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Autorefractor vs. Doc....after PRK and astigmatism question

Planeform

Well-Known Member
pilot
I posted this is the PRK section, but didn't get much response...reposting here!

Hey guys...quick question. I got PRK 8 months ago, got corrected to 20/20 but probably more like 20/25 due to some astigmatism I've got, but; within the regs of 20/40 for my SNA slot I am going to OCS for in December.

I've noticed some distortion in my vision for the last few months, or ever since healing really that is attributed to astigmatism from PRK. Today, I went to my eye-doc for a check up and to see if I could get a correction for the astigmatism. While slight, my vision could be crisper, so I thought I'd see what correction, if any, could be made. The autorefractor came up with no acuity correction in my right eye, -.25 in my left and astigmatism correction in my left eye of -1.25 @175deg and -.75 @ 5 deg in my right. This could be an issue because the cut-off for SNA for astigmatism is -1.00 in any direction.

BUT, the doc then assessed my vision and corrected with the phoropter (the thing they put over your eyes to give you a prescription and give you a correction while looking at an eye chart). The astigmatism correction he came up with was -.50 @ 3deg in my right and -.75 @ 179deg in my left. His assessment puts me well with in the specs to be a Naval Aviator.

Should I be concerned with being given the "NAMI Whammy" due to my auto-refractor astigmatism that is out of spec or does the prescription the doc manually comes up with count and therefore I not worry? I would think the doc's actual assessment will override the autorefractor but I am unsure of what actually holds the weight in this case. Any input is appreciated.

FWIW, my doc said that since I've had PRK, autorefractors aren't necessarily as accurate since my cornea has been modified and isnt as 'round' as someones cornea who hasn't had the surgery, thus, I get a higher number through the autorefractor.

Thoughts?​
 

JONNY

New Member
I failed the OCS flight physical due an eye and heart issue on 5 OCT, so I'm pretty familiar with it. I'm obviously not a flight doc, but here's my take: The doctors and optometrists at Naval Health Clinic New England are very thorough. They will test you every way possible to get the best results. They are in direct (albeit slow) communication with NAMI down in Pensacola. My advice is to stop worrying about it because worrying about it won't change the results when you get to OCS. It is a waste of energy. Who knows, you could fail for some other completely different reason like me. I was all worried about my visual acuity, and sure enough I was disqualified for excessive phoria. If you fail the test the first time, they will test you again twice to make sure they get accurate results. Worse case is you fail every time and you redes or go home. Hope that helps.
 

feddoc

Really old guy
Contributor
Your doc did nothing out of the ordinary and his assessment, assuming he put it in writing, will be what matters. I think you will be ok.
 
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