Topper Harley
Good NEWS everyone!
Hello all.
I understand that this post is a long one but it does contain all of the legitimate information that I was given and accumulated on my own research before getting my PRK surgery. If you have any questions at all then please post them or PM me and I will get the answer. This first post is mainly about financing so definitely read this when you can. Then next post is about the difference in PRK and lasik and the five different ways of doing PRK and my third post will be about my PRK surgery.
Enjoy.
Apply for PRK financing at www.carecredit.com
I, like many of you, have dreamed of being a Naval Aviator but have had the cloud of bad eyesight looming overhead. The Navy does allow waivers for those who wish to undertake PRK at their own expense. Keep in mind that PRK has been around since the late 1980's, a lot longer than lasik, and generally claims to have better long lasting results than lasik. However, it needs to be said that while neither procedure is painful, the recovery for PRK is painful and takes a very long time compared to lasik. Also lasik is much less expensive. Lasik rates that I have seen here in Tennessee range from $700 to $800 where as my PRK cost $4,200, however because I was having the surgery to join the Navy as a pilot, my surgeon took pity on me and gave me a $500 sort of military discount which brought my actual price to $3,700. With all of this in mind, if you really and truly want above all else to be a Naval Aviator and you need corrective eye surgery then PRK is the only way to achieve that goal I will give you some tips in just a second for getting the surgery paid for. However, if you feel that you may be just as happy as a surface warfare officer or in another field and they will allow for lasik, keep in mind that I'm not sure if they will accept surface warfare officers with lasik or not so speak with your officer recruiter. If they do allow for it then lasik may be the most practical option. Now for the financing. Most eye surgeons that can perform PRK will not accept insurance because it is an elective procedure so having insurance will not help you in this case. You can explain to the eye surgeon that you are having the surgery so that you can join the military as an aviator and they may give you a discount. I didn't know that they would but the nurse found out that I was joining the Navy and that was why I was having the surgery. She left for a second and then return with a paper to sign off on and she said he was going to give me a military discount so you may be as lucky as I was. The next thing that I would suggest is to go to your normal eye doctor to ask if you're a good candidate for PRK and if there is any surgeons in the area that they can suggest that would be good to perform the surgery. My eye doctor said I was a great candidate and suggested two different places in Knoxville, TN that could perform the surgery. He said that TN Valley Eye Center would be the better of the two. I called them both and decided on TN Valley Eye Center because they were very friendly and on the phone they were very knowledgeable. The other that I called, the person who answered the phone wasn't really sure what PRK was so I steered clear of them so definitely call around. When it came time for financing there is a few options: you could take out a personal loan but my bank only allowed for 48 months financing which isn't bad but it made my monthly payment $120. I have heard from people that you can take out money on your student loans but I never looked into it so anyone that has information about that, it would be great for you to post that on here as well. The option that I chose was called Care Credit. You can apply for a loan that will cover medical procedures that insurance will not. They offer 0& financing if you pay it off in a certain amount of time and they also offer low monthly payments with 13& financing, which is what my bank was offering for the percentage rate. that you can pay up to 60 months on. So with my $3,700 loan my monthly payments will be between $87 and $93 so not too shabby. They also don't have any penalties for paying more so when I get my income tax, I'll probably put it all toward the surgery. The best part about this is that because you are doing the surgery for another profession, you can write off the surgery on your taxes so looking forward to that next year.
I understand that this post is a long one but it does contain all of the legitimate information that I was given and accumulated on my own research before getting my PRK surgery. If you have any questions at all then please post them or PM me and I will get the answer. This first post is mainly about financing so definitely read this when you can. Then next post is about the difference in PRK and lasik and the five different ways of doing PRK and my third post will be about my PRK surgery.
Enjoy.
Apply for PRK financing at www.carecredit.com
I, like many of you, have dreamed of being a Naval Aviator but have had the cloud of bad eyesight looming overhead. The Navy does allow waivers for those who wish to undertake PRK at their own expense. Keep in mind that PRK has been around since the late 1980's, a lot longer than lasik, and generally claims to have better long lasting results than lasik. However, it needs to be said that while neither procedure is painful, the recovery for PRK is painful and takes a very long time compared to lasik. Also lasik is much less expensive. Lasik rates that I have seen here in Tennessee range from $700 to $800 where as my PRK cost $4,200, however because I was having the surgery to join the Navy as a pilot, my surgeon took pity on me and gave me a $500 sort of military discount which brought my actual price to $3,700. With all of this in mind, if you really and truly want above all else to be a Naval Aviator and you need corrective eye surgery then PRK is the only way to achieve that goal I will give you some tips in just a second for getting the surgery paid for. However, if you feel that you may be just as happy as a surface warfare officer or in another field and they will allow for lasik, keep in mind that I'm not sure if they will accept surface warfare officers with lasik or not so speak with your officer recruiter. If they do allow for it then lasik may be the most practical option. Now for the financing. Most eye surgeons that can perform PRK will not accept insurance because it is an elective procedure so having insurance will not help you in this case. You can explain to the eye surgeon that you are having the surgery so that you can join the military as an aviator and they may give you a discount. I didn't know that they would but the nurse found out that I was joining the Navy and that was why I was having the surgery. She left for a second and then return with a paper to sign off on and she said he was going to give me a military discount so you may be as lucky as I was. The next thing that I would suggest is to go to your normal eye doctor to ask if you're a good candidate for PRK and if there is any surgeons in the area that they can suggest that would be good to perform the surgery. My eye doctor said I was a great candidate and suggested two different places in Knoxville, TN that could perform the surgery. He said that TN Valley Eye Center would be the better of the two. I called them both and decided on TN Valley Eye Center because they were very friendly and on the phone they were very knowledgeable. The other that I called, the person who answered the phone wasn't really sure what PRK was so I steered clear of them so definitely call around. When it came time for financing there is a few options: you could take out a personal loan but my bank only allowed for 48 months financing which isn't bad but it made my monthly payment $120. I have heard from people that you can take out money on your student loans but I never looked into it so anyone that has information about that, it would be great for you to post that on here as well. The option that I chose was called Care Credit. You can apply for a loan that will cover medical procedures that insurance will not. They offer 0& financing if you pay it off in a certain amount of time and they also offer low monthly payments with 13& financing, which is what my bank was offering for the percentage rate. that you can pay up to 60 months on. So with my $3,700 loan my monthly payments will be between $87 and $93 so not too shabby. They also don't have any penalties for paying more so when I get my income tax, I'll probably put it all toward the surgery. The best part about this is that because you are doing the surgery for another profession, you can write off the surgery on your taxes so looking forward to that next year.