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PRK while active duty

Beefalo

Registered User
Searhed but couldnt find. Basically just wondering if one can have prk done by a civilian doctor while on active duty. Planning on taking 2-3 weeks leave to have it done. Anybody get it done recently and can tell me how much the average cost is?
 

ea6bflyr

Working Class Bum
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
I hope this anwers your question.
ea6bflyr

https://navymedicine.med.navy.mil/d...E9008D-802E-D019-ABBA0925B2764081&docid=15143

What is the current policy on corneal refractive surgery for active duty Navy and USMC personnel?

The CNO’s NAVADMIN message of 29 Dec 99 (341/99) announced the start of the Navy’s Corneal Refractive Surgery program.Active duty personnel, regardless of their warfare community status, may request evaluation to determine their suitability for surgery.If the service member is determined to be a suitable candidate, a consult requesting surgery can be submitted to one of the Navy Refractive Surgery Centers (see section 8 for additional information on the process of requesting surgery). The Navy has laser centers in San Diego, Portsmouth, Bethesda, Bremerton, Jacksonville, Camp Lejuene, and Camp Pendleton.

The demand for refractive surgery exceeds the ability to accommodate all servicemembers, and therefore surgery is scheduled on a prioritized basis. Highest priority goes to servicemembers whose military duties require them to regularly work in extreme physical environments that make the wearing of glasses or contact lenses difficult or unsafe. To facilitate the screening process, unit Commanding Officers will be required to determine the appropriate priority category, and grant permission for their personnel to have surgery performed. While personnel in non-warfare communities are not excluded from the possibility of having surgery performed at a Navy center, in most cases they will likely be assigned a lower priority than service members in warfare communities.

Servicemembers that do not wish to wait to have surgery performed in the Navy can elect to have surgery performed at their own expense in the civilian sector.The Navy does not encourage this option.Service members are required to receive counseling to ensure they are aware of Navy/Marine Corps policies pertaining to all elective surgeries performed by civilian physicians, and that they understand the responsibilities required of them before and after surgery.Approval by the unit Commanding Officer is required.Failure to comply with these requirements may result in disciplinary action and/or loss of eligibility for disability benefits in the event of adverse outcomes following surgery. See section 9 for complete details on the requirements before and after surgery in the civilian sector.
 

Cordespc

Active Member
None
Contributor
Submit a request through your chain. I sent mine up in December, and my surgery is next Monday providing everything goes well between now and then.

Rgds,
Paul/AT1
 

Fezz CB

"Spanish"
None
Ive thought of getting PRK for a long time. But I leave for P'cola in Sept. Since I dont want to be held back in training, when would be the best time to have the PRK done? After FRS? Wait till first shore tour? Any advice would be great.
 

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Fezz CB said:
Ive thought of getting PRK for a long time. But I leave for P'cola in Sept. Since I dont want to be held back in training, when would be the best time to have the PRK done? After FRS? Wait till first shore tour? Any advice would be great.
Most guys do it post deployment in their first sea tour, but shore duty would be good if you can wait.

Brett
 

Kolja

Git-r-done
As Brett says, I've seen people do it in their first fleet squadron (during a slow time - of course, not so many of those any more) and right after getting to shore duty.
As for me, I have an inexplicable and irrational fear of it...
 

SteveG75

Retired and starting that second career
None
Kolja said:
As Brett says, I've seen people do it in their first fleet squadron (during a slow time - of course, not so many of those any more) and right after getting to shore duty.
As for me, I have an inexplicable and irrational fear of it...

If you can get traps at night in the back of the war station wagon, then PRK shouldn't scare you.

Did mine at Balboa in Jan 2001. Went from 20/200 in the roght and 20/400 in the left (-3.0 and -5.0 correction respectively) to 20/20 (20/15 on a good day) and have held it for four years.

As for the original poster, if on flight status, you need follow ups every two weeks until your vision is stable before you will be cleared back onto flight status. The minimum is 4 weeks, some guys go 8, some longer, average was about 6 weeks from surgery to med up when I did mine. Then there is the need for a permanent waiver that goes from BUMED to BUPERS for approval. It is then included in your permanent medical and personnel records.

