• Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?

    Go here:

    Edit Account Details and Profile

Custom PRK

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hey guys
I was just wondering what custom PRK is. I am considering PRK this summer. I have an issue with astigmatism -4.75 my vision is 20/50 both eyes. What was your vision or level of astigmatism or the reasons behind custom PRK. I was wondering if their was anyone that had a worst astigmatism than me -4.75. I have already discovered that the Navy and Airforce will not accept pilots with worst than a -3.00 astigmastism, but don't know about the Marines or Coast guard. Also if anyone on this site would like to know I found out that the Army will take anyone with PRK or LASIK even with astigmatism's worst than 3.00 as long as it corrects it to -1.00. Uncorrected vision can be no worst than 20/50. The Army also pushed up their age limit to 32 but I heard of guys getting in as old as 39 but with guard units.
 

NickPollock19

Prospective Candidate for OCS
I actually just had custom PRK on 18 Feb. Custom just gives you a higher chance of not seeing halo's around lights and what not at night. I would recommend custom PRK personally, because when it comes you your vision, money shouldn't matter. It's not gonna be that big of adifference, but a big enough difference that is worth 600 bucks.
 

Tish

Registered User
oh...also....how long did it take you to recover? Can you explain your experiences during that process? I'm pretty active. How much time do I need to take off?
 
Hey u.sav8r
Are you a pilot in the marines or navy. You mentioned that you were -4.75 20/500. The reason that I ask is because I was told that I could not go pilot because I am -4.75 as well with 20/50. The NOMI people told me that if you were over -3.00 before PRK then you could not go pilot but could go NFO. I don't agree with this but my eye docter also told me that once the surgery was done the military could not determine what your astigmatism was before the surgery. So I guess my question to everyone on this site is how can the NAVY determine what your level of astigmatism was after the surgery. Also for anyone who want's to know the ARMY does not have any limits on astigmatism's before PRK, after the surgery you must be 20/20 with less than -1.00.
Thanks Shannon
 

SlickAg

Registered User
pilot
They require you to give them your eye records from before and after the surgery so they'll find out there. I think u.s.av8r was referring to his refractive error before the surgery, not his level of astigmatism.
 
I do believe your refractive error is your level of astigmatism.

Also hear's a question if the Navy does require your records, it seems to me that numbers on paper could be fudged, you follow me. My point is this I am not saying that I am going to do the same but theirs alot of people out their with dreams of flying and I know for a fact that fudging numbers on paper has been done in the past.
 

SlickAg

Registered User
pilot
Astigmatism is an abnormal curvature of the eyeball, NOT your refractive error. From NOMI's website: "The appropriate preoperative refractive error range is –8.00 to +6.00 total diopters sphere with no more than 3.00 diopters of cylinder." The cylinder is making reference to the level of astigmatism. So if all this time you were talking about your refractive error instead of your level of astigmatism, you're fine. As far as the fudging goes, I won't touch that.
 
Well hell now I'm confused I was told that they both were the same meaning astigmatism and refractive error. I was told that my astigmatism was -4.75 which put me over the 3.00 limit. Oh by the way the fudging number's is a question that someone at the eye docter's office pose. I just want to make it clear that is not an option for me, since the Army takes pilot applicants with no set standards concerning astigmatism as long as PRK corrects it to with in 1.00.
 

SlickAg

Registered User
pilot
They are definitely not the same. You should confirm with your doctor if you just have myopia (nearsightedness) or a really bad astigmatism.
 

NickPollock19

Prospective Candidate for OCS
ok, so, it's is inaccurate the you need tape or double glasses over your eyes......when i got it, just last week, yes, it hurt for a while. i got it done on friday at 1 p.m., and it didnt stop hurting until i woke up on sunday morning. You get some vakadin (or however it is spelt) and other then that, you are going to want to sleep. make sure you block everything, until you're 3day after check up. After that you can function properly. it has been one week, and i'm probably seein 20/25- 20/30. Everyone heals differently, so it's hard to tell how long it will take you. that was just my eperience. Total,it cost me $3900, at 1950 an eye, but i got custom cornea PRK. It's nothing too teribly bad to worry about. If you can handle a few days of discomfort, and moderate pain, you will be fine.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top