Saturday, January 12, 2013

What are the eye requirements for becoming a fighter pilot?

Q. I want to join the marine corp. or Navy as a fighter pilot but I don't know what the eye requirements are. my prescription is about -1 in both eyes. Could that prevent me from becoming a fighter pilot? If not which one should I join out of the 2.

A. To enter flight training, a candidate must pass a Flight Class I Flying Physical. To become a pilot, that means the candidates vision can be no worse than 20/70 (correctable with glasses to 20/20) in each eye. To enter Navigator Training, the candidate can have vision no worse than 20/200 in each eye (also must be correctable to 20/20).

After flight school, the standards relax a little. Pilots and Navigators who have already graduated flight training, can remain fliers as long as their vision doesn't deteriorate beyond 20/400 in each eye (correctable to 20/20).

Normal depth perception and color vision is required.

Effective May 21, 2007, applicants who have had LASIK eye surgery are no longer automatically disqualified from flight training.

The Navy and the Marine Corps use the same standards (The Marines do not have their own medical department. They use the Navy for all medical procedures and standards). Navy Pilots must pass a Class I Flying Physical. To become a pilot in the Navy or Marine Corps, an applicant's uncorrected vision can be no worse than 20/40 (correctable to 20/20) in each eye. Once flight training begins, vision can deteriorate to no worse than 20/100 (correctable to 20/20) in each eye. After flight training graduation, if the eyesite deteriorates worse than 20/200 (must be correctable to 20/20), the pilot will require a waiver for carrier operations. If the vision deteriorates past 20/400 (correctable to 20/20), the pilot is restricted to aircraft with dual controls (ie, aircraft with co-pilots).

For Navigators (called "NFOs" or "Navy Flight Officers"), there is no vision requirement to enter flight training. However, the Navigator's vision must be correctable to 20/20 and there are limits on refraction. Refraction must be less than or equal to plus or minus 8.00 sphere in any meridian and less than or equal to minus 3.00 cylinder. No more than 3.50 anisometropia. After flight training, to continue on flight status there is no limit on refraction for NFOs. No waivers are authorized for NFO applicants who exceed these refraction limits.

Normal color vision is required for both NFOs and pilots. Normal depth perception is required for pilots and pilot applicants.

The Navy allows laser eye survery, both for current pilots and NFOs, and for pilot/NFO applicants, if they apply for, and are accepted to participate in the Navy's on-going study about laser eye surgery for aviators.


Can you have Lasik done with an astigmatism? And are both eyes normally done at the same time or separately?
Q. Both of my eyes have the same prescription, and my vision is pretty horrible.
I was told at an early age that I have a very slight astigmatism. But I am able to wear contacts, and it has never actually bothered me in the slightest.

A. LASIK or Refractive Vision Correction surgery is laser surgery that can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. The surgery is perfomed each eye separately, but during the same surgery. No one should have this surgery until they are absolutely sure their vision has stabilized, usually in your early to mid twenties, give or take several years. If you have the surgery prior to total vision stabilization, you will have to have the surgery repeated. LASIK is surgery and has many of the inherent risks of any surgery. Prior to committing to this surgery, you must do your homework and be willing incur the risks and side effects associated with this surgery. LASIK is considered cosmetic surgery, is not covered by health insurance and can be quite expensive. Lasik is irreversible.

Anyone contemplating LASIK surgery must research the procedure thoroughly and ask lots of questions of your surgeon. You must check out your ophthalmic surgeon thoroughly, ensure that you are a good candidate. Prior to committing to Lasik, you must be sure you are willing to incur the risks and side effects associated with Lasik, the least of which is chronic dry eye. Although most people who have had LASIK have satisfactory to excellent results, those that do not suffer irreversible damage including halos, star bursts, night blindness and moderate to severe visual impairment.


What are the long terms side effects of laser eye surgery?
Q. I am interested in having laser eye surgery to correct short sight but I am concerned about the longer term side effects as I get older. I can't find much information about this subject on the web so I would be really interested to find out.

A. The risks outlined below apply to both PRK and LASIK procedures. The chances of having a serious vision-threatening complication are minimal, and there have been no reported cases of blindness following either PRK or LASIK, says James Salz, M.D., clinical professor of ophthalmology. However, FDA is aware of a few instances of severe eye injury requiring corneal transplant.
Infection and delayed healing: There is about a 0.1 percent chance of the cornea becoming infected after PRK, and a somewhat smaller chance after LASIK. Generally, this means added discomfort and a delay in healing, with no long-term effects within a period of four years.

Undercorrection/Overcorrection: It is not possible to predict perfectly how your eye will respond to laser surgery. As a result, you may still need corrective lenses after the procedure to obtain good vision. In some cases, a second procedure can be done to improve the result.

Decrease in Best-Corrected Vision: After refractive surgery, some patients find that their best obtainable vision with corrective lenses is worse than it was before the surgery. This can occur as a result of irregular tissue removal or the development of corneal haze.

Excessive Corneal Haze: Corneal haze occurs as part of the normal healing process after PRK. In most cases, it has little or no effect on the final vision and can only be seen by an eye doctor with a microscope. However, there are some cases of excessive haze that interferes with vision. As with undercorrections, this can often be dealt with by means of an additional laser treatment. The risk of significant haze is much less with LASIK than with PRK.

Regression: In some patients the effect of refractive surgery is gradually lost over several months. This is like an undercorrection, and a re-treatment is often feasible.

Halo Effect: The halo effect is an optical effect that is noticed in dim light. As the pupil enlarges, a second faded image is produced by the untreated peripheral cornea. For some patients who have undergone PRK or LASIK, this effect can interfere with night driving.

Flap Damage or Loss (LASIK only): Instead of creating a hinged flap of tissue on the central cornea, the entire flap could come off. If this were to occur it could be replaced after the laser treatment. However, there is a risk that the flap could be damaged or lost.

Distorted Flap (LASIK only): Irregular healing of the corneal flap could create a distorted corneal shape, resulting in a decrease of best-corrected vision.

Incomplete Procedure: Equipment malfunction may require the procedure to be stopped before completion. This is a more significant factor in LASIK, with its higher degree of complexity, than in PRK.

Problems with a Perfect Procedure: Even when everything goes perfectly, there are effects that might cause some dissatisfaction. Older patients should be aware that they can't have both good distance vision and good near vision in the same eye without corrective lenses. Some myopic patients rely on their myopia (by taking off their glasses, or by wearing a weaker prescription) to allow them to read. Such a patient may need reading glasses after the myopia is surgically corrected. Another consideration is the delay between eye treatments. If one eye is being done at a time, then the eyes may not work well together during the time between treatments. If a contact lens is not tolerated on the unoperated eye, work and driving may be awkward or impossible until the second eye has been treated.


What kind of eye exam is needed to get Lasik Surgery?
Q. Is it the same annual exam or do they have to do a special exam?

A. They really need to do both. A routine eye health exam is important, and then there are other things they look for in a Lasik consult. Ask your eye doctor! You can also learn more from maloneyvision.com

I do not work for Dr. Maloney





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