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FAA approves CK for presbyopia in private and commercial pilots
The federal agency appears to be relaxing its attitude toward monovision, allowing pilots of all classes to undergo CK treatment for presbyopia.
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The Federal Aviation Administration has approved the use of conductive keratoplasty to treat presbyopia and hyperopia in all classes of airline pilots, according to officials at Refractec.
The NearVision CK procedure to reduce dependence on glasses can now be performed on pilots without their losing their aeromedical certification, a press release from the company said.
“The real plus for CK for pilots is they can get improvement in their near vision without falling out of their distance vision standards, which is probably one of the things the FAA liked about it,” said Ronald A. Friedman, MD. In addition to being an ophthalmologist, Dr. Friedman is also a pilot himself and an aviation medical examiner.
“It’s not necessarily creating monovision, it is creating more blended vision. As we know, CK creates more of a bifocal effect than hyperopic LASIK does, or even than monovision myopic LASIK would.”
Refractec Inc., maker of the ViewPoint CK system for performing NearVision CK, recommended that pilots should check with employers and flight medical examiners to determine if post-CK vision meets their individual flying requirements.
A unique population
Dr. Friedman said airline pilots make up a unique population, but they are fairly common in his practice.
“I may be at a bias because I am an aviation medical examiner, but I see a ton of pilots,” Dr. Friedman said. “A lot of people are private pilots. I have done LASIK on a large number of pilots over the years.”
There are three classes of FAA pilot certification, ranging from private to commercial airline pilots, Dr. Friedman said.
“The FAA has guidelines for distance and near vision to certify pilots at different classes, and you have to be able to demonstrate near visual acuity as well,” he said. “CK offers the unique niche that pilots can improve their near vision and at the same time still pass their distance vision requirements.”
The higher the class, the more frequent the examination and the more stringent the criteria are for certification, Dr. Friedman said.
“There is no limitation on CK for application to any of those classes, so someone could be any class pilot and still undergo CK,” he said. “Certain commercial airlines have their own criteria in addition to the FAA criteria that may or may not exclude these procedures, but in general the FAA criteria are the more stringent guidelines.”
Relaxed monovision guidelines
The approval of the NearVision CK procedure represents a loosening in the FAA’s attitude toward monovision, Dr. Friedman said.
“The FAA, most significantly, has been intolerant of monovision and has not allowed monovision with either contacts or LASIK in the past, and this is one step in the relaxation of those guidelines,” he said. “This opens the venue to a lot of pilots not having to go through the special certification for monovision that the FAA does allow. Up until this point, pilots could not fly with monovision at all levels of pilot certification.”
Dr. Friedman said up until now pilots could fly with monovision only if they petitioned the FAA for an exemption through a special flight test certification.
“But now if you have CK, and your vision is good enough for distance, you don’t need that,” he said.
If the pilot can pass the 20/30 distance requirement and still have good enough near vision to see the instrument panel, they should pass the FAA test, he said.
Validates safety
“Certification by the FAA as a vision correction procedure for pilots validates the safety and value of CK as a refractive treatment,” said Refractec Inc. President Mitchell B. Campbell, in a company press release. “Only the safest and most effective procedures obtain an FAA protocol, and we’re thrilled that pilots can now enjoy the benefits of NearVision CK.”
For Your Information:
- Ronald A. Friedman, MD can be reached at 798 Cass St., Suite 204, Monterey, CA 93940; 831-375-2486; fax: 831-375-0128; e-mail: friedman@redshift.com. Dr. Friedman has no direct financial interest in the products mentioned in this article, nor is he a paid consultant for any companies mentioned.
- For details on certification requirements and for pilots, visit the Federal Aviation Administration Web site: www.faa.gov.
- Refractec Inc., developer of NearVision CK, can be reached at 5 Jenner, Suite 150, Irvine, CA 92618; 949-784-2600; fax: 949-784-2601.
- Daniele Cruz is an OSN Staff Writer who covers all aspects of ophthalmology.