I was recently looking into the KAMRA procedure to fix my reading problem. Then I came across some posts that discourage it as it causes one to see halos in night so particularly bad for pilots. I was wondering if anyone else here has done that that what was his or her experience about it? What are the regulations on this as well?
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1$\begingroup$ related: aviation.stackexchange.com/q/16587/1467 $\endgroup$– FedericoJan 10, 2016 at 14:13
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1$\begingroup$ Welcome to aviation.SE! Please always mention which regulations you're asking about: FAA, EASA or something else. $\endgroup$– PondlifeJan 10, 2016 at 16:28
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$\begingroup$ I had Kamra surgery about 4 years ago. In the beginning, there were some issues with halos and blurred night vision. After a few months, those issues disappeared. I now have excellent vision and only use reading glasses in low light conditions. It is so refreshing to read an email on my phone without having to find my glasses! $\endgroup$– GregOct 13, 2019 at 18:17
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2 Answers
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I'm not clear if you are asking about LASIK or KAMRA, the former is accepted by the FAA, while there is no explicit mention of the latter procedure.
The procedure site itself mentions halos as one of the side effects of the procedure:
The KAMRA inlay procedure may cause blurred vision, difficulties with contrast sensitivity, problems with night vision, double vision, ghost images, glare, halos, and color disturbances.
In general, people with such adverse effects and complications are not allowed to serve as airmen:
The FAA expects that airmen will not resume airman duties until ... there are no significant adverse effects or complications (such as halos, rings, haze, impaired night vision and glare), ... and reviewed by an Examiner or AMCD.
The medical certificate for a person who had undergone such procedures is contingent upon the absense of any side effects affecting vision:
An applicant treated with a refractive procedure may be issued a medical certificate by the Examiner if ... the applicant does not suffer sequela such as; glare intolerance, halos, rings, impaired night vision, or any other complications
It would be better if you consult a doctor to find out if the procedure is suitable for you and possibility of side effects.
answered Jan 10, 2016 at 15:57
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Another problem can be pressure that can have effect on the eye. In the event of rapid decompression it's possible to lose vision. There a lot different opinions about this. Probably also depends on the particular case. If you watched movie Into Thin Air: Death on Everest about 1996 disaster one of the climbers got blind due to lasik.
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$\begingroup$ I was about to add the Everest event as a comment and then saw your answer. The book / written account is good as it contains the sort of detail that is liable to get missed in a movie. Title was "Into thin air" AFAIR. $\endgroup$ Jan 11, 2016 at 12:26
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$\begingroup$ @RussellMcMahon, you seem to remember correctly (I'll just edit wikipedia links into the answer). $\endgroup$ Jan 13, 2016 at 6:19