Eye issues (lazy, surgery, dialation)

[Guest Windchill]

Went up to my clinic to get a better understanding of what the problem is . . . plain and simply put it's LAZY EYE.

Vision is perfect, 20/20 all around except one spot where I'm told it's better at 20/17 . . . not color blind, and have good depth perception.

The only thing holding me back is lazy eye, and I'm told mine is kinda abnormal where most lazy eyes drift right or left, mine drifts up.

Being sent to optemologist for evaluation and for a last opinion as to what can be done to strengthen my eye muscles.

Anyone with similar problems get through it?

I hear it will be easier for me on the civy side and I would love to fly for the airlines, but I have a greater love and devotion to fly for the military (heavies).

[Skitzo]

I was told I have a touch of it in my left eye. This was after getting new glasses and telling my doc that no matter what he did with the strength of the prescription that the images just were not as crisp as my right eye. He said that was because my right eye compensated for my left eye (I have 20/20 out of my right eye and 20/50 out of my left eye). Therefore not as many nerves grew in my left eye.

He said it was very very slight however, I have no symptoms of it, no drifting or moving of the eye without me moving it myself, he said that the only thing that I could do was wear a patch and try to strengthen the eye, so I guess that would be the advice that I would extend to you, it's too bad it wasn't caught very early in life as once you are older its almost impossible to correct with the patch because the nerves are probably done growing, but you could probably get some results.

[Guest laurendenise28]

This might be a bit expensive, but if there is a vision therapist in your area, they might be able to help you learn what exercises you can do that would help. I paid $50/session for 2 sessions and learned what exercises to do to help with depth perception. Good luck.

-Lauren

[Guest TEXASPILOT]

Anybody know the limits for eye pressure for the FC1? In specific, is there a min or low limit to the pressure or just a max? ... Thanks, TP

[Guest EZ206PILOT]

22 is the max. In order to keep it low, get your pressure taken late in the day.

[Guest TEXASPILOT]

Anyone know the lower limits??

[Guest EZ206PILOT]

From what I remember there are no lower limits. From what I have heard the normal limits are in the teens.

[Guest Windchill]

Has anyone on here at UPT/or have gone through UPT have a lazy eye that was waived by the USAF, or know anyone who has?

I got a UPT slot w/ my ANG unit, but a lazy eye found by the optometrist during my Flying Class I physical is holding me up.

I here the USAF waives many things, just wondering if anyone else knows of any specific cases?

[Guest F16PilotMD]

The typical problem with a "lazy eye" is you have no depth perception. You must have binocular vision (both eyes focused on single point) to have depth perception. With a "lazy eye" you do not have both eyes focused at a point. Your brain "ignores" the "lazy" eye so you don't see double. This is not waiverable.

Just having a lazy eye is not DQ (I don't think). Some people have an eye that drifts but when they look at distance, the eyes align. I think you are okay if that is all you have.

Need more details on your specifics to be more helpful.

[Opie]

I'm heading to Brooks this August for my Class I flight physical and i was wondering about getting my eyes dilated. When i was a kid I had my eyes dilated and had a pretty uncomfortable reaction to it, things got real fuzzy and unpleasant for awhile. i took a class III physical at Luke AFB a couple years ago and the flight doc said it wasn't really a big deal. Will that still hold up at Brooks or do i need to tough it out and see what happens? Thanks for your help

[Guest chaw]

You will get a cyclopegic eye exam that includes dialation of the eyes. The Air Force doesn't mess around either, the drops are pretty strong. My eyes stayed dialated for close to 8 hours.

[Chucktown17]

They won't do it unless you bring a driver, also. They'll give you a brief on it when you lock in a date & time.

[Guest WMU-DChi]

I just had mine done on Sunday, it was uncomfortable, but didn't hurt. They say you shouldnt feel any effects after 12 hours, but my eyes were dialated for a day, and light sensative for two. Bring sunglasses.

[Opie]

Im sorry, i wasn't too specific with my question. i meant i had an allergic reaction and blacked out for a sec. so will that be a problem at brooks? Can i get around it? I did for my class III. sorry about the lack of clarity.

[Guest laurendenise28]

I just had my eyes dilated AGAIN for a retest of my sub par vision and before the test, the doc asked if I was allergic to anything. Maybe others have the same reaction you did and that is why he asked me...I know that opens a whole 'nother issue, but hopefully there is more than one kind of drop out there. My first test my eyes stayed dilated for 10+ hours and this most recent one, he said it would only last about 4 hours because it was a different drop and he was right on thankfully. The second time around it was the flight doc at the base I am going to and he was much nicer about everything. I don't know how they will be at Brooks though...

