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PRK after first fleet tour

pourts

former Marine F/A-18 pilot & FAC, current MBA stud
pilot
I am currently on a FAC tour in Lejeune and just got PRK. I figured I would post a few lessons learned about the process. Everything here is specific to the process at Naval Hospital Lejeune.

-You can get PRK a second time as long as your cornea is thick enough. I believe the number is 495 microns or whatever, but you aren't going to measure it yourself so the number doesn't really matter.

-The entire process from initial contact until surgery took 3 months.
First, you have to get the correct form from the refractive surgery office, then go to the normal base optometrist for a pre-op appointment. Basically, all they do at this appointment is verify that your perscription is and has been stable for at least 1 year. I think you also have to print out and bring your last 2 years worth of vision records to this appointment. You also have to have your CO fill out some paperwork saying that you are authorized to get the surgery
Then, you take this form and turn it in to the refractive surgery office where the DMV employees highly competent people who work there will sit on it for a few weeks then call you and say "your appointment is day after tomorrow." After some finagling you can actually schedule an appointment that works with your existing schedule. They will also give you a slightly different form for your CO to sign, to which he will probably say "didn't I already sign this for you" and you will explain that the DMV employees people who work at the surgery office need a slightly different form.
Your next appointment is pretty much the same thing as the last appointment, except that it is at the actual refractive surgery office. Here they will actually measure your cornea and say that you are a good candidate for LASIK/ PRK. This appointment must be done within 30 days of your surgery date. In fact, they will assume that you will be able to do surgery the very next week. I was able to talk my way into surgery the week after, but I had to call about 4 different times to set this up.
Now, you show up for an "informed consent" class on a Monday morning for about 2 hours. Here they will give you several power point lectures about the risks of the surgery and the recovery. Your surgery will be the that same week, either Wednesday or Thursday.

-It is a bit of a catch 22 because if you are close to deployment you are a "high priority," however you can't deploy for at least 3 months after if you get PRK. You also can't go into the field for at least a month after surgery.

-Other things that make you a high priority are pilot, special operations, etc. However, when I was there I had a chaplain, 2 corpsmen that worked in the hospital, and a bunch of other randoms getting surgery that same week. I was the only pilot, and only officer out of the 23 people there besides the Chaplain.

-You have follow-up appointments after 1 day, 6 days, 1 month, and 3 months. As with all appointments, you cannot schedule the times. They are simply given to you-- all at once-- the day you do your informed consent class.

-The recovery after this surgery was much easier than when I last had PRK 8 years ago. They put a "bandage contact" over your eye for 6 days after surgery that takes much of the pain away. Also, the eye drops they use are better.
 
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