• 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

Vision as a Disqualifier

UMichfly

Well-Known Member
pilot
None
This past week my advisor e-mailed NAMI about the new contact lens policy and heard back that I would be able to apply for a waiver and if it was approved, I would be physically qualified for a pilot slot. That being said, I was advised by both aviators here at my unit that I would still be wise to get PRK due to the fact that having less than perfect vision would serve as an automatic hit against my package. I was wondering if anyone here had any experience with this kind of situation or more insight into how the SNA boards work. Do they consider stuff like this in your package and is it enough to put a big black mark on my stats (3.78 GPA Aerospace Engineering, 9/9/9 ASTB)? I appreciate any comments and I apologize in advance if this turns into another battle over the interpretation of the contact lens directive.
 

wink

War Hoover NFO.
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
This whole contact lens <20/40 thing is new. It is hard to say what the board may think. Just to prevent the battle you predict lets make something clear to the wannabes passing through. As of two weeks ago I got a specific brief that said the eye requirements for OCS/BDCP applicants has not changed. UMichfly is a NROTC mid and the rules may be different for him. I can only speak to CNRC policy. Still, I am eagerly looking to see if this "change" flies for mids in the first place. I don't know how the selection process works for mids, but NAMI only sets the outside limit considering medical and physiological evidence and experience. Whoever does the actual designation/selection can set a limit more restrictive then NAMI's. CNRC has done that. I guess my point is that a call to NAMI may not be enough guidance. Maybe your advisor should call someone on the board at BUPERS or CNET or wherever mids get the designation. Let us know how things turn out. Good luck
 

UMichfly

Well-Known Member
pilot
None
Thanks for the reply Wink. It pretty much just reaffirmed in my mind that this is in fact a very gray area given the newness of the directive and the fact that there hasn't even been a wave of pre-commissioning physicals since it changed so no one really knows what to expect. I think I'll probably just end up going the safe route and just getting PRK since I know they won't automatically skip over my package for that.
 

UMichfly

Well-Known Member
pilot
None
Mods: Please delete this last post. Somehow I ended up double posting. (That goes to disprove flygirl's comment about intelligence:icon_wink )
 

nugget81

Well-Known Member
pilot
I was advised by both aviators here at my unit that I would still be wise to get PRK due to the fact that having less than perfect vision would serve as an automatic hit against my package.

Keep in mind that PRK requires a waiver as well. In fact, when you go to MEPS with PRK done, you are automatically NPQ'd. I am a big fan of PRK as it has done wonders for me, but be sure to do your research and make sure the risk is proportional to the reward.
 

macattack

Member
I'm not in the Navy, just appealing to logic...but if you applied for pilot and didn't get it since the contact lens policy ended up not applying to mids...would you be willing to do something else for awhile and make a lateral transfer to the aviation community later? Again, I'm a wannabe as well, so someone can correct me if this isn't feasible, just putting an idea out there.
 

wink

War Hoover NFO.
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Lat tranx from one designator to another is always an option. It is rather rare and a real gamble. Some years they take a couple dozen, other years none at all. Never make a decision based on the hope you can change designators down the road.
 

UMichfly

Well-Known Member
pilot
None
If something happened to fall through and I wasn't selected for aviation, I'd have no problem with doing something else for a while. Officer first, aviator second, that's the name of the game.

On a sort of irrelevant note: Anyone else notice the "sponsored ad" for PRK and some other vision related thing? Talk about targeted advertising...
 

NFOMom

Registered User
If something happened to fall through and I wasn't selected for aviation, I'd have no problem with doing something else for a while. Officer first, aviator second, that's the name of the game..

I don't know if you have to have PRK before getting into flight school. My son has friends who had PRK after API, that was July 2004. One was a fellow Wolverine and he may have been in Aerospace Engineering too. You might know him since he graduated and was Commissioned Spring 2004. It might help to talk to someone who's there right now and had the surgery to help you make your decision.

Go for Flight School! and GO BLUE!
 

DocT

Dean of Students
pilot
Go for Flight School! and GO BLUE!

Okay, I'm a Spartan, but I'm going to weigh in here. I just came back from NAMI on friday and was PQ'd as an SNA with 20/40 in both eyes. The flight surgeon just counseled me on the neccessity of wearing corrective lenses when I fly. I haven't been commissioned yet and this is for the green side of the house. If you have any questions about it, shoot. Good Luck, Semper Fi, Doc

Go Green! Go White!
 

wink

War Hoover NFO.
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Okay, I'm a Spartan, but I'm going to weigh in here. I just came back from NAMI on friday and was PQ'd as an SNA with 20/40 in both eyes. The flight surgeon just counseled me on the neccessity of wearing corrective lenses when I fly. I haven't been commissioned yet and this is for the green side of the house. If you have any questions about it, shoot. Good Luck, Semper Fi, Doc

Go Green! Go White!

20/40 correctable to 20/20 is, in fact, the limit for SNA in the Navy. Worse then 20/40 uncorrected requires successful PRK surgery and waiver or NFO pipeline.
 
Top