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Is it possible to get PRK after getting accepted into OCS?

AirGuy

Member
Hi guys. Does the Navy accept people into OCS for SNA/NFO if the only thing wrong was nearsightedness? I'm concerned that I may be too young for surgery now. I would prefer to wait another year before getting PRK. But it can be done now (according to the doctor) since my vision has not changed for the last 2 years.

And obvious question but after doing a bunch of research PRK sounds better than Lasik for SNA /NFO. So I should go for PRK right?

Thanks.
 

nwsnahopeful

New Member
I got it at 20 after I was pro rec'd pilot. my vision only changed a very small amount in the last 5 years. I was barely 20/40. Now I am 20/10 and 20/15. I was put on hold for 6 months during the mandatory wait time, then I got my waiver approved and was final select earlier this month. Its a little more of a hassle but its doable.
 

Napper

Diggin' the PNW
pilot
I did the same thing... pro-rec January, PRK February, final select July, OCS August, P-Cola November.

Get PRK, as early as possible if you are serious. Document EVERYTHING. Be good to your recruiters. Work out.
 

AirGuy

Member
I got it at 20 after I was pro rec'd pilot. my vision only changed a very small amount in the last 5 years. I was barely 20/40. Now I am 20/10 and 20/15. I was put on hold for 6 months during the mandatory wait time, then I got my waiver approved and was final select earlier this month. Its a little more of a hassle but its doable.

Hey man, thanks for replying. So your vision actually got better over the past 5 years? Or are you saying that you had 20/40 before PRK and 20/10, 20/15 after?

Essentially, I could apply to OCS, get accepted, complete everything except the flight physical, get PRK, then take the flight physical?
 

nwsnahopeful

New Member
I went to meps and did not pass the eye exam. But my prescription was for 20/40. went to civilian eye doc and had it rechecked and they said I had 20/40. sent that paper work in and got selected. Seeing as I didnt want to fail at OCS and NAMI I went and got PRK done, had everything documented, and eventually got a waiver.
 

AirGuy

Member
I went to meps and did not pass the eye exam. But my prescription was for 20/40. went to civilian eye doc and had it rechecked and they said I had 20/40. sent that paper work in and got selected. Seeing as I didnt want to fail at OCS and NAMI I went and got PRK done, had everything documented, and eventually got a waiver.

20/40 is within limits. I have beyond that -4.00 in diopters, not sure about 20/ something. So this might not work out for me. Do you get accepted to OCS before going to MEPS? Is the flight physical actually done at MEPS?
 

nwsnahopeful

New Member
Some people get selected before they go to MEPS. If that happens then you can get selected with your eyes the way they are. Unfortunately you would be dq'd at meps. Im not sure how it would work for you getting PRK done. I would probably just get prk now or as soon as possible, that way you wont have to worry about anything! good luck
 

AirGuy

Member
Some people get selected before they go to MEPS. If that happens then you can get selected with your eyes the way they are. Unfortunately you would be dq'd at meps. Im not sure how it would work for you getting PRK done. I would probably just get prk now or as soon as possible, that way you wont have to worry about anything! good luck

Alright gotcha, how is PRK going for you? How long did it take you to heal up. Did you see starbursting initially? Did it eventually wear off? Dry Eyes? And do you think it is safe for a 19 year old to get it?
 

Doc B-dorf

No FY15 Program for me! Almost done w/school!
AirGuy,

DO NOT GET PRK OR LASIK IF YOU ARE NOT 21!!

Your eyes continue to change up to age 21-23, however if you have a stable prescription for 5+ years, you may get it if the civilian ophthalmologist wants to. Be warned, if you get Corneal Refractive Surgery (CRS) at a young age, you may see awesome for a couple of years and then your vision could shift straight to hell. I wanted to get PRK when I joined at 19 and the Ophthalmologist explained why due to vision shifts and not a long enough eye history. I eventually did get PRK in 2005 when I was 23 and had a stable prescription for 3 years, meaning no diopter shifts. If you decide to get refractive surgery, get LASIK. The healing time is FAR shorter than PRK.

I do not know what the policy is for getting CRS prior to OCS or after OCS. We have done SNA and SNFO's, but it is few and far between.

I would recommend talking to your Officer Recruiter prior to making any rash decisions.

Here is some references for you:

http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcsd...licy 08-0081 Deploy After Refractive Surg.pdf

http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcsd...iveSurgery_Policy Guidance LASIK Dec 2008.pdf

http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcsd/patients/pages/refractivesurgerycenter.aspx
 

A$AP

Well-Known Member
None
I did the same thing... pro-rec January, PRK February, final select July, OCS August, P-Cola November.

Get PRK, as early as possible if you are serious. Document EVERYTHING. Be good to your recruiters. Work out.
Now with this method, all of this happens after MEPS but before OCS? Is the procedure done by Navy physicians at that point? Or does it come out of pocket by civilian physicians? Thanks for the info!
 

Doc B-dorf

No FY15 Program for me! Almost done w/school!
Now with this method, all of this happens after MEPS but before OCS? Is the procedure done by Navy physicians at that point? Or does it come out of pocket by civilian physicians? Thanks for the info!

