There was a story in the Washington Post over the weekend about an ill fated climber named Beck Weathers who lost part of his face and hands to frostbite on Mt. Everest a few years ago. One of the reasons it cited as to why he had difficulty was that his radial keratotomy eye corrective eye surgery failed at the high altitude and he could not see well past his feet.
“He’d had a radial keratotomy for myopia, not knowing that the low atmospheric pressure of extreme high altitude would affect his corrected corneas. About 1,400 feet below the summit, he couldn’t see his feet. His guide, Rob Hall, made him promise to remain where he was until Hall returned later that day from the summit.”
How is this possible? If I have laser surgery will I be prevented from climbing mountains?
Factors to consider in refractive surgery (RK) to correct Myopia, Astigmatism and Hyperopia.
1.) Disturbing amounts of post-op scar tissue.
2.) Overall vision compromised.
3.) Not permanent and frequent tendency for the eye to become more hyperopic.
4.) May cause dispersion of light or flare, especially at night.
5.) Corneal Structure weakened and compromised.
6.) Aviation medicine has not endorsed Radial-Keratotomy because pilots operate at varying altitudes in which pressure is affected.
7.) Sports or other types of activity in which a blow to the eye must be considered are discouraged. Protective eyewear becomes essential.
8.) Cost of surgical procedures range from 2 or 3 thousand dollars for each eye.
If you are a world-class mountain climber, wear prescription goggles.
I got new glasses a couple weeks ago, and asked about RK just to hear it from an optometrist. (She doesn’t perform it, but can provide a reference to someone else that does) She also said that she hadn’t recommended it for anyone; it is usually advised for patients only if their eyesight is so bad it is uncorrectable or nearly so with glasses, and in those cases it is seen as a “not a lot to lose by trying” situation. If they can raise the finances, that is. It’s not cheap, not free of risks or side effects and is already known to be not-quite-permanent. - MC
I’m in no way qualified to answer this question, but hey, that never stopped anyone else.
Remember that RK (radial keratotomy) is not the same thing as “Laser Eye Surgery” RK is the older way of surgically correcting myopia where the doc actually cuts lines in the cornea with a knife in a radial pattern to flatten the cornea. PRK (the P stands for photo) is the relatively newer procedure where a laser is used to make the cuts. The newest one procedure that most people mean now when they talk about laser eye surgery is LASIK where a laser is used to flatten the cornea by actually burning off a few micrometers of tissue.
So, tc I’m not sure that your warnings exactly apply. I have no idea about the risks of LASIK or PRK and mountain climbing, but I think that in RK the concern is that the scar tissue which the cuts form failing is the problem
Radial Keratotomy is rarely performed any more, because LASIK and PRK are generally vastly superior. RK does weaken the structure of the eye more than the laser methods, but they all do to some degree. RK doesn’t remove any material from the eye, but the slits that cause the eye to re-shape become stress points if the eye flexes. The other two methods actually remove material from the eye.
BTW, whoever said that RK is not approved for pilots is wrong. Anyone getting corrective surgery can get his or her pilot’s license back after waiting long enough that the eye is no longer undergoing changes. That’s usually 6 months or a year (maybe much less for LASIK). You can even get a commercial license, and some airlines will accept candidates who have had corrective surgery.
However, corrective eye surgery is disqualifying for military aviation, and in a small percentage of people night vision is impaired enough that you might not be able to fly at night, which would mean no airlines.
You are absolutely right Minkman. The question was about RK, not PRK or LASIK, but I should have added the extra information that you and dhanson provided. Many thanks.
BTW, the website that lists those dangers is a promo site for a company doing Ortho-K, so take what they have to say as being biased against eye surgery.
Ortho-K, for those who don’t know, is another way of correcting for myopia by using a series of fitted lenses to ‘re-shape’ the eye. Apparently, after you go through the program, your eye will retain its proper shape with the lenses out, requiring lenses only a day or two a week as ‘retainers’ to maintain that shape.
Ortho-K has its own risks, and it is definitely disqualifying for aviation as the eye is never in a stable condition.
Fans of ‘Into Thin Air’ may want to get ahold of the ‘Everest: IMAX’ DVD. The feature is not worth watching but the DVD also has a 28 minute interview with Weathers. It is riveting, far better than the tepid documentary.
Weathers mentions the problems he was having with his eyesight. He notes they started on the night before the summit attempt but he went ahead anyway.