perception test. I did one recently, but it can't hurt to be as thorough as possible. For what it's worth, my optometrist couldn't detect my lazy eye using the cover-uncover test, and I don't have any visible misalignment. Thank you for the help, I'll take your last line to heart!
Randomranger900
New Member
Is it worth it to get laser eye surgery just to have a chance of becoming a pilot or joining special operations? The chance of something going wrong during the procedure is pretty high, and no one cares about you if you go blind or have chronic blurry vision afterwards. Most people have to wear glasses again when they get older, so I just don't see how the possible benefits of the procedure are worth it.
Most people need reading glasses when they're older because they develop presbyopia. Every human on the planet develops it as they age. It has nothing to do with fixing what I'd assume is myopia. They're two different problems in two different parts of the eye, with two different effects on your vision. If you elected to receive laser eye surgery, you wouldn't notice any serious changes in your distance correction until you're geriatric and developing cataracts. Though you would have to wear readers when you eventually develop presbyopia, as opposed to just taking off your glasses.
If you look up the stats, the surgery is extremely safe.
As 1234 said, people age. Also, regression is not uncommon as the surgery ages, it’s common with astigmatism corrections.
Speaking on a personal basis, I know a couple of people who got LASIK/PRK just to become military pilots. And “something” happened to them along the way and are no longer military pilots. The surgery is life changing, and I haven’t heard of someone regretting it.
Concur but just so we don't scare him off, regression from the laser surgery itself only happens during the healing process (which ranges from 6-12 months post-surgery). A good ophthalmologist will offer both post-surgery care to monitor the eyes as well as a free "clean-up" procedure in the event that regression occurs. There are scenarios where Myopia can continue to develop, young adults especially with high myopia should be aware of this as they are most susceptible, but it's best to think of laser surgery as zeroing your vision, it never actually 'ages', you do. For example, I was a -6.5 before I elected to undergo the procedure. In the event my eyes shift further as I age, my 'prescription' would now be between -0.25-0.5 (20/30 vision), rather than -6.75-7.0 (20/700).