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Eye surgery...should I get it and when?

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Crypto, LASIK is not accepted. You're screwed. Sorry. I hear Army aviation might wave LASIK. If you got LASEK, that is accepted.
 
I clarified the LASIK/LASEK issue with the recruiter before I had the surgery. He talked to the person in his shop that deals with medical issues and they said that LASIK with an IK is accepted, not LASEK with an EK. I'll double check first thing tommorrow and tell you what I hear. Cross your fingers.
 
He talked to the person in his shop that deals with medical issues and they said that LASIK with an IK is accepted, not LASEK with an EK.
Click to expand...

D'oh! This sounds like 'he said she said' business. Crypto, as long as I've been on this board, lasIK has never been on the waiver list. Something might have suddenly changed, but if it has I haven't heard about it. Best of luck.
 
I believe that its the other way around. LASEK is approved, LASIK is not. LASEK is almost the same as PRK. The only difference is how they remove the outter layer of the eye. LASIK involves creating a flap, which weakens the eye.
 
That sounds like the worst deal in the world to have a recruiter be off by 1 letter and it totally screwing you. Should have gotten it in writing. If you still interested in aviation, Army I beleive might waver it.
Hartman, did you get prk, and a waver, and is it a good idea to try to get a recruiter to put something in writing, would they cooperate?
Thanks
PS, where are you now in your training?
 
Its not just a "he said she said", I have plenty of email on this issue between myself and the recuiter. He talked to a Navy doctor and this is what he got back:

LT, I don't know of anyone doing RK eye surgery anymore - it is now
known that it destabilizes the eye. We rarely will have an applicant
that had RK surgery done in the military and will for the most part
grant a waiver. Any other applicants with RK have not been waivered.
LASIK and PRK are typically waiverable but the PRE-operative refractive
measurements must meet the current acession eye standards. As for your
last question, waiting time is generally 3 months postoperative.
-----------

Im going to find the letter of the law before I relax on this one; stay tuned Bat-fans.
 
See:
http://www.nomi.med.navy.mil/Nami/WaiverGuideTopics/ophthalmology.htm
I beleive NAMI has the final say on all medical issues.
"At this time, waiver for history of LASIK may be recommended for only accession and designated Class III personnel (air controller, flight deck, UAV operator). If future Navy studies of LASIK in aircrew are favorable, they too may be recommended for waiver, but at present no waiver shall be recommended for history of LASIK in Class I and II personnel."
 
Daedalus, has the correct info there. I just went through it so I've done all the research. LASIK is waivered, but not for Class 1. to be a pilot you have to have PRK!! LASEK is a form of PRK so that is accepted. Sorry Crypto that really sucks.


Ben
 
Daedalus - Yes, I waivered for PRK and am still 20/10 in each eye two years after surgery. I'm very pleased with the results. I'm in Primary now.

I doubt that you could get the recruiter to put anything in writing regarding PRK surgery. I found most recruiters to be ill informed of the Navy's policies surrounding PRK surgery, but that was a while ago. More and more people are doing it now and it's not an uncommon thing. I know many classmates who are in flight training now because they had PRK. Good luck.
 
The thing that I found best is to do you own research. If you come up with something different from the recruiter then you shold question. If you come up with the same thing, then you should still question. I personally called up and talked to a flight surgeon to make sure.

Ben
 
Wow, glad I started this forum...
My recruiter recommended that I wait until I find out if I have been Pro Recd before I spend money on surgery. My concern is that I will have to reapply if I go this route, meaning new rec letters and everything. I know a couple of you have gone this route...any other input or recommendations?
 
WARNING, WARNING! if you do wait to find out if you got a pro rec, you have to qualify (medically) within 90 days. but, oops, the wait for prk is ---90 days. so that's the snag you can (and i did) run into.
 
Can you get a waiver to extend the period in which you can medically qualify? I guess if you know the date you are going to be pro rec'd, you could pull it off exactly, haha.
 
Kevin, I take it what you wrote earlier (below) is still possible?

(they just put my app aside since id already been pro recd. then i had to get prk, wait 3 months, then do the medical (which turned out being a full class I), prt, and then resubmit. the reason i could get away with this is that the pro rec board in the new process doesnt have anything to do with medical stuff. from what i understand, my app is now being looked at by the pro rec and ocs boards simultaneously.)
 
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