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PRK Journal

Vegas

AH-1Z
pilot
I know there have been a few PRK experiences journaled on here already however I feel that another perspective will often bring something new and provide even more beneficial information for everyone.


Here is some of my information pre-op.

-I have already completed OCS-Jr's on an NFO contract and have orders for OCS-Srs.
-I have passed the ASTB with a 6/6/6
-My current vision is -1.00/-1.25 or approx 20/70 with a slight astigmatism

I will be having the procedure done in Cary NC at "The Laser Eye Center of Carolina" by Dr. Dean Dornic. (http://www.visionauthorities.com/)

I will be having Custom Wavefront PRK today at 1100 and am expected to atain 20/15 vision with no astigmatism.

I will try and update the post as much as possible throughout the experience, please bear with me over the next few days on things such as spelling and grammar, I will come back and edit once I am in a more capable state.
 

nugget61

Active Member
pilot
Good luck to ya. Right about now I would image you're rocking the Stevie Wonder glasses just to watch some tv, but you won't regret it.
 

radkindoical

New Member
good luck

I also had slight asigmatism on my left eye, unfortunately my left eye isn't healing so well, the doctor told me it was because of greater differential in correction.

Don't get me wrong, it is healing, but not at a fast rate, i had mine done about a month and a half and it was -1.75, now it is 20/30.
 

Vegas

AH-1Z
pilot
I will be focusing mostly on the procedure of submitting paperwork, acquiring waivers, passing the flight physical, and ultimately qualifying for a coveted air contract; however I will also recount the experience to provide a more complete overview of the experience.

Tuesday 10/13
I arrived at the office and the first question was "and how will you be paying for this today?" So I wrote the check and we were on with business. This particular office allowed a 5% discount for paying with cash or check (because they don’t have to pay credit card fees) so this is something to inquire about if you are considering PRK. They also gave me a 50% off military discount so defiantly inquire about that as well, out the door I paid $2,900 for Custom Wavefront PRK from a extremely good doctor, I can’t stress enough finding a doctor who has a lot of experience and is well respected in the field, were talking about shooting a laser into our eyes here and its success will determine not only your career but your eyesight is something you have to live with the rest of your life so don’t skimp on the doctor to save a few hundred dollars. Back on track with the procedure a technician preformed the wavefront scan on my eyes and saved the info on a memory stick. I was then placed in a room given a valium, and started on three rounds of eye drops. About 10 minutes later I was taken into the room with the laser and I think I got some more eye drops. Another 5 minutes and Dr. Dornic came in and began the surgery, he started by securing my eyelashes with tape, eyelids with some kind of brace and then with what looked like a spinning toothbrush he removed the epithelium of the cornea, then the laser treatment began and lasted 12-15 seconds, immediately following the laser my eye was rinsed with some kind of drops and the protective contact was inserted. None of it hurt or was even terribly uncomfortable. This was all repeated for the other eye and I was up and being taken to another room. I was given a bag full of drops, a paper telling when to take them, a prescription for hydrocodine and a super sexy pair of sunglasses. At this point I felt really good and wasn’t to worried about the recovery. 15 minutes later as the drugs began wearing off I told my friend driving me to head straight for the pharmacy and realized it would be a long few days. I had already prepared my room with blankets over the windows and upon arriving home I began the medication and went to sleep, I recommend letting your roommates, family or whoever lives with you know your medication schedule so you don’t have to worry about it and just sleep as much as possible.

Day 1 (Wed 10/14)

After waking up I immediately began my medication for the day and wrote down the times I used each eye drop and pill. Writing down the times will help you know when to take the next pill or drop and you can bring it with you to the doctor to show them how you are doing on your medication, my doctor found this helpful. Later that day I had my 24 hour follow up appt. and read the 20/20 line. Everything is going well. More sleep and short bits of TV here and there with the sunglasses.

Day 2 (Thu 10/15)

My vision has defiantly regressed some today as the doctor expected because of the regeneration of the corneal epithelium. The contacts are scratchy and feel like a grain of sand in the eye, the drugs and drops help significantly with this. Overall I feel really good compared to what I had prepared myself for. I continue to sleep as much as possible this helps more than anything and obviously passes the time the best.

Day 3 (Fri 10/16)

I ran out of hydrocodine last night and have been off for close to 12 hours now and I feel pretty terrible, I am just trying to sleep and get through till my appointment this afternoon. As I arrived at the doctor I was probably at my worst point of the entire experience. My vision was checked again by a technician and I was approx 20/30. A few minutes later Dr Dornic came in, removed the contacts and examined my eyes. Having the contacts out is probably one of the most refreshing things I have ever felt. I can see better and feel great now. I am on my way with a few more drops to be taken. At this point I am seeing really well, the biggest thing is any light is really “starry” especially at night. Seeing close up is slightly more challenging and wears my eyes out faster. My eyes get tired really quickly and I have to rest them periodically.

I will continue to update over the next 90 days on the process, and however long it takes to get the air contract.
 

