One of the most important professions where vision is vital is the military. Not surprisingly, a lot of the most respected and rigorous research work into Lasik and PRK has been by armed forces ophthalmologists who try to determine the appropriateness of different kinds of refractive surgery for military personnel.
A lot of the best analysis has been through Navy and Air force pilots. Many individuals in the military would be rejected as pilots based on inadequate vision. Although they may have good vision with contact lenses or glasses, in the intense environment of combat, the contact or glasses wearer is seen to be at a severe disadvantage. As PRK and Lasik continued to advance and develop, eventually the military began to approve the newer methods for their personnel.
Eventually, even NASA approved the use of the advanced blade-free Lasik procedure (iLasik) for use in astronauts. The physical and visual requirements for astronauts are very stringent and many individuals that were otherwise very qualified were previously rejected based on vision only. The zero Gravity and other difficult space related environmental issues made it difficult for people wearing glasses or contact lenses to function decently. Ultimately, there were so many people that wanted the chance to become astronauts that those with the “handicap” of nearsightedness were simply removed from consideration…they were out-competed by their luckier colleagues that were not “blind.”
It took the advances of the blade-free Lasik procedure to win acceptance by the military and NASA for their personnel. This procedure is the same iLasik technique that we have used for quite some time at our surgery center. I have had experience with the older diamond blade RK surgery which didn’t use a laser at all. I’ve also had extensive experience with Lasik from its beginning when it originally used a high speed vibrating razor blade and now to the most advanced stage where the entire Lasik procedure is performed using only lasers with no blades whatsoever. In many ways, the advancement to the blade free iLasik technology is as big a leap forward from old style Lasik as the excimer laser and PRK were over RK. Prior to the development of the excimer laser, refractive surgery was actually somewhat of a small, almost fringe group within the eye surgery community. RK surgeons were a tiny minority while the vast majority of ophthalmologists chose not to be involved with refractive surgery. In general, it was the unpredictability and safety issues of blade based refractive surgery that turned so many surgeons away. It was the availability of the highly precise and very safe excimer laser that spurred the rapid growth within the eye surgery community and it is predicted that within this generation, the majority of comprehensive ophthalmologists will be trained in and perform refractive surgery to some degree. So it is ironic that many Lasik surgeons continue to cling to the old style bladed Lasik rather than embracing the more advanced, precise, and safe blade-free iLasik techniques. Clearly, the US Military and NASA recognize the difference for their personnel and we do so for our patients also. If you are a prospective refractive surgery patient considering Lasik, you should choose to use the highest standard available as well.
About the Author: John D. Suson, MD - www.supereyes.com
Dr. Suson holds a clinical faculty appointment in the Department of Ophthalmology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and is in private practice in Milwaukee, WI. His focus in Ophthalmology is refractive surgery, cataracts, and treatment of glaucoma and diabetes.
Dr. Suson is a preferred refractive surgeon for NewSight Laser Network, a network of over 100 Optometrists in southeastern Wisconsin.
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