Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in the military aviator: an aeromedical perspective

Refractive surgery to visually rehabilitate refractive errors of the eye continues to evolve at a significant pace and is here to stay. The surgical manipulation of the cornea by carefully planned incisions, as in radial keratotomy, represented the first procedure to evolve for the correction of ame...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAviation, space, and environmental medicine Vol. 67; no. 8; p. 770
Main Authors Ivan, D J, Tredici, T J, Perez-Becerra, J, Dennis, R, Burroughs, J R, Taboada, J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.08.1996
Subjects
Aerospace Medicine
Cornea - physiopathology
Cornea - surgery
Decision Making
Humans
Lasers, Excimer
Military Personnel
Photorefractive Keratectomy
Postoperative Complications
Refractive Errors - physiopathology
Refractive Surgical Procedures
Visual Acuity - physiology
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Summary:Refractive surgery to visually rehabilitate refractive errors of the eye continues to evolve at a significant pace and is here to stay. The surgical manipulation of the cornea by carefully planned incisions, as in radial keratotomy, represented the first procedure to evolve for the correction of ametropia and is an area of continued active development and improvement. However, many concerns mitigate against this procedure in the aeromedical arena. More recently, photorefractive keratectomy using laser technology to ablate and recontour the corneal surface has emerged as a viable modality. This paper explores the aeromedical factors surrounding this new revolutionary procedure and discusses the issues relevant to evaluating its applicability to the modern military aviator as well as reviewing results of the latest clinical trials currently in progress. The goal is to provide the aeromedical community with the fundamental information required to formulate aeromedical decisions and policy-making in regard to a new procedure that is certain to have tremendous impact on the selection of future aircrew candidates.
ISSN:0095-6562