Basically, you are NPQ with a permanent waiver. If you try to do it outside without telling the Navy, they will find out (on your next eye exam) and then you will probably be NPQ'ed with no waiver possible. Go through the system and get it for free.
 

Kolja

Git-r-done
Touche on the night traps.

I'm already on ONE waiver (that took me 13 months and two tries to get). Aside from the admittedly irrational phobia, I'm of the opinion that the farther away from BUMEDs radar I am the better...
 

nugget81

Well-Known Member
pilot
Time & Money...

Beefalo said:
Planning on taking 2-3 weeks leave to have it done. Anybody get it done recently and can tell me how much the average cost is?

I'm not sure that you'd need 2-3 weeks. I had PRK done last March (Thursday of spring break) and was back in class the following Tuesday. I even did an altitude chamber flight the week after. After a few days your vision may not be perfect yet but you should be pretty much back to normal.

Cost-wise, I spent $2500 for both eyes. I shopped around for doctors and prices, and I found that you could have the surgery done for as little as $700 per eye. If you decide to go through with the process, be sure to get a doctor with good recommendations from others. It seemed to me that some places could have cared less about me, and its not that I'm really needy or anything, but we were talking about my eyes!
 

Fezz CB

"Spanish"
None
nugget81 said:
I'm not sure that you'd need 2-3 weeks. I had PRK done last March (Thursday of spring break) and was back in class the following Tuesday. I even did an altitude chamber flight the week after. After a few days your vision may not be perfect yet but you should be pretty much back to normal.

Cost-wise, I spent $2500 for both eyes. I shopped around for doctors and prices, and I found that you could have the surgery done for as little as $700 per eye. If you decide to go through with the process, be sure to get a doctor with good recommendations from others. It seemed to me that some places could have cared less about me, and its not that I'm really needy or anything, but we were talking about my eyes!

You got PRK during OCS? Were u not considered NPQ'd? Also, are we considered in "flight status" during API?
 

nugget81

Well-Known Member
pilot
Fezz CB said:
You got PRK during OCS? Were u not considered NPQ'd? Also, are we considered in "flight status" during API?

I'm not "in" yet. I'm still in college and in BDCP. But YES, I am NPQ'd with a waiver for PRK. As for API, I don't know...
 

Beefalo

Registered User
Just to make sure as long as your not -8.0 or more in one eye you're eligible for a waiver for SNA and SNFO? Ive got -7.75 in one eye. Hope it doesnt get any worse.
 

T-man

Registered User
I don't know about the Navy, but for the USMC, vision requirements for NFO are 20/100 correctable to 20/20. That said, it should be noted that there is a new contact lens waiver as of April (?) of this year. You have to have worn soft contract lenses for 6 months to be eligable for the waiver however.
 

squeeze

Retired Harrier Dude
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
T-man said:
I don't know about the Navy, but for the USMC, vision requirements for NFO are 20/100 correctable to 20/20.

wrong

...nevermind that the Marine Corps doesn't have their own medical, and thus, the vision requirements are the same in the Navy.

Designated Same standards as SG1 except:
DVA
Correctable to 20/20-0 each eye (However, if AFVT or Goodlite letters are used a score of 7/10 on the 20/20 line constitutes meeting visual acuity requirements), glasses will be worn while flying (if > 20/100 carry extra pair).


http://www.nomi.med.navy.mil/Nami/WaiverGuideTopics/exams.htm#nfo

/google damnit
 

Thisguy

Pain-in-the-dick
LaneNFO said:
hey guys, well, i would like to know something. is it worth future NFOs to get PRK? i want to become an NFO but i don't have 20/20 vision. my vision is more like 20/500! what exactly are the vision requirements for NFO? what is refraction? the only problem i have is that i can't see far objects, they appear blury.


20/500? Seriously, don't sweat it. That's why glasses and contacts exist. As long as you are correctable to 20/20 and have a refraction less than -8.00, you're in the clear. You don't need PRK to be eligible, and I would caution against getting that while so youg. Usually mid-20s after your vision has stabilized is a good time to get it.
 
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