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Strabismus Eye Surgery

TomG6289

New Member
My question is WHY is this a non-waiverable disqualifier for SNA. My child was misled thinking they could test through this and has successfully all through college, selecting pilot, only to arrive Pensacola and be told by NAMI test results don't matter....if you have had this surgery you are not qualified for SNA...period end of story. I get it; we have all heard of the NAMI whammy. But when your dream is destroyed after years of success and anticipation I would like to know WHY is this the case? What are the statistics? What are they worried about? Why non-waiverable? No clear answers given. Which is even more unfair. Anyone?
 

exNavyOffRec

Well-Known Member
My question is WHY is this a non-waiverable disqualifier for SNA. My child was misled thinking they could test through this and has successfully all through college, selecting pilot, only to arrive Pensacola and be told by NAMI test results don't matter....if you have had this surgery you are not qualified for SNA...period end of story. I get it; we have all heard of the NAMI whammy. But when your dream is destroyed after years of success and anticipation I would like to know WHY is this the case? What are the statistics? What are they worried about? Why non-waiverable? No clear answers given. Which is even more unfair. Anyone?
That is very frustrating, especially with the doc not saying specifically why.

Did they not say anything in OCS when he did that physical?
 

UInavy

Registered User
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
Though I understand you and your son’s frustration, this is spelled out in the ARWG:

“History of strabismus surgery is considered disqualifying for all aviation duty. A waiver typically will not be considered for an SNA applicant, due to the risk of progressive degradation to alignment even decades later. A waiver for aviation duty other than an SNA applicant may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Waiver consideration is no sooner than six months after a successful and stable strabismus surgery if post-operatively, the member otherwise meets the visual standards appropriate for his or her duty.”

A bit more here: https://www.med.navy.mil/Portals/62...ology_210301.pdf?ver=_BSKKNeNxXBNVTS7QP2ouA==

It may be worth a conversation with whoever les your son to believe it would be waiverable. Either that person was misinformed or received info contrary to the waiver guide.
 

TomG6289

New Member
Thanks for the response and link. I will delve into that. I see above but still really not the why. I guess I could extrapolate the potential degradation but that could be checked every year with a waiver no? The surgery was over 6 years ago, went extremely well and all flight exam vision tests were passed. Doesn’t that deserve a shot? Young kids stay healed generally for many years. I’m venting. Thanks again.
 

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Thanks for the response and link. I will delve into that. I see above but still really not the why. I guess I could extrapolate the potential degradation but that could be checked every year with a waiver no? The surgery was over 6 years ago, went extremely well and all flight exam vision tests were passed. Doesn’t that deserve a shot? Young kids stay healed generally for many years. I’m venting. Thanks again.

A flight doc would have to tell you more but in the Aeromedical Reference and Waiver Guide that @UInavy linked it states:

AEROMEDICAL CONCERNS: Single, fused/stereoscopic, simultaneous binocular vision in all fields of gaze is a requirement for safe and effective flight duties. Congenital or acquired defects of ocular alignment as well as any surgery to correct ocular misalignment can cause mild to severe degradations to binocular vision and acuity and be a grave hazard in aviation.
 
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exNavyOffRec

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the response and link. I will delve into that. I see above but still really not the why. I guess I could extrapolate the potential degradation but that could be checked every year with a waiver no? The surgery was over 6 years ago, went extremely well and all flight exam vision tests were passed. Doesn’t that deserve a shot? Young kids stay healed generally for many years. I’m venting. Thanks again.
Are they allowing him to stay in the USN? and if so are they letting him be a NFO or is he DQ'd from all aviation?
 
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