Am I in trouble?

[ParrotHead]

Talked to an officer recuiter (BDCP) about prk surgery for an sna spot yesterday and according to him I may be disqualified for a prk waiver because my current vision is too bad (20/400). However, when asked about snfo requirements he said that pre-prk vision didn't matter. I talked to an optometrist about this and he said that pre-prk vision shouldn't matter and another optometrist I spoke with three weeks ago said that prk candidates who have the worst vision usually have the best results after surgery. Could the recruiter be pulling my leg trying to get me to apply for something other than pilot (I would imagine he gets a lot of sna applications)?

 

[bch]

Ask to see it in writing from NOMI (Naval Operational Medical Institute) I think that is what it stands for. The actual instruction that lays out the physical requirements is what you want to see. If he does not want to cooperate, go to the next town over and ask another recruiter... when I say that, I don't mean go burn the guy, just explain the situation and ask if he would be willing to help.

One thing I do know is that no matter what a civilian doctor has to say about what is good enough or what they think is acceptable.... mean didly squat to the navy. Navy has its own way of doing things, even if it does not make sense.

 

[Thisguy]

There is some truth to that. Though I was under the impression that you couldn't do it if you were out of regs for NFO as well. Pre-prk vision shouldn't matter, but since this is the navy, it does. Remember, civilian pilots can have crappy vision. As for worst vision haveing best results, that really doesn't make any sense. They have to shave more of your eye off and are being careful not to over correct, it seems like it'd be easier to correct slight myopia. Anyway check out this link and click on the "5" above the PRK waiverable part.

http://www.cnrc.navy.mil/noru/orojt/generalofficer.htm#3

 

[stevew]

Let me try and clear some stuff up on this one. Navy/MC standards are a 3 month wait for -5.50 vision and below and a 6 month wait for anything above that up until -8.00 before you can apply for the waiver. I will have to agree with Thisguy on the "They have to shave more of your eye off and are being careful not to over correct" part. My vision was around -6.50 with an astigmatism before PRK and now I am slightly overcorrected in one eye ( however well within Navy/MC standards) I know poeple who had much less myopia than ,yself who are now seeing 20/15. I have found in dealing with more than one recruiter (both Navy and MC) that when it comes to stuff like PRK they are usually misinformed and that you have to go to the higher ups to "prove" that your PRK is okay. Although don't count on the recruiter admitting he was wrong.... won't happen. If you have any more Q's you can either IM, PM or email me. There are many others here who have had similar experiences as my own who can help you out as well.

 

[Thisguy]

Navy/MC standards are a 3 month wait for -5.50 vision and below and a 6 month wait for anything above that up until -8.00 before you can apply for the waiver.

-8.00 being the upper limit, I think it's safe to say if your diopters are worse than that, you're out of luck for a waiver.

 

[NeoCortex]

I had -1.75 with an astigmatism, that gave me around 20/45 vision, had PRK, now I see alittle better than 20/15, so I think it works wether you have 20/200 or 20/50, but that's just my opinion, I'm not medically quilified or anything.

 

[ParrotHead]

The same recruiter told me that he had a guy that wanted an sna slot but because his pre-prk vision was too bad he went snfo. After commissioning, though, the guy managed to transfer to pilot. Does this make any sense? I would think that if you were unqualified to apply for a waiver before entering the navy you wouldn't be able to transfer to the same job later.

P.S. Good info guys, but what is a diopter and -8.00? Thanks

 

[NeoCortex]

once you go to the eye doc they can tell you what your Diop is, don't worry about all the science behind it.

 

[Thisguy]

If you wear glasses/contacts, check your prescription. That's your diopter.

 

[josejimmenez]

Ok I had a 1.25 diopter in left eye with 20/80 vision, and just under 1 diopter in right eye with 20/40. granted my eyes were not that bad i got the surgery with 20/15 results and still ended up pro rec-ing for NFO, regardless dont take your recruiters word for it. If you can be corrected to 20/20 you SHOULD be good to go. Check with NOMI and NAMI before you do ANYTHING!!!