To be honest, since you are not fully on active duty yet, no Naval Refractive Surgery Center will see you and it will come out of pocket. Be warned, any refractive surgery you get in the civilian sector, the head of Navy Refractive Surgery said touch ups or enhancement treatments will be on a case by case basis, so you're taking a risk. Also, makes sure you have your PRK/LASIK done as far ahead of time as possible. Here at Naval Hospital Bremerton, we recommend 30 days for LASIK and 90 days for PRK prior to any deployment or PCS. If you get LASIK, you will have a 1 day Post op, 1 week post op, 1 month post op then 3,6 and 9 month post op appoitnments, PRK will be 4 days, 1 month, etc, so if you get surgery 1 week before shipping out, you will be screwed with your post-op appointments and the ophthalmologist will not be happy.

Remember though, LASIK and PRK are surgical procedures and complications may occur (even though they are rare) and if you get it done prior to joining you may actually disqualify yourself from military service.

Make sure you discuss things with your recruiter before taking it any farther.

Just my opinion.

R/
HM1 B-dorf
 

A$AP

Well-Known Member
None
To be honest, since you are not fully on active duty yet, no Naval Refractive Surgery Center will see you and it will come out of pocket. Be warned, any refractive surgery you get in the civilian sector, the head of Navy Refractive Surgery said touch ups or enhancement treatments will be on a case by case basis, so you're taking a risk. Also, makes sure you have your PRK/LASIK done as far ahead of time as possible. Here at Naval Hospital Bremerton, we recommend 30 days for LASIK and 90 days for PRK prior to any deployment or PCS. If you get LASIK, you will have a 1 day Post op, 1 week post op, 1 month post op then 3,6 and 9 month post op appoitnments, PRK will be 4 days, 1 month, etc, so if you get surgery 1 week before shipping out, you will be screwed with your post-op appointments and the ophthalmologist will not be happy.

Remember though, LASIK and PRK are surgical procedures and complications may occur (even though they are rare) and if you get it done prior to joining you may actually disqualify yourself from military service.

Make sure you discuss things with your recruiter before taking it any farther.

Just my opinion.

R/
HM1 B-dorf
Thank you for the reply! My package is in for the December board already, and I go to MEPS next Friday. I'll definitely be inquiring about PRK/ LASIK while I'm there. I applied for Pilot, NFO and SWO, so I know eyesight is the key now. So theoretically, I could get accepted in December and still go to OCS prior to getting PRK done? When you say "prior to deployment", do you mean after OCS? I'm just looking for a timetable; I know I'll find out at MEPS but I've been stressing over this for a little while now.... I just want to have a sort of timetable in my head to work with. Thanks again!
 

Doc B-dorf

No FY15 Program for me! Almost done w/school!
Thank you for the reply! My package is in for the December board already, and I go to MEPS next Friday. I'll definitely be inquiring about PRK/ LASIK while I'm there. I applied for Pilot, NFO and SWO, so I know eyesight is the key now. So theoretically, I could get accepted in December and still go to OCS prior to getting PRK done? When you say "prior to deployment", do you mean after OCS? I'm just looking for a timetable; I know I'll find out at MEPS but I've been stressing over this for a little while now.... I just want to have a sort of timetable in my head to work with. Thanks again!

If you are going to OCS in December, I recommend not getting CRS done. The healing time for LASIK is approximately one month and PRK is 3 months. Depending on your prescription stability, age you may be a candidate for PRK and not LASIK.
Prior to deployment is primarily for people on platforms, we also say within 3 months of PCSing as well. Imagine this, you get your refractive surgery complete in November, go to OCS and get a corneal abrasion or rub your eye, what are you going to do for treatment? I do not think OCS has a staff ophthalmologist there. After surgery you are going to be a on a very strict regimen of post-surgical eyedrops, including a steroid, antibitotic and a ophthalmic NSAID, as well as lubrication drops, if you run out they could be very hard to get.

I am in no way trying to discourage CRS for you, just your timeframe is not conducive to good healing and therefore you could have anything but a good outcome.
If you could push your OCS date to say early April, then I would say go for it.
Remember though, you did sign a contract for the current condition you are in and any alteration to your body could cause disqualification.
Make sure you do your research on surgeons in your area and don't be afraid to ask for references!

V/R
HM1
 

exNavyOffRec

Well-Known Member
If you are going to OCS in December, I recommend not getting CRS done. The healing time for LASIK is approximately one month and PRK is 3 months. Depending on your prescription stability, age you may be a candidate for PRK and not LASIK.
Prior to deployment is primarily for people on platforms, we also say within 3 months of PCSing as well. Imagine this, you get your refractive surgery complete in November, go to OCS and get a corneal abrasion or rub your eye, what are you going to do for treatment? I do not think OCS has a staff ophthalmologist there. After surgery you are going to be a on a very strict regimen of post-surgical eyedrops, including a steroid, antibitotic and a ophthalmic NSAID, as well as lubrication drops, if you run out they could be very hard to get.

I am in no way trying to discourage CRS for you, just your timeframe is not conducive to good healing and therefore you could have anything but a good outcome.
If you could push your OCS date to say early April, then I would say go for it.
Remember though, you did sign a contract for the current condition you are in and any alteration to your body could cause disqualification.
Make sure you do your research on surgeons in your area and don't be afraid to ask for references!

V/R
HM1


Non AD has a 6 month wait for either before they will be cleared to get a physical and then PQ letter.
 
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