Refraction Surgery?

[Turbsy]

Hi all,

Currently Im 18 with -1.00 dioptres and 1.75 in my left and right eye respectively.

I realise this is okay and well below the limits for a Class 1 Medical. However I do fear that within the next 2-3 years, I could very well be on the border of the requirments. Im worried that I could be just finishing getting my ATPL,IR, etc and then find that I might fail the visual requirments of the Class 1. If that were to happen I would certainly be looking into getting refractive surgery done.

Has anyone had this done in the past or is going to get it done soon? I see Tiger Woods got laser surgery done to him many years ago and he seems to still able to pick out those greens as good as he did when he was short sighted. Is it best to go to the USA to get it done? Is it expensive, anyone know any web-sites on it, etc?

Basically any advice, tips, info, etc would be really appreciated.

Best wishes,
Turbsy

[This message has been edited by Turbsy (edited 06 May 2001).]

[FireDragon]

Turbsy

Any surgeon worth his salt would not even consider operating on a person until they reach about 23 - 25 years of age. This is because your vision does not 'settle' normally until your mid twenties; any if you had refractive surgery carried out before then, your eyes may change, and you would find yourself having to go through it again.

How long have you been at your current prescription? If you are worried, try preventitive methods, such as the Bates method, not using stronger lenses, etc.. etc.. Do a search - there have been plenty of threads on this topic

FD

[Turbsy]

Thanks for that FD, my current prescription is now 8 months and there has been a slight change since last year, things at a distance are now slightly blurred. It seems every 6-8 months for the last 2 years, there is always a slight change, which means just getting a slightly stronger pair of specs each time.

Do you think I should just stick with my current specs and not use the new stonger lenses - does it really help to do that?

Thanks again for your help, off to search around now on that Bates methond.

Cheers

[Cosmo]

Tubsy,
I've been able to shave off -0.5 dipoters from my prescription in 4 months or so using the advise found here on these pages and other sites on the net. Do a search for Magoo, his posts have good tips on what to do. Mind you, I was at -3.5 + astigmatism but nonetheless changing my visual habits ( mainly when doing close work) has really helped.
The prescription I got just after Christmas feels too strong at the moment which makes me think I might have shaved another -0.5 off.
Great!


Regards
Cosmo

[Turbsy]

Thanks for that Cosmo, sounds great.
Best wishes,

Turbsy