Medical Certificate and Vision

[Rob2k]

I don't have the best eyes, pretty horrible in fact. I used to have asthma problems. I was fairly nervous going to get my medical certificate, but the guy was really nice. I'm suprised that with my eye problems I am healthy enough to fly (using corrective lenses of course) and I am now the proud owner of a class 2 medical certificate!

 

I don't plan on starting school for a few months, but I was just too anxious to find out if I would pass my physical (which I did with flying colors by the way).

 

I guess the only thing left to do is start flight school right, or do I need to get anything else?

 

Also, since I wear contacts... do I need to carry extra contacts with me or just bring my glasses just in case something gets in my eyes? Just curious if anyone else out there wears glasses/contacts.

[PhotoFlyer]

When I started flying I wore contacts, I have since had LASIK. I lost a contact flying while I was working on my private. Fortunately I was with my instructor because I would not have been able to land without both contacts. After that I would always wear glasses if I was flying solo. My eyes were very bad (-6.5 correction in both eyes, 20/150 I believe) so glasses were the only way I could feel safe if I was flying alone. I will say that LASIK is the best chunk of change I have ever spent. It won't last forever, I will eventually need contacts/glasses again, but I am ok with that.

[delorean]

I was 20/650 in each eye and wore glasses for my first few hundred hours. The thought of losing my glasses when I was flying scared the hell out of me. I had LASIK in the summer of 2000. Best money I ever spent. Cost me about $2000 in Toronto ($5000+ here in Missouri at the time.)

 

As soon as my FSA gets all processed for this year, I'm sending my wife up to Windsor (across for Detroit.) $190 an eye and that's pre-tax money so I save an extra 30%. Only $39 for one-way tickets on SWA. It's still $1500/eye here in St. Louis.

 

And before anyone starts questioning LASIK in Canada, it's 100% legit. Canada pioneered the process. They're machines are much further advanced than the ones in the US because of the hold ups with FDA approval. The doc that did my surgury five years ago had zapped over 20,000 eyes; the other guy had done 50,000!! And you don't see a single person wearing glasses in Canada. Having LASIK performed in Canada, is like a sore D; you can't beat it!!!!

[Rob2k]

Well, I'm -9.50 in my left eye and -8.50 in my right. As you can tell, I can't see very well without them. I always thought about getting LASIK in the future, but I'm worried that if some random event happened and I went blind or partly blind in one eye that I would be screwed forever. Have there been any cases of LASIK not working and blinding someone that you've heard of?

 

Glasses are fine, but I don't care too much for wearing them when I don't have to.

Man I'd love to have -6.50 in both eyes! Haha.

[PhotoFlyer]

Once you get past -5 it doesnt really matter, you can't see no matter what. There are cases of LASIK not working, and people going blind. I asked my doctor about it, he said that he has done the procedure over 20,000 times and has only had major complications twice. They don't use a knife to make the flap any more, it's a laser now, so the number of complications has dropped dramatically.

 

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/lasik/

 

http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/

 

http://www.lasikinstitute.org/

 

http://www.asklasikdocs.com/

 

Those are some of the pages in my favorites, do a lot of research, and if you get it done be ready for your life to change. Its great waking up in the morning, opening my eyes, and being able to see my fiance clearly.

Edited January 6, 2006 by PhotoFlyer