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PRK for NFO Applicant?

T

teejmc

New Member
I am in the process of applying for an NFO slot. my vision is not bad at all but according to the numbers my civilian eye doctor gave me I would be considered NPQ for NFO. my vision is 20/30 left 20/40 right uncorrected, and can be corrected to 20/20, however it seems as if my astigmatism would disqualify me. My asigmatism is -3.25 left and
-3.50 right. according to the NAMI guidlines the refractive limit for astigmatism is -3.00 placing me outside of that limit.

Do these numbers make sense for someone with distance acuity of 20/40? I understand that refractive errors dont necessarily determine vision acuity but this seems crazy.

Are NFO applicants eligible for a PRK waiver? accordimg to the refractive limits given by NAMI a
pre-op astigmatism of greater than -3.00 will make you ineligible for a PRK waiver. Does this hold true for both pilot applicants and NFO applicants.
 
Ralph said:
I did a search and there is no set vision for nfo and you should be within limits for pilot.
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I have done several hours of research on this topic. there is no vision limit for NFO as far as distance acuity goes but there is a limit on refractive error. the astigmatism max for SNA is -1.00 diopters, for SNFO it is -3.00.
 
I am not a flight surgeon so hopefully one of them will be able to chime in to verify or remove your concerns. However, it is my understanding that the pre PRK waiver for an astigmatism is in fact -3.00 and therefore you would not be granted a waiver. The PRK waiver with regards to astigmatism is the same for Pilot and NFO I believe.:(

I was qualified for NFO and had PRK that went from 20/400 to 20/13, however, I had no astigmatism and I do remember the -3.00 requirement being part of my waiver request package.
 
KilroyUSN said:
I am not a flight surgeon so hopefully one of them will be able to chime in to verify or remove your concerns. However, it is my understanding that the pre PRK waiver for an astigmatism is in fact -3.00 and therefore you would not be granted a waiver. The PRK waiver with regards to astigmatism is the same for Pilot and NFO I believe.:(

I was qualified for NFO and had PRK that went from 20/400 to 20/13, however, I had no astigmatism and I do remember the -3.00 requirement being part of my waiver request package.
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is it safe to say that if you are not eligible for PRK then you will not be eligible for NFO? do you know of an NFO applicant ever getting NPQd for vision even though its correctable to 20/20? when I go to MEPs will they measure my refractive errors? do you know how subjective these tests are? is there someone I could contact that would have these answers?
 
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teejmc said:
quote="KilroyUSN, post: 758451, member: 18841"]I am not a flight surgeon so hopefully one of them will be able to chime in to verify or remove your concerns. However, it is my understanding that the pre PRK waiver for an astigmatism is in fact -3.00 and therefore you would not be granted a waiver. The PRK waiver with regards to astigmatism is the same for Pilot and NFO I believe.:(

I was qualified for NFO and had PRK that went from 20/400 to 20/13, however, I had no astigmatism and I do remember the -3.00 requirement being part of my waiver request package.
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is it safe to say that if you are not eligible for PRK then you will not be eligible for NFO? do you know of an NFO applicant ever getting NPQd for vision even though its correctable to 20/20? when I go to MEPs will they measure my refractive errors? do you know how subjective these tests are? is there someone I could contact that would have these answers?[/quote]

I think being eligible for PRK and NFO are two separate requirements, I did not go the MEPS, so I am unsure of their procedure. I would post your specific question regarding your astigmatism and qualification for NFO or Pilot in the Doc's corner forum. I know there is at least one flight surgeon who lurks the forums every once in awhile. Other than that, I know they have some good information regarding disqualifying conditions within that forum, so maybe just browse around some of the older posts. I unfortunately do not have enough knowledge on the subject to give you additional help, good luck and I hope a person more qualified will send you a message or help you out.
 
Ralph said:
Why would you get Prk to be an Nfo?
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Pretty simple, they have set minimum vision standards for each group, i.e., SNA, SNFO, SWO etc. If you desire to be selected for any of these groups, you must meet these limits... which in some cases, may require PRK. NFO vision standards may be slightly less restrictive than for Pilot; however, NFOs may end up assisting pilots as a second set of eyes, in several types of Navy aircraft, which requires keen eyesight, to pick up visually & avoid midairs in VMC (VFR) conditions.

Keen eyesight also important for NFOs in monitoring instruments in the cockpit. :)
BzB
 
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quote="Ralph, post: 758463, member: 10516"]This thread said that refractive must not exceed -8.00 and no set vision.

http://www.airwarriors.com/community/index.php?threads/nfo-vision-requirements.26920/[/quote]

I am aware the total refractive error cannot excede + or -8.00 diopters but if more than 3.00 of those dipters are from astigmatism you are considered NPQ. My question is not whether I am within the limit, I know that I am not. my question is if there is a limit on pre op prk for NFOs as well, or if this is an easily waiverable disqualification.
 
teejmc said:
quote="Ralph, post: 758463, member: 10516"]This thread said that refractive must not exceed -8.00 and no set vision.

http://www.airwarriors.com/community/index.php?threads/nfo-vision-requirements.26920/
Click to expand...

I am aware the total refractive error cannot excede + or -8.00 diopters but if more than 3.00 of those dipters are from astigmatism you are considered NPQ. My question is not whether I am within the limit, I know that I am not. my question is if there is a limit on pre op prk for NFOs as well, or if this is an easily waiverable disqualification.[/quote]

The pre op limits are for all designators
 
I
NavyOffRec said:
I am aware the total refractive error cannot excede + or -8.00 diopters but if more than 3.00 of those dipters are from astigmatism you are considered NPQ. My question is not whether I am within the limit, I know that I am not. my question is if there is a limit on pre op prk for NFOs as well, or if this is an easily waiverable disqualification.
Click to expand...

The pre op limits are for all designators[/quote]
According to the NAMI Waiver Guidelines the pre-op numbers for a PRK waiver are the same as the qualifying numbers for NFO.
 
teejmc said:
I


The pre op limits are for all designators
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According to the NAMI Waiver Guidelines the pre-op numbers for a PRK waiver are the same as the qualifying numbers for NFO.[/quote]

The NAMI waiver guide comes into play after you get past N3M, the Navy Medical Manual is the first step, you have to meet basic entrance standards then meet aviation standards.
 
Ralph said:
Why would you get Prk to be an Nfo?
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I was selected NFO, prior to getting PRK. That being said, I hated wearing an EAB mask and trying to fit my glasses in them, while I served on submarines. I hated wearing glasses in general, and was not allowed to wear contacts while on submarines. I would assume, the ability to not have to wear glasses, or contacts that dry out, while on mission, would make my QOL better no matter what profession I choose, especially if I have to wear a mask ;) That being said, if you don't mind wearing glasses and you are qualified as an NFO and want to be an NFO, then don't run the risk of being disqualified post PRK process, just for creature comforts. My choice wasn't to make me qualified to be a pilot (however I do enjoy opening doors in life, rather than closing or ignoring them) and the Navy paid for it, so it was a win win situation for me :D
 
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