Dan flies jumbo jets for a major US carrier, and Sara recently completed her first solo flight.
Our Decision to Have LASIK
It has been a year now since we both made the decision to have Dr. David Wallace perform LASIK on us. As pilots and active individuals, it was the best decision we could have made. Our only regret is not doing it sooner! Prior to having LASIK, our vision was such that we needed corrective lenses for driving, flying, and, like many patients, we couldn’t even see the alarm clock on our bedside table. Going to the beach for diving and swimming was challenging if we wanted to see what we were doing.
After the successful procedures, we considered the best part of having LASIK was not needing to buy glasses or contact lenses and solutions any longer.
We marveled at how easily we could see the bedside clock at night (from our bed we can now see the clock in the other room, too). We have come to realize that LASIK has given us an entire lifestyle change. We are free to go about our normal routines not giving a single thought to contacts or glasses. Activities that before required extra effort because of our need for corrective lenses can now be done on a whim. Diving, swimming, and a weekend camping trip are a breeze now!
As pilots we see the benefits of LASIK a little bit differently than most people. We enjoy clearer, sharper vision than before because we do not need prescription sunglasses or need to worry about our eyes getting dried out and having to carry drops with us. We also don’t have to worry about having contacts rip or break while we’re away from home on a long trip, and certainly we have more room in our luggage because we no longer have to carry all the contact lens accoutrements with us! Sitting on a long flight is much more enjoyable because we no longer have to remove our contact lenses during flight and sit “blind” while the rest of the passengers enjoy the in-flight movie.
The pre-and post-care we received from Dr. David Wallace was second to none. He is a top-notch professional and at no time did we doubt his ability.
Doctor Wallace says:
As pilots, both Dan and Sara have very particular visual needs. Commercial pilots must pass a rigorous flight physical where acuity must be at least 20/20 in each eye in order to fly without correction. Pilots also must possess excellent depth perception and night vision. (I wrote about these issues in an article entitled “LASIK for Pilots” in a recent issue of Plane & Pilot Magazine). Dan did require a small enhancement in one eye at about 10 months after his original care, but his acuity now is 20/15 in one eye and 20/20 in the other. Sara’s vision has remained excellent in both eyes, now almost 18 months since her care.
