Vision Requirements

[akamifeldman]

Bunk 22: Okay, thanks for the clarification. When is the earliest the Navy will consider someone for PRK? Can a midshipman, while in NROTC or the USNA get it, or must they be commissioned officers first? Can I graduate from an NROTC program or USNA, immediately get PRK from them and go straight into a SNA slot?
Thanks!

 

[tali264]

Dan,

This might help you out:

http://navymedicine.med.navy.mil/PRK/Aviation_study_clarification_msg.txt

Beth

 

[akamifeldman]

AWESOME! Beth, this is exactly the information I needed! Thank you, and good luck going into OCS! This

will turn into this

!

 

[akamifeldman]

I've dug around the site some more, here's a page of interest:
http://navymedicine.med.navy.mil/PRK/refractive_surgery_information.htm
From here you access all the PRK info.

 

[akamifeldman]

Okay, guys, I've done some more digging around and found that the above mentioned site is the best for Navy PRK info.

Bottom Line: You can have PRK done before your commissioning, assuming you meet all the pre and post-operative requirements, available on the above site. Or, you can have it done at the Navy's expense after commissioning, assuming you make a tough cut. In a nutshell, the old days of pilots needing eagle eyes from birth are over, now "four-eyed

" jocky-geeks like me can make it too!
I am

The Three D's of Aviation: Never do anything Dumb, Dangerous, or Different!

 

[krtyxl]

FYI - the AF numbers are good. I am AF pilot training at