LASIK or PRK after OCS but before API

[Texican12]

Hey everyone I'm new to the website but I have been reading posts for quite some time now. I was recently PRO - REC Y SNA. I'm excited by the news but recently started questioning a certain aspect of my application, specifically my vision. Back in February I went to my recruiter to begin the process of applying for an SNA position. I told him that my vision was very bad ( 20/250), he said that is was fine as long as it is correctable to 20/20 through either LASIK or PRK. He began to tell me that I would just have to get one of the surgeries after completion of OCS, but before I began my flight school training, I would just have to wait six months between the surgery and flight school. So with this being said I went through with the process and went to MEPS for my physical. There I was told what I already knew, that my vision was bad. However, I suffer from no astigmatism or anything else that would prevent correction to 20/20. Yesterday I was selected, and I began to question if what he said in regards to getting surgery after OCS is accurate or not. In my research on Air Warriors I have found no story that is similar or anyone that has done what my recruiter says I will be able to do. My question to everyone would be, is what my recruiter is telling me accurate or does anyone have any firsthand experience or know someone that went through a similar situation. Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[peppergunner]

I'm skeptical. It sounds too good to be true, but I don't know for sure. Hope others chime in.

Seems like you'd get orders to report to Flight School and you'd be trying to tell them, "hey sorry I need like, 5 more months for my eyes to heal".

 

[sickboy]

Gotta survive NAMI, which they probably still do at OCS.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Hey everyone I'm new to the website but I have been reading posts for quite some time now. I was recently PRO - REC Y SNA. I'm excited by the news but recently started questioning a certain aspect of my application, specifically my vision. Back in February I went to my recruiter to begin the process of applying for an SNA position. I told him that my vision was very bad ( 20/250), he said that is was fine as long as it is correctable to 20/20 through either LASIK or PRK. He began to tell me that I would just have to get one of the surgeries after completion of OCS, but before I began my flight school training, I would just have to wait six months between the surgery and flight school. So with this being said I went through with the process and went to MEPS for my physical. There I was told what I already knew, that my vision was bad. However, I suffer from no astigmatism or anything else that would prevent correction to 20/20. Yesterday I was selected, and I began to question if what he said in regards to getting surgery after OCS is accurate or not. In my research on Air Warriors I have found no story that is similar or anyone that has done what my recruiter says I will be able to do. My question to everyone would be, is what my recruiter is telling me accurate or does anyone have any firsthand experience or know someone that went through a similar situation. Any help would be much appreciated!

So if your vision is truly 20/250 uncorrected then you are screwed.

A person that is not qualified to be a SNA is not supposed to be sent to board, so an error was made, it happens sometimes, if they catch it before you leave then you will be DQ'd and not be sent to OCS, if you get to OCS then when you have a physical there you will be DQ'd and can redesignate to probably NFO, but don't count on getting SNA back.

Your recruiter sounds like and idiot, maybe @RUFiO181 has some thoughts.

 

[andrewt]

Straight from MANMED for SNA... "(a) Visual Acuity, Distant and Near. Uncorrected visual acuity must not be less than 20/40 each eye, correctable to 20/20 each eye using a Sloan letter crowded eye chart."

For you to be 20/250 and get selected doesnt make a ounce of sense to me. It also doesnt make sense considering how many people had to drop the ball for you to get selected with that going on.

I think the Navy provides PRK for USNA students interested in aviation, but Ive never heard of it for OCS. Maybe thats where the wires got crossed.

 

[peppergunner]

And isn't NFO 20/200 uncorrected or something like that?

For Navigators (called "NFOs" or "Navy Flight Officers"), there is no vision requirement to enter flight training. However, the Navigator's vision must be correctable to 20/20 and there are limits on refraction. Refraction must be less than or equal to plus or minus 8.00 sphere in any meridian and less than or equal to minus 3.00 cylinder. No more than 3.50 anisometropia.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

And isn't NFO 20/200 uncorrected or something like that?

No. There’s no “uncorrectable” cutoff as long as your vision can correct to 20/20.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

There’s a good possibility the eye exam results were gundecked, which is really dumb. You have to have 20/40 or better uncorrected vision no excuses or waivers.

 

[GlassBanger]

...It also doesnt make sense considering how many people had to drop the ball for you to get selected with that going on.

Kind of like my kit making it all the way up to a SWO board, TWICE, with an RLO waiver. Even then, it took a SWO O6 looking over my kit to see why the hell I wasn't being selected to see it... *facepalm*

 

[andrewt]

There’s a good possibility the eye exam results were gundecked, which is really dumb. You have to have 20/40 or better uncorrected vision no excuses or waivers.

A rare case where Merriam-Webster has a result for a piece of military slang. Nice.