[Guest F16PilotMD]

I can never remember the actual drug they use, but it can and does sometimes have systemic (i.e.: whole body) effects. Typically, that's what occurs when people have "allergic" reactions. Some do, however, have a bone-fide allergy. In either case, I think they can use an alternate drug. Again, I think, it gives them a slightly poorer view in your eye but I'm not sure.

Being allergic to a drug is not a big deal. Don't sweat that and BE HONEST. Drug allergies are no sh*t serious...

[Cappy70]

Speaking of getting your eyes dialated, how exactly does the test work? Do they dialate them so they can look inside and see if you've had surgeries or do they make you read an eye chart? For those who have had it done, if they make you read an eye chart how much does this effect your vision compared to when you were taking the test for visual acuity without being dialted? Does it completely remove your abilty to squint and improve your vision? Any answers would be appreciated, I'm going to Brooks in August too and I'm a little nervous.

[Guest F16PilotMD]

Remember I'm no ophthalmologist but...

Dilating your eyes gives them a better look inside. Rather than looking through your tiny pupil...it's huge and they can see. Also, they check your visual acuity while dilated (cycloplegic eval). Your vision is blurry while dilated...you look through the refraction machine and they determine how much correction you need for 20/20.

That's close, anyway.

[Guest laurendenise28]

And you are correct - you cannot squint when your eyes are dilated. You can sure try, like I did, but to no avail. I think the drops numb the muscles in your eyes so you cannot cheat at that point.

-Lauren

[Cappy70]

Thanks,

I'm worried about my refractive error because it is close to -3.00 in one eye and I know that anything over is non-waiverable.

I guess I feel a little better though because that -3.00 came from a optomotrist who was fitting me for glasses, so I was obviously doing the best I could to tell him what I could see and get a good Rx. At Brooks I will be doing the best I can to score the best I can, meaning if I can read it then I can read it, no matter how blurry it is. I'm thinking it should take it down from -3.00 a little.

Do they take your glasses and measure the Rx? If so I'll bring an older pair I have with a weaker one. Thanks.

[Guest laurendenise28]

Unfortunately I think they measure your refractive error after your eyes are dialated so I don't think it matters overall. I think the best you can see is what you can do without the muscles helping you to squint.

-Lauren

[Guest Alephzayin]

I am in a similar situation. My doc said that I have a lazy eye, but it doesn't look like one. I mean that it doesn't drift. It just does not focus in the distance. I have good depth perception and my eyes have adapted so that one sees better than 20/20 and is used for both close and far, the other is 20/80 and I only use it for reading. I don't know if this is a true lazy eye or not, my dad and I have both had it our whole lives and neither of us wear glasses or anything like that. I'm worried about making it through Nav (Class IA) physical with this, it's the only thing I know of that could hold me back. Does anyone know what this is and if it is waiverable if I can prove that I don't wear glasses and can see just fine?

[Guest navobd]

Windchill

Not sure if what our guy has is a lazy eye but it's very similar. Our unit tried to work a waiver on him because his vision is good but the Air Force won't approve it because they say his condition will worsen (degenerate) over time. Seems like that's what glasses are for. Tons of folks fly with them everyday, but I'm not the expert.

[Guest OldGuy]

I was dq'd for this same thing - like flight doc said, the dq doesn't say "lazy eye" - it says no depth perception and double vision - because with the red and green glasses I see 2, don't have double vision otherwise. So, if you pass the depth perception test and don't fail the red lense test, I wouldn't bring up that your civi doc said you had lazy eye.

I understand that the Navy and perhaps the Air Force are currently doing some study on rated pilots whose binocular depth perception has deteriorated to see how much it affects flight performance. I read a report from the Navy that they thought a pilot could still do his job without full binocular depth perception.

For guys with lazy eye, it's even less of an issue, because, if you never had it, you develop depth perception using other cues. I have never had any problem judging distances - I played baseball in school, can parallel park, thread a needle, operate heavy equipment, and do all the stuff they say you can't do without depth perception.

But the rules are the rules, and I'm out.

[Guest F16PilotMD]

"For guys with lazy eye, it's even less of an issue..."

That's not always correct.

Yes, you adapt to life and can thread a needle. But, you typically cannot pass the USAF depth perception test because you do not have binocular vision.

Everyone knows someone who "made it through the system" with a "lazy eye". So do I. The problem is that "lazy eye" is too general of a term. People use it too much for too many things. In general, it will cause you problems on an IFC-1.