Junkball

"I believe in ammunition"
pilot
You'll be feelin pretty fly by the end of the week. Midweek point wasn't too bad for me... mostly it was the night of the surgery. Having the contacts out speeds recovery, I think. Keep up with the drops, lubricate 2x as you think you need. The 'starbursting' at night/when fatigued is kinda a pain in the ass and doesn't really go away for some, just declines with time. I still get it slightly but it's not noticeable unless I'm really tired... or drunk
 

nugget61

Active Member
pilot
... At this point I am seeing really well, the biggest thing is any light is really “starry” especially at night...

No, it is not. Do not tell your doc this! While it is happening, it will most likely go away after a month or two, however it will be noted in your file that the Navy sees. They will give you all kinds of trouble for a "history" of stars/halos, despite them being normal for the procedure at your time. If you have them later on, yes share that info, but otherwise wait it out before you potentially damn yourself.
 

Vegas

AH-1Z
pilot
No, it is not. Do not tell your doc this! While it is happening, it will most likely go away after a month or two, however it will be noted in your file that the Navy sees. They will give you all kinds of trouble for a "history" of stars/halos, despite them being normal for the procedure at your time. If you have them later on, yes share that info, but otherwise wait it out before you potentially damn yourself.


Duly noted, I am a Marine Contract but I think its still NAMI that does us both so it probably doesn't matter all that much. From the other posts I have read I learned to keep my mouth shut and wait. At this point I have improved significantly but I am still slightly anxious to achieve that 20/20 number and get cleared by the people who count.
 

Vegas

AH-1Z
pilot
I just had my 30 day post op a few days ago and read the 20/15 line so assuming all continues to go well with the healing process the surgery has been a huge success. I still have a set of eye drops to use twice a day. I checked with the doctor to see if any notes had been taken in my record indicating "starryness" "halos" "double vision" or anything of that nature and there were none so there shouldn't be any kind of history problems to explain later on. Thanks for the advice some of you have shared, I will continue to update after the next exams and especially when I start applying for waivers and getting the flight physical.
 

Kan Do!

New Member
FireDude,

I had my PRK on the same day and at the same doctor as you did. Small world. I went to Dr Dornic because that's who the OSA recommended, so I guess thats not too big of a coincidence.

Congrats on reading that 20/15 line. On my 30 day eval I read the 20/20 line with my right and the 20/40 line with my left eye, but my vision was 20/400 prior to the surgery. The doc said I should be at least 20/20 in both eyes within the next few months.
 

Vegas

AH-1Z
pilot
I have now had my 60 and 90 day post ops, I didn't realize i hadn't updated in so long. Its pretty uneventful the second two thirds of the process. I am 20/15 in both eyes and really loving it, best three grand I ever spent. I submitted my paperwork to get a flight physical and switch to air a little over a month and half ago and just got the final word BUMED approved it. I have a flight physical in September in Pensacola and I think I have an air contract now, I'm not 100% sure if it switched yet or if its after the physical. Either way OCS seniors is a little over two and a half months away so I'm spending most of my time getting ready running, reading gouge and not forgetting to enjoy college. I will definitely make sure to update on the paperwork process for those who are interested in pursuing PRK and securing an air contract. PM me any questions and ill do my best to let you know my experience with them!
 

TheChuckNoise

New Member
Thanks for the posts Firdude. Very helpful!

I'm considering getting PRK. I was just at OCS (OCC203) with an SNFO contract, but got NPQ'd on week 7 for stress fractures, (damn, so close). So, what I want to do is heal up, get PRK and go back with an SNA contract. However, I just squeaked by on the color vision tests at NAMI, and I'm concerned they won't be so forgiving the second time around (post-PRK). Will I even have to take the full flight physical again? Can I just get an eye exam to be qualified? Anyone?
 

foleyswole85

New Member
Hey man,

congrats on a successful op! I plan to get my surgery done at the same place, sounds like a good deal at $2900, how did you get them to give you the military discount? Did your OSO contact them? I would only assume that I need to commit to a service before pursuing that discount...LOL

Brad
 

Vegas

AH-1Z
pilot
Thanks for the posts Firdude. Very helpful!

I'm considering getting PRK. I was just at OCS (OCC203) with an SNFO contract, but got NPQ'd on week 7 for stress fractures, (damn, so close). So, what I want to do is heal up, get PRK and go back with an SNA contract. However, I just squeaked by on the color vision tests at NAMI, and I'm concerned they won't be so forgiving the second time around (post-PRK). Will I even have to take the full flight physical again? Can I just get an eye exam to be qualified? Anyone?

Bummer on getting NPQed man, Get healthy and go for it again, as for the specific questions about retaking flight physical stuff i have no idea and your OSO would be the best person to talk to. PM if you have any other questions about the PRK process you want answered.

Hey man,

congrats on a successful op! I plan to get my surgery done at the same place, sounds like a good deal at $2900, how did you get them to give you the military discount? Did your OSO contact them? I would only assume that I need to commit to a service before pursuing that discount...LOL

Brad

I basically just told them what I was doing and they quoted me the discount, I don't think i showed them any paperwork but I'm not sure. You will really like Dr. Dornic his establishment and service are world class and i have nothing but good to say about them.
 

Vegas

AH-1Z
pilot
I have now had my six month post op and have 20/15 vision continuing to be more than worth its three grand. I am focused on preparing for OCS seniors and will continue with the flight physical when I get back.
 
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