Cataract surgery and intraocular lenses in military aviators

We reviewed the medical records of 23 military aviators who were evaluated by the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM) after cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation between 1979 and 1990. The 23 subjects were male Caucasians, with a mean age of 43 years. Of the subjects, 21 were pilots, and, of these, 8 were qualified in high-performance aircraft. There were a total of 28 operated eyes, 24 of which had received extracapsular cataract extractions (ECCE) with posterior chamber lenses. The best-corrected, postoperative vision was 20/20 or better in all eyes. Posterior capsule opacification occurred in 14 (60%) of the ECCE eyes, with five requiring Nd:YAG (Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet) laser capsulotomies. One aviator was disqualified from flying duties because of ocular deficiencies, for a visually-qualified-to-fly rate of 96%. Eight aviators have actually flown since surgery. Although follow-up was short, the initial results are encouraging.