I recently had Lasik surgery done to my eyes and decided to write a Pilots Report about it for those curious. To keep this on the proper topic I wanted the procedure to be able to fly my RV-6 without glasses. I am 60 years old, and had perfect vision all my younger life. When I reached 45 or so I started to lose my close up vision, totally normal, ( presbyopia ). I started using glasses for reading when my arm was not long enough to hold the material far enough away. The glasses got stronger and my vision worse. Around 50 years old or so I noticed my distance starting to get bad. Very slight at first, but then worse. At around 55 or so I got a pair of prescription glasses made up. They were progressive lenses with distance at the top and progressively stronger reading glasses at the bottom. I hated them. For distance they were ok but I couldn?t use them for reading. I ended up using my old standby glasses off the shelf for reading and the prescription ones for mainly driving and flying. They were ok for that because I could see the panel and distance with the same glasses. I passed my driving eye exam by the skin of my teeth in 2012, at 60, and my third class medical doctor marked down that I needed to have the glasses with me, not necessarily on. During the day I could drive and fly fine. At night I needed them. My distance was starting to get bad and I wanted to have the Lasik procedure done to make my distance perfect. If I needed glasses for reading that was ok, but I couldn?t stand having to wear glasses all the time. According to my doctor Lasik for distance would work perfectly on me and by correcting my distance vision my close up would also get better. I would probably see the instrument panel fine without glasses. So I decided to have it done. My third class medical doctor, Dr Nattis, did the Lasik procedure at the TLC laser eye center, on Long Island, NY. The cost was $4000.00, payable without interest over a year?s time.
I went in on a Thursday morning to the TLC center. The surgery took less than 15 minutes. I laid down on a table and got my eyes zapped buy two different lasers, for about 45 seconds each. The only thing I felt was slight pressure on my eye when the flap was being cut. This was done with a cup that is pressed down on the eye ball. That is all I felt. It literally lasted 10 seconds or so. The laser to the eye was completely painless. Once done, I got a snazzy pair of goggles and was sent home, with my wife driving, because I couldn?t see anything. Everything was super blurry. They give you a valium because they want you to sleep after the procedure. By the time I got home my eyes were starting to burn, slightly, not too bad, like I got some soap in my eyes. I tried to sleep, and actually did for about two hours. When I woke the burning was already starting to ease up. The procedure was at 8:30 am and by 12:30 pm the burning was gone. I had no feeling of sand in my eyes, which I was told some people get. At 12:30 pm, I could see, but barely. I noted that up close, like one foot, I could see clearly but any distance was completely blurry. I thought, he had made a mistake and burned me to close up vision rather than distance! By the end of the day I could see better but still only close up. One thing I also noticed is any light or bright thing had a halo around it. This I was told was also totally normal and would go away. The next morning I drove to his office to get my post-op check up. Luckily I didn?t have to go too far because driving that morning was a little sketchy. My distance was still pretty bad. I told the Doc that I thought I was seeing too close up and had no distance. He told me it?s day one, wait and let it heal. Then the second day I noticed an improvement in my distance but still worse than my distance was before the procedure. On the third day I felt comfortable driving. My distance was now about the same during the day as it had been before the procedure, the weird thing was at night it was better. Up close I needed no glasses of any kind, and my distance glasses made my vision way worse than without them. All of my collection of glasses was worthless at this point.
Monday and Tuesday I noticed very slight improvements in the distance. I was really starting to get nervous. They told me it could take a week to 10 days for my eyes to be healed and thus my vision the best it would be. Wednesday, I woke and noticed a distinct improvement in my distance vision right away. The TV from across the room was crystal clear, which it had not been up to this point. Once outside I could see better in the distance. I also noticed that up real close, like reading a magazine I had to move it a little farther away than the previous few days. Too close, and it was blurry. Another thing I noticed was when I first woke up in the morning my vision was the best, after being awake for half an hour or so I would notice it getting slightly worse. I was now hopeful I would get the vision I had wanted.
Thursday, one week after the surgery I went in for a checkup again. The doctor told me I would just pass the motor vehicle vision test. Thursday through Saturday showed slight improvements, but on Sunday the distance really got better. Then on Tuesday, 12 days after the procedure my distance vision was much better. I could see all the way out into the distance with almost no blurriness. I was getting excited. If my vision stayed like this I would be happy, I needed no glasses, except for really close up reading, or dim light reading. I could see off into the distance really nice. When I first got the procedure done I could read a license plate at about 20 or 30 ft. Now I could read it out to over 200 ft. I was using the computer, watching TV, driving and ready to fly, all without glasses. My buddy told me he wanted all the glasses I had lying around the hanger. I said maybe.
Two weeks later I went in for another check up. My vision had been getting slightly better for distance. I noticed my left eye seemed to be focused much closer than my right. I could read up close easy with the left eye and distance was better with the right. I told the Doc this and he just said give it time. My vision at this point about three weeks after the procedure was 20/25 in the right eye and 20/60 in the left. He also told me I was ok to fly with that vision.
Now another two weeks, five weeks after the procedure I was in the Doctor?s office again. I had not really noticed much difference in my vision, but when it was tested the right eye was 20/15 and the left was 20/25. As far as I?m concerned it?s perfect. I can see up close very clearly and off in the distance It gets only slightly blurry far away. I use no glasses at all, except if I?m trying to see something tiny up close. I can read, use the computer, drive and fly with excellent vision.
I went in on a Thursday morning to the TLC center. The surgery took less than 15 minutes. I laid down on a table and got my eyes zapped buy two different lasers, for about 45 seconds each. The only thing I felt was slight pressure on my eye when the flap was being cut. This was done with a cup that is pressed down on the eye ball. That is all I felt. It literally lasted 10 seconds or so. The laser to the eye was completely painless. Once done, I got a snazzy pair of goggles and was sent home, with my wife driving, because I couldn?t see anything. Everything was super blurry. They give you a valium because they want you to sleep after the procedure. By the time I got home my eyes were starting to burn, slightly, not too bad, like I got some soap in my eyes. I tried to sleep, and actually did for about two hours. When I woke the burning was already starting to ease up. The procedure was at 8:30 am and by 12:30 pm the burning was gone. I had no feeling of sand in my eyes, which I was told some people get. At 12:30 pm, I could see, but barely. I noted that up close, like one foot, I could see clearly but any distance was completely blurry. I thought, he had made a mistake and burned me to close up vision rather than distance! By the end of the day I could see better but still only close up. One thing I also noticed is any light or bright thing had a halo around it. This I was told was also totally normal and would go away. The next morning I drove to his office to get my post-op check up. Luckily I didn?t have to go too far because driving that morning was a little sketchy. My distance was still pretty bad. I told the Doc that I thought I was seeing too close up and had no distance. He told me it?s day one, wait and let it heal. Then the second day I noticed an improvement in my distance but still worse than my distance was before the procedure. On the third day I felt comfortable driving. My distance was now about the same during the day as it had been before the procedure, the weird thing was at night it was better. Up close I needed no glasses of any kind, and my distance glasses made my vision way worse than without them. All of my collection of glasses was worthless at this point.
Monday and Tuesday I noticed very slight improvements in the distance. I was really starting to get nervous. They told me it could take a week to 10 days for my eyes to be healed and thus my vision the best it would be. Wednesday, I woke and noticed a distinct improvement in my distance vision right away. The TV from across the room was crystal clear, which it had not been up to this point. Once outside I could see better in the distance. I also noticed that up real close, like reading a magazine I had to move it a little farther away than the previous few days. Too close, and it was blurry. Another thing I noticed was when I first woke up in the morning my vision was the best, after being awake for half an hour or so I would notice it getting slightly worse. I was now hopeful I would get the vision I had wanted.
Thursday, one week after the surgery I went in for a checkup again. The doctor told me I would just pass the motor vehicle vision test. Thursday through Saturday showed slight improvements, but on Sunday the distance really got better. Then on Tuesday, 12 days after the procedure my distance vision was much better. I could see all the way out into the distance with almost no blurriness. I was getting excited. If my vision stayed like this I would be happy, I needed no glasses, except for really close up reading, or dim light reading. I could see off into the distance really nice. When I first got the procedure done I could read a license plate at about 20 or 30 ft. Now I could read it out to over 200 ft. I was using the computer, watching TV, driving and ready to fly, all without glasses. My buddy told me he wanted all the glasses I had lying around the hanger. I said maybe.
Two weeks later I went in for another check up. My vision had been getting slightly better for distance. I noticed my left eye seemed to be focused much closer than my right. I could read up close easy with the left eye and distance was better with the right. I told the Doc this and he just said give it time. My vision at this point about three weeks after the procedure was 20/25 in the right eye and 20/60 in the left. He also told me I was ok to fly with that vision.
Now another two weeks, five weeks after the procedure I was in the Doctor?s office again. I had not really noticed much difference in my vision, but when it was tested the right eye was 20/15 and the left was 20/25. As far as I?m concerned it?s perfect. I can see up close very clearly and off in the distance It gets only slightly blurry far away. I use no glasses at all, except if I?m trying to see something tiny up close. I can read, use the computer, drive and fly with excellent vision.
