Lasers in your eyes

[Zulu]

At my Class 1 medical renewal last week, my AME told me the rules would shortly be changing w.r.t. LASIK (corrective eye surgery).
Currently, you lose your medical automatically for a year. The AME said the CAA would be moving towards the FAA system of re-validation within about six weeks (actually I think it is even quicker in the States)
I called the CAA medical division to speak to a rather bemused opthalmologist who had heard nothing about this, and suggested I keep an eye (!) on their website.
Anyone heard anything about this?

[Arkroyal]

Zulu

Very interesting. Our company's take on this at the moment is that due to the requirement that you would forfeit your license for a year, and that this procedure is 'cosmetic' (?) we are not allowed to have it.

I have my Class one tomorrow, and will ask my AME what he knows.

Personally, I'd like to have the job done. I find that being discriminated against because of my job annoying at best. It is most certainly not 'cosmetic', although I can understand the company being unwiklling to give a year off to regain the license.

A few weeks on the other hand....

I reckon the benefits in not having cumbersome spectacles on the flight deck would be useful.

[Meeb]

Arkroyal, care to divulge what your AME had to say?

Also, I believe there is a JAR Medical sub-committee meeting next month, so maybe this has a bearing on things..?

[Pace]

Before you consider straight laser treatment

There is a new method pioneered by the Moorfield eye Hospital in London which has equiptment which maps out your eye with the absolute precision so that an exact replica is created.

This is then computer adjusted to perfection and will not only give you good eyesight but superman/woman eyesight of 20+ 20+
They took a woman who wore pebble glasses and gave her 20+ 20+.

The old way is like using a bulldoser to model your garden.

There is talk of using this to give fighter pilots with good vision Super Vision.

Anyone know any more about this new breahthough?

Pace

[rahaney]

Hey all.

I like the sound of the new surgery . Is that what Branson had too give him 20+ 20+ vision earlier this year?

Anyway I read in the summer last year in International Flight Training News that basically everyone was going to change to one rule: as long as your eyes can be corrected by glasses or contacts you can get any licence you want.

This was on their front page - not sure if reliable source but has anyone got any ideas or heard anything. For laser eye surgery what is the percentage on a successful op nowadays.

As you can tell my eyes on borderline for class 1 at the mo - am a bit :(

[amirfl]

Hi folks!

KEEP AWAY FROM EYE SURGERIES OF ANY KIND!!!!!

there's a much safer, better, and natural way to gain back your eyesight, the Bates method.

for more information search this forum for:
"bates"
"natural vision improvement"
"eye exercises"

web sites: www.visioneducators.com (http://www.visioneducators.com) www.visioneducators.org (http://www.visioneducators.org) www.mindandsight.com (http://www.mindandsight.com) www.i-see.org (http://www.i-see.org) www.seeing.org (http://www.seeing.org)

I lowered my prescription in 1.5 diopter and plan to make it to perfect eyesight in a few months.

good luck!

[Hornetboy]

Bates requires you to start by ridding yourself of corrective lenses. For those who have to worry about passing the next Class 1, the refractive error is obviously extensive enough to dictate the necessity to keep on lenses....especially as fliers. Besides, Bates takes up a helluva lot of time and that's not what many of us have.

Of course it's worth a shot. My eyesight improved slightly when I first started the "exercises", but since then it's been a bit of a lost cause.

[RickPhucked]

It sounds kinda wierd like those herbal remidies, but i will try it. So seriously, seriously before i make a fool of myself does this work, cos i will give it a shot, it cant harm me, apart from making me bump into walls, (i gotta -1.5 at mo)

[amirfl]

Although it is highly recommended to get rid of the glasses to be successful with the Bates method, you can and should use glasses when they are neccesary(driving, flying, dating..).
I keep two pairs of glasses. The first compensates for 20/20 (6/6) vision, which I use only when I must have sharp vision. The other one,which I use daily is 0.75 less then the first one. Also I try going as much as possible without lenses at all. when I start seeing close to 20/20 with the weak glasses I go to the optometrist and make another decrease in my prescription. so far I have done this 3 times.
try reading very small print and far print every day, without glasses. It is important that your eyes will be relaxed. do not -try- to see the letters. if you can't see them, give up for the time and stop straining!
Do relaxation techniques as palming, sunning, shifting etc.(you can find more on these methods on the web sites I linked to in the previous message)

I recommend you learn as much as possible about the Bates method before trying it. many people "tried" the Bates method predicated on disinformation from the web, failed and spread that it doesn't work. There are very good books on the subject , I read "relearning to see" by Thomas Q. and recommend it but if you get into Amazon you can find lot's more.

[amirfl]

The problem with surgeries, glasses and lenses is that it treats the symptom and not the cause. the problem with your eyes is the shape of the eyeball, and not the shape of the cornea. Although changing the shape of the cornea at the right amount and shape, improves sharpness of sight, no one promises that your number won't change after the procedure, and you'll need a new surgery. in most cases this is what happens.

Bates has many benefits since it helps the body heel itself. There is no irreversable damage that is caused to the eye structure, unlike medical procedures. vision improves in many ways other then only a more sharp vision(color preception, depth preception, better concentration and awareness)
In my opinion surgeries and dangerous medical procedures such as the new one you just described should be avoided in any cause. U should take them only if there is no other choice(and there is).

PS
I'm not a doctor nor a Bates teacher. Be responsible for your own actions. learn as much as possible before attempting anything.

[rwayre]

I went for a first consultation with a Bates practioner last week and if you plan to try Bates I recommend that you do the same. You can find a list of qualified practioners at www.seeing.org. (http://www.seeing.org.) I'm outside of the revised inital class 1 limits at the moment (which also precludes corrective surgery) so basically old Batesy is my last hope of flying whirly-birds without emigrating to the USofA.

[scanscanscan]

Emigrate.... Mate, flying is more simple cheaper and more possible under the FAA than the UK Caa.