Class 1 and laser surgery

[mackey]

For anyone who is interested, I had LASIK (laser) eye surgery in December 2001, to correct my eyesight for myopia (short sight)and astigmatism.
I went for my initial Class 1 medical in April 2002 and passed everything, but the optometrist said I would have to wait for December 2002 before he could say whether or not my eyes were any good for the Class 1.
I went back on the 12th December 2002 for the re-test of my eyes and after 5 or 6 tests he said my prescription was better than it was in April 2002 and so the Class 1 medical was mine!!, which is quite lucky, because I've just taken my first lot of ATPL exams!!!!!:)

[expedite_climb]

Thats interesting, I was under the impression that it still wasnt allowed at all for astigmatism. Have the rules changed ?

[PA28-161]

Hey, can I ask you, does the procedure require actual surgical incisions or just the wielding of the laser?
Cheers

[rahaney]

Hey mackey,

I'm a wannabee and have been looking into the LASIK eye treatment as a possibility to correct my eyes. THey are currently within the new regs. but what were your stats before your op and after? How was it? Did it hurt? What are the results? etc.

Hit me back,

cheers

rahaney

:)

[mackey]

Hi guys, sorry i've not been back sooner but you know how it is!!!!.
Firstly,i'm not sure about the regs but the caa knew about my astigmetism,so it was up to them to pass me or not!!But I have now got my Class 1 medical with no restrictions on it .
My stats were Right eye:-3.00/-2.00x170 ,Left eye:-2.75/-1.75x12 not sure about my stats now but I can read the bottom line of the chart eyes unaided and eyes together so I think its pretty good!!
The proceedure I had was to create a flap on the cornea fold it back and then to do the lasering on the cut surface,then once the area had been cleaned,the flap was folded back down.The whole proceedure for both eyes took about 30 mins from start to finish.
This way when the eye blinks,it does not rub on any raw areas and hence not much pain at all.The only discomfort I had was the evening after the proceedure,my eyes were abit stingy but I had to put drops in every hour up until I went to bed.
But the next day, when I looked out of the window,it was as if I had my contact lenses in and there was no pain at all.The results of my eye surgery is excellent I would definitly recommend it to anyone.
I would advise anybody seeking to have this proceedure done to do lots of research on the subject like I did and also check your prescription with your optician,because there are limits to having it done.The place I went to was Ultralase in Hammersmith in London.

Hope this can give of some help.

mackey

[Andi]

hi mackey,
short question.did u have any trouble during nighttime (dusk/dawn) on rainy days driving ur car or flying?.mean regarding "fading"
lights ,blurred vision or any other trouble.last time i read about this topic the guys had some trouble.have to admit it was about 2 years ago. know that everybody reacts different,but if you could reply ...please.
PS.did part of my training in Bournemouth.nice place there.always love to come back.
cheers,andi:p

[rmenzies]

I very nearly went for LASIK surgery. I decided against as my pupils were slightly too large for the machine they had (my pupil surface area was slightly larger than the area that particular machine could operate over). If there was dim lighting this would have been a problem with halo's at night etc. The surgeon was very good and advised that if I really wanted to still get it done I could but halo's may be a problem. Or he advised that I go elsewhere where there was a machine that could laser a larger area. From what I have read though some surgeons would not have been this honest with people and carried on regardless. So beware. I am still contemplating going to Manchester where they have a machine that can operate on a larger pupil area.

[Footsie]

I had LASIK in April 2001 done at Ultralase in Chester.

The results have been superb - 6/5 vision and no haze, halos or any other side effects. The op is pain free if a little uncomfortable. I had haze for a couple of days but when that cleared my vision was better than I'd ever remembered it, much better than glasses and better than contacts. But the best bit is just being able to muck around with the kids, go swimming, play sports, wear cheap sunglasses etc. It's amazing how quickly you take it for granted.

I went for my Class 1 last Thursday 9 Jan, and received my certificate today. No endorsements - just a clean certificate! I was -3.75 when I had LASIK in each eye.

I did struggle with the peripheral contrast test - the grey 'C' characters on a grey background, but whether this is due to LASIK I don't know. Anyway the optometrist was happy enough to give me a pass.

For me, having LASIK was the best thing I've ever spent money on, although I'm just about to pay for a PPL so may revise that comment in a few months.

All of that said, if I'd been a commercial pilot back in April 2001 there's no way I'd have taken the risk, not if my whole livelihood depended on my eyes.

[A320_wannabe]

Hello i need to know whether or not i need LASIK as i can't read anything at a distance i can however read anything within say 1-4 meters unaided no contact lenses or anything. Does the class 1 certificate require 20/20 vision or are you allowed glasses/contacts if not then LASIK is my only option to flying the A320 in the future.

[mackey]

A320-wannabe,

You will have to ring the CAA and ask them what the exact visual requirements are.They are the only people that can help you in deciding what the best course of action is.

Firstly go to your opticians and have an eye test,this will give you information for the caa. Ask them about laser surgery, ( you might not need it at all!!), don't tell them that you might have it done, just get information.

If you do decide to have any sort of operation on your eyes, you will have to have a years down time before they will give you a Class 1 medical !!,but you can fly on a Class 2 med.

Just give them a ring!!

Good luck

Mackey

[A320_wannabe]

Ok thanks i will ring them soon i think my eyes will be good enough to fly with a Class 1 medical.

[Kestrel_909]

Say I get pass my Class 1 medical at 25, eyes pass just about and next time when I get it renewed, my eyes have dropped below stanards, do you fail to get a medical and therefore get kicked from an airline?