PRK Laser Eye Surgery

[rredman 0]

I am in the process of getting my Class 3 medical done so I can take the Tandem rating course and had an interesting question come up. Six months ago I had corrective laser eye surgery and they have a procedure called "Mono Vision" where they under-correct one eye. Well, here in Canada to pass the class 3 medical you need 20-20 vision with both eyes (I have that) and no worse than 20-40 in one eye. Well, this surgery has given me 20-70 in one eye (so I can read without glasses) and 20-20 in the other. I am wondering if anyone out there has had this procedure done, and how it affected the class 3 medical? I haven't heard back from Transport Canada yet, but I am curious to know if anyone in Canada has tried to put this through, of if anyone in the States has tried through the FAA?

Blue ones,
Ross

[billeisele 122]

i'm a tandem I and have add PRK on one eye, so I have monovision, it took a couple of weeks for the brain to figure it out but I have no trouble driving, skydiving, spotting, etc.

this is a lot better than wearing contacts in both eyes and loosing them when the passenger knocks your goggles off - Houston we have a problem - Uh which way is the DZ

not exactly a legal recommendation but you could take the test wearing one contact in order to have 20-20 in both eyes

Give one city to the thugs so they can all live together. I vote for Chicago where they have strict gun laws.

[riggerrob 558]

Not sure about Transport Canada's policy, but the FAA developed a bad attitude towards pilots who wear different contact lenses (i.e. one for reading and the other for distance vision) after they had to clean up a messy accident scene.
Two different prescriptions can mess up your depth perception just as you start to flare.

[peregrinerose 0]

Monovision is crappy for depth perception, particularly night driving. Not the best idea for skydiving either.

I ditto what was said in another post... get fitted with a contact lens for the near eye so that you can see 20/20 with it. Wear it for jumping.

You may want to consider a one day contact... wear it for a day and toss it. Most economical option for part time contact lens wearers and saftest/healthiest option for a post-refractive surgery eye.

Jen (eye doc)

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[rredman 0]

Thanks for the input.. I have been jumping since the procedure was done 6 months ago and have had no trouble with landing/timing of flare etc. If anything my vision seems better than it was wearing contacts.

I will let you know what Transport Canada comes back with.

Ross