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Medical Forum / General / Vision / May 2005About LASIK...
Hi, I am wondering if I can get my wife LASIK in the Army, I assume there would be awaiting list, but I have a few questions about it, what are the minimum and maximum refraction error limits to be a candidate for LASIK? Age requirements? Thank You.  SignaturePV2 Yasar, M U.S. ARMY AH-64D "Armt Dawg" A Co/602d ASB/2ID/EUSA - South Korea No hard and fast rules, but I'd say the refraction should be between -3.00 and -8.00. And the age should be between 19 and 35. Astigmatism can be between -0.25 and -5.00. w.stacy, o.d. > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Thank You. > No hard and fast rules, but I'd say the refraction should be between > -3.00 and -8.00. And the age should be between 19 and 35. Astigmatism > can be between -0.25 and -5.00. > > w.stacy, o.d. Interesting, when I did a websearch about the Army's program, it also showed info about applicants hoping to get a medical waiver to go into flight program, after LASIK done with the Army of course, since the limits for nearsightedness is -1.50 in the Army and LASIK starts about -3.00 if what you say apply to the Army also, the applicants in this refraction error bracket are pretty much out of luck, won't you say? SignaturePV2 Yasar, M U.S. ARMY AH-64D "Armt Dawg" A Co/602d ASB/2ID/EUSA - South Korea OK I was pretty much talking about the general public. If you need to correct around -1.50, you would easily find lasik surgeons who would do it. I don't recommend it, but if you have to correct a small refractive error, go for it. Or consider other alternatives, like ortho k, otis, and the rest... w.stacy, o.d. >> No hard and fast rules, but I'd say the refraction should be between >> -3.00 and -8.00. And the age should be between 19 and 35. Astigmatism [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > -3.00 if what you say apply to the Army also, the applicants in this > refraction error bracket are pretty much out of luck, won't you say? > OK I was pretty much talking about the general public. If you need to > correct around -1.50, you would easily find lasik surgeons who would [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > w.stacy, o.d. I understand, it is not for me though, my refraction error is probably too small for LASIK at -0.50... SignaturePV2 Yasar, M U.S. ARMY AH-64D "Armt Dawg" A Co/602d ASB/2ID/EUSA - South Korea LASIK is okay for some branches of the military, but not all. As an example, fighter pilots can have PRK, but not LASIK. There are restrictions on Rangers last time I heard. Before having LASIK, consider the career path and verify with the CO (in writing) that surgery is okay and will not limit future opportunities. The military has contracted with some very well respected surgeons to provide refractive surgery, but I highly recommend using our 50 Tough Questions For Your Doctor to evaluate any surgeon. Glenn Hagele Executive Director USAEyes.org "Consider and Choose With Confidence" Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org http://www.USAEyes.org http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org I am not a doctor. > LASIK is okay for some branches of the military, but not all. As an > example, fighter pilots can have PRK, but not LASIK. There are > restrictions on Rangers last time I heard. > Army would pay for my wife's laser surgery but I figure there is a long waiting list. For soldiers, we can LASIK because we are not exposed to high G / high performance flying conditions, that is why helicopter pilots can get LASIK. SignaturePV2 Yasar, M U.S. ARMY AH-64D "Armt Dawg" A Co/602d ASB/2ID/EUSA - South Korea LASIK is probably a good option for infantry, where eyeglasses and contact lenses might be difficult to wear and maintain, and where night vision isn't critical. In the U.S., lasers have a specific indicated range of from about -1.00 up to -10.00 and up to -5.00 astigmatism, depending on the thickness of the cornea. Of course, the risk of side-effects goes up dramatically in the higher prescriptions. Wavefront is only approved for up to -7 sphere and -0.50 astigmatism, which can be viewed as a fairly conservative range for a good result. Retreatments are limited to -0.50 diopters or more. Also, LASIK is not a cure for anything, but a treatment, just like eyeglasses and contact lenses, which means that it is only as good for as long as your eyes are stable. If somebody with a refractive error of -0.50 comes to me and asks for contact lenses, I will try to talk them out of it, because I know that prescription is too low. The same goes for LASIK. It's just not precise enough, and the signal-to-noise ratio may be too low for errors that small. You can find out the U.S. approved ranges on the FDA website. Just Google for FDA and LASIK and you will find a table of approved lasers, with PDF files on all of them. DrG Dear DrG, Since you mentioned about night vision and vision being stable here is a few questions, my mother-in-law had LASIK years back and today she wears glasses for night vision, why is this? And some of the websites on LASIK mentions that patients has to have stable myopia, not progressing, how do they determine that a person is not progressing? >If somebody with a refractive error of -0.50 comes to me and asks for >contact lenses, I will try to talk them out of it, because I know that >prescription is too low. That is me, last detailed exam 2 years ago revealed I was -.25 left and -.50 right. Now how is this range can be preserved, how can I be sure it won't progress? >The same goes for LASIK. It's just not >precise enough, and the signal-to-noise ratio may be too low for errors >that small. You can find out the U.S. approved ranges on the FDA >website. Just Google for FDA and LASIK and you will find a table of >approved lasers, with PDF files on all of them. > Thanks for the info... SignaturePV2 Yasar, M U.S. ARMY AH-64D "Armt Dawg" A Co/602d ASB/2ID/EUSA - South Korea > Dear DrG, > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > mentions that patients has to have stable myopia, not progressing, how > do they determine that a person is not progressing? The reason she wears glasses for night vision is because she was left with some amount of residual, or induced refractive error, which tends to make the vision worse at night than during the day. Night vision problems resulting from LASIK can be of another kind, which is called spherical aberration, which is caused by the optical zone being smaller than the pupil. This type of problem is worse for patients with larger prescriptions and larger pupils. Eyeglasses will not correct it. Stability of myopia is a requirement imposed by the U.S. F.D.A., and is basically no more than 0.50 diopters of change in the last 12 months in lower prescriptions, and 0.75 diopters for higher prescriptions. > >If somebody with a refractive error of -0.50 comes to me and asks for > >contact lenses, I will try to talk them out of it, because I know that [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > -.50 right. Now how is this range can be preserved, how can I be sure it > won't progress? Staying off the computer would be one way. DrG >Staying off the computer would be one way. > >DrG > Yea Ok, I will do that... SignaturePV2 Yasar, M U.S. ARMY AH-64D "Armt Dawg" A Co/602d ASB/2ID/EUSA - South Korea |
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