Maddox Rod Test

[Whitingorbust]

Just received word back from NAMI that as of now I am NPQ'd from commissioning as an SNA, but can still go in as and SNFO due to an excessive exophoria. They are sending me back to a military ophthalmologist to get a Maddox Rod Test and was wondering if anyone here has had this test done and has any advice for preparing for it. If I pass it within standards I can still commission as an SNA, so that's what I am crossing my fingers for. I am doing some exercises that were recommended in another thread, but given my appointment is in less than a week I doubt they will do much good. Any advice on this test and anything else I can do to help my chances would be greatly appreciated.

 

[torpedo0126]

not to dampen your hopes, but even if you pass the one this week, you might still have to pass it AT NAMI when you get down to pensacola. hopefully the 'exercises' you found will help strengthen whatever the test tests.

 

[Whitingorbust]

Apparently the exophoria is relatively easy to fix within about a month, well before I will be in Pensacola, I just don't have a month to fix it given I commission in a little more than a week. I am glad I can at least still commission as an SNFO, but I really hope I can keep my SNA. Does anyone know about re-designating prior to API if I were able to get something like this fixed?

 

[torpedo0126]

i don't know the specifics. Run a search and there should be a lot of info about it as switching is a quite common topic.

I am fairly sure though you have to be in the top 10% of NFOs in your API class to be eligible, but don't quote me on that.

Hope everything works out, good luck.

 

[Whitingorbust]

Thanks for the advice, got cleared this morning so I guess what little I did helped out!

 

[nugget61]

Congrats. Do you have a link to the exercises that worked for you?

 

[Whitingorbust]

I was able to get some of these cards http://www.bernell.com/product/3228/152 . They were recommended in another post. Basically all the cards do is make you go cross-eyed and then you move them toward and away from your face maintaining a fusion of the two circles in the middle. Its boring as hell to do, but I did thirty minutes a day for about a week before my appointment and showed no signs of phoria after I went back. Supposedly you can do the same thing by just focusing on a pencil and moving it forward and backward from your nose, but this worked for me.

 

[DavidC]

Sorry to grave dig, but does anyone know of a way to detect phoria without an eye exam? Trying to figure out if I should be doing any of these exercises before my flight physical.