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Sporting Few Limits for Refractive Surgery
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Dermot McGrath reports
Candidates for refractive surgery should be given clear and up-to-date information regarding the potential impact any surgery may have on their occupational status, career choice, and ability to practise certain sports, according to Francoise FroussartMaille MD.
“The legal regulations and standards regarding certain refractive techniques are not always clearly defined and vary greatly depending on the specific profession concerned. They are also liable to change over time, so candidates need to check the requirements for each profession and understand it’s only one aspect of the evaluation,” Dr Froussart-Maille said at the online annual meeting of the French Society of Ophthalmology (SFO).
In a detailed overview of the limits for refractive surgery in France, Dr Froussart-Maille, an ophthalmologist at Percy Army Training Hospital, Clamart, France, said the overall goal was to explain the possible consequences of each type of surgery to enable candidates to make an informed choice that would not hamper their professional or sporting capabilities.
“Refractive surgery can have a functional impact on a patient’s vision in terms of halos, glare, nychthemeral variations in visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, binocular vision, mesopic vision, dry eye, and so forth, all of which may affect their performance,” she said.
Since 2017, the procedure to obtain a medical certificate for the practise of most sports in France has been simplified, except for certain combat/contact sports where there is a higher risk of injury and the rules tightened, she explained.
“In combat sports, federal restrictions may limit the use of certain surgical techniques deemed riskier, such as LASIK or phakic implants. The retinal risks associated with high myopia may also constitute a contraindication,” she said.
For most professions, the patient’s history of intraocular surgery is not part of the required standards. However, specialist advice may be requested after eye surgery in specific trades where safety is an issue, such as drivers, air traffic controllers, or aviation or military personnel, Dr FroussartMaille said.
She noted the norms vary greatly from one profession to the next in terms of required postoperative recovery time, initial ametropia, and type of surgery performed.
“Some additional exams may be required to assess contrast sensitivity, glare sensitivity, and quality of vision. Refractive treatments for presbyopia such as PresbyLASIK, presbyopic lens exchange, or monovision may also be a potential contraindication for some professions,” she said.
