NEED ADVICE-URGENT! and long...

[BearsFan]

My husband is in a time crunch. He just found out that he got into the Fire Dept which starts on APRIL 26th! When he went for his fire dept. physical the Dr. told him that he will not be able to wear his contacts on the job and will have to wear glasses - which he does NOT want to do! So he went to a Lasik Center (I believe it's a well known chain lasik center) yesterday and the Dr. told him that he was a great candidate - had a good amount of tissue, and that his corneas were shaped fine. He gave him a pair of temporary glasses and scheduled his surgery for Saturday - day after tomorrow! After the research I have done, I am trying to change his mind so that his eyes can rest longer - at least a week. He called the evaluation dr. and mentioned to him his (MY) concern. That dr. called the surgeon and told him his evaluation results and the dr. agreed and said that his corneas don't seem to be misshaped and he should be fine. He really wants to do the surgery tomorrow so that he can have the week to heal and rest before the fire academy starts. I told him to maybe at least try to get in somewhere next Friday as his eyes will have rested a week - not just 48 hours. (I'm not sure if he will have any luck b/c all the other centers I called said they make them wait 2 weeks?!?!) The chain lasik center will not have any other appts. until after the academy starts which he will not be able to do? Or - wait - could he? Could he have it on a Saturday and be able to do serious (bootcamp-like) exercises that following Monday? Sorry so long! ANY ADVICE and information is welcome...Will it be ok if he does it tomorrow. I think he's going to! AGHHH! Should he even be risking this right before the academy? He's been wanting this for sooo long and it finally happened!
THANKS!

Please excuse the drama...we are little stressed about this! Please only refer to the medical part if you wish!

[PRKorIntacs]

If I were him, id wait a month. He can wear glasses on the job so what's the hurry? What's the minimum vision requirement? 20/40? 20/30? 20/20? I hope he has done his research on lasik and has realistic expectations.

[browneyedgirl70]

Did he do it? How did things go?

[BearsFan]

He didn't do it! He ordered himself a good pair of glasses and will wait for the right time. It took some convincing, but in the end, it's a big decision!
Thanks!

[Walt]

You seem much smarter than I thought a Bear's Fan would be. :)

[davidmartinomalley]

So, my first advice would be to NOT go back to the Lasik Center that said it would be ok to do the surgery practically the same week that he came out of contact lenses.

While complications from Lasik are a low percentage, when they do happen, they can immensely stressful and life altering. I was an EMT for many years and I can relate to your husbands situation - it's hard enough being an "industrial athlete" without glasses getting in the way.

From a practical point of view:
1) While you can go to work, mostly, the Monday after surgery, you have to avoid trauma to the eye for a month after surgery at least. Water also - is that practical on scene at a fire?
2) The eyes will feel uncomfortable, and incredibly dry. I was hydrating with drops every half hour for the first week - hard to do in turnout gear.
3) You cannot get exposed to MRSA for a month - does the fire department do medical calls? It would be advisable not to use a common shower area at the fire station - is that practical?
4) Maybe it's best to wait until after probation, when he can schedule extended time off, and/or has disability in case he's a part of the .0001% of people who have severe troubles, post surgery.

As for the rest, there's just so much to research - the surgeon matters, the technology matters. What diagnostic work has the surgeon done? What is their historical success rate? What is his best corrected vision attainable?

Too many serious questions need to be answered first.

Cheers.

[BearsFan]

Thanks Davidmartinomalley for the good info! Those are the kind of specifics that we need to know! I appreciate the help!

...and thanks Walt! ;)