NASA approved LASIK for astronauts and space flight in 2007 based on excellent U.S. Navy Data for Top Gun Aviators.
NASA astronauts must work in very extreme environments and excellent eyesight is essential. For many years, NASA was wary of allowing its astronauts to have laser vision correction eye surgery. NASA standards previously had been 20/200 uncorrected vision which was correctable with glasses or contacts to 20/20. NASA traditionally rejected 50% of its applicants due to poor vision that did not meet these standards.
Glass and contacts, however, pose difficulty in space flight. Early forms of laser vision correction which had been approved by the FDA for public use included conventional PRK and conventional LASIK. NASA felt that these procedures did not meet the rigorous demands NASA astronauts would be expected to encounter.
In 2007, however, NASA finally became convinced of the outstanding vision routinely produced by newer, more evolved forms of laser eye surgery, including customized wavefront LASIK and customized wavefront PRK. Based on the outstanding results seen in data from U.S. Navy trials of these modern forms of laser eye surgery in elite aviators, NASA finally permitted its astronaut recruits in 2007 to have laser eye surgery, but it needed to be customized wavefront LASIK or PRK, not conventional. Recruits had to wait one year after surgery and have a note from their surgeon.
It is worth noting that, following the U.S. Navy’s lead, NASA will allow its prospective astronauts to have either LASIK or PRK (“flapless LASIK”) as long as the laser being used is a customized wavefront laser. Conventional LASIK or conventional PRK will not qualify. I think this is a wise choice as I firmly believe that wavefront surgery clearly outperforms conventional surgery.
See Also
NASA Approves Advanced LASIK for Use on Astronauts (and Hopefuls)
Wired Magazine article on NASA allowing its astronauts to have customized wavefront LASIK and customized wavefront PRK
NASA Approves Advanced LASIK
SpaceRef discussion of the use of advanced LASIK by NASA astronauts.
Custom or Wavefront LASIK: Individualized Vision Correction
All About Vision page on customized wavefront LASIK and PRK, the form approved by NASA.
Principles of Clinical Medicine for Space Flight
Textbook of medical issues involved in space flight.
NASA-Sponsored Study Describes How Space Flight Impacts Astronaut’s Eyes and Vision
Long term space flight can produce changes in eyes and vision of astronauts that persist even after return to Earth.
NASA Astronaut’s PRK Laser Vision Correction Eye Surgery Performs Well in Space Flight
A page from the Shapiro Laser Eye Center website about a study done of an astronaut who had previously had PRK eye surgery before going to the International Space Station.