DIDNT A CLIMBER WHO HAD PREVIOUS REFRACTIVE EYE SURGERY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH HIS EYES WHILE CLIMBING MT. EVEREST?
Yes. However, the climber had Radial Keratotomy (RK) performed many years before he climbed Mt. Everest. He did not have LASIK or PRK. In RK, deep incisions are made in the cornea which flatten the cornea by structurally weakening the cornea. At very high altitudes, such as Mt. Everest, the decreased atmospheric pressure caused the cornea to pathologically flatten further. This caused the patient to experience the onset of farsightedness, making it very difficult for him to see. This would not occur with LASIK or PRK because the cornea is not structurally weakened by these procedures.
