Lasik and SCUBA

[bglaess]

I have done a quick Google search and was able to find a little information to shed some light on the subject, however, I am still curious about anyone's personal experience with Lasik and SCUBA diving. I pulled the following quote from DANs website.

DAN | Medical Frequently Asked Questions
Diving After Lasik Surgery
How long should I wait before going back into the water after Lasik surgery and what other effects might there be?
The Lasik laser procedure is performed many thousands of times each year. Risks are reported to be minimal and improvement in vision is said to be considerable. The physician performing the procedure will provide you with recommendations for activity following Lasik surgery. In general, it's suggested that you can return to all of your normal activities without disrupting the healing process in two weeks. However there is no specific data on when it's safe to return to diving, nor has there been any research on the effects of a mask squeeze and the negative pressure it can create on an eye that has had this procedure.
Considering the lack of specific data, in uncomplicated cases, a conservative recommendation would be to wait an extra two weeks to allow the eye extra healing time.

The above article does not hint at the possibility that you would not be able to ever dive again if you undergo Lasik. It says after your eyes are fully recovered you will be able to resume SCUBA diving. Does anyone have a personal experience getting Lasik and then after your recovery resumed SCUBA diving. Were there any complications? Any pain the first dive, or could you not even tell?

For a common point of reference, my diving is generally long duration dives in the 200-300 feet range. If getting Lasik would preclude me from that I wont be getting it.

 

[tbone1004]

I took 4 weeks after my lasik and was doing instructor demos which meant eyes open in a highly chlorinated university pool, then went to about 150ft shortly thereafter with no issues. I had no issues at all and haven't since. Know quite a few guys that have had it that are regularly doing deep trimix stuff as well.

 

[Saboteur]

When I had my corrective surgery I opted for a technique that does not require a corneal epithelial flap. It is possible for those flaps to dislodge, even sometime after surgery. Perhaps consult your ophthalmologist for other procedure options.

 

[Snoweman]

When I had my corrective surgery I opted for a technique that does not require a corneal epithelial flap. It is possible for those flaps to dislodge, even sometime after surgery. Perhaps consult your ophthalmologist for other procedure options.

What procedure did you have done?

 

[boulderjohn]

Mine was about 14 years ago. I think I was told to wait a month then--maybe 6 weeks. Whatever it was, I went diving in Cozumel immediately after that waiting period.

Before that, I was diving with contact lenses, and that prescription gave me pretty good vision--or so I thought. When I did my first dive after LASIK, it was to a familiar reef on the island. Wow! It was like seeing it for the first time! Now, my LASIK was really good--my vision is still a hair better than 20/15--but I suspect that even if you have average results, you will be thrilled.

 

[Zef]

I had PRK done back in 2003. At the time I was an avid whitewater kayaker. I was back in the water 2 weeks after the procedure. I had the surgery performed at the laser vision center at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. The doc who ran the clinic, from what I was told, did some considerable research on PRK and LASIK and decided that for military personnel his recommendation was PRK as because there was always the chance of the flap created during the LASIK procedure could be disrupted, especially by concussive forces such as mortars and grenades. He stated that if the healed flap is disturbed that vision can be adversely and permanently affected.

Not everyone is a candidate for PRK, and those that are not are sometimes candidates for LASIK. Had I been stationed on the west coast such as down in San Diego, I would have had a choice of procedure but in Bethesda, at the time, the only option was PRK.

Other than the flap, the major difference seemed to be how painful the initial recovery period was between the two...for PRK the initial recovery is more painful as the epithelial cells that protect the nerve endings on the surface of the eye have to be scrubbed away so the laser will refract properly. The flap made in LASIK negates the need to scrub away the protective epithelial cells hence less pain/discomfort during initial recovery.

If you are concerned about the affects of diving on LASIK treated eyes then I would recommend looking into PRK if you are a candidate. the epithelial cells grow back rather quickly. For me, I had the procedure done on a Thursday, I stayed in a dark room thursday evening through saturday afternoon. I was able to tolerate a dimly lit restaurant on Saturday evening, and was able to tolerate walking in the shadows of buildings and trees on a bright sunny sunday afternoon in washington DC. By monday afternoon I was cleared to drive back to connecticut where I was stationed at the submarine base...by the end of the following week I was back participating fully in all the activities that I was active in prior to the surgery.

-Z

 

[Saboteur]

What procedure did you have done?

The procedure I had was called Epi-lasik. Very similar to PRK but instead of using a solvent with debridement to remove the epithelium a device (epi-keratome) is used used to slice off the epithelium (not a corneal flap though). I believe it translates into smoother border where the epithelium starts to heal compared to PRK but I can't recall the exact benefit. Both the PRK and epi-lasik have longer healing times and slightly more discomfort than Lasik. I accepted the longer healing time and discomfort to not have the flap risk.

 

[BabyDuck]

i had lasek, which sounds like the description of epi-lasik above - no flap, more painful. i had one done at a time with like 2 weeks between, so my total out of the water time was 6 or 8 weeks. very worth it.

though now at close to 50, i need readers in my mask.

 

[Lobzilla]

...though now at close to 50, i need readers in my mask.

Curious whether anyone had monovision PRK/Lasik done and how that came out.

I currently wear contacts that correct my right, dominant eye for near vision (distance to computer monitor) and the left eye for distance. Normally, the dominant eye is corrected for distance but my brain had no problem with the reverse and this makes more sense for me. Depth gauge/dive computer is on my right, Navi in a car is on the right right, pistol sights are on my right, and so on. Especially for shooting, monovision allows to have both close and far in focus, something even younger eyes could not do.

 

[Saboteur]

i had lasek, which sounds like the description of epi-lasik above - no flap, more painful. i had one done at a time with like 2 weeks between, so my total out of the water time was 6 or 8 weeks. very worth it.

though now at close to 50, i need readers in my mask.

Chances are though you'd need bifocals, or if you had natural 20/20 distance you'd need readers anyway. I have stick on readers in my mask to make the gauges more clear, but on my last dive trip appreciated how well they work as a magnifying glass to see the micro activity and life on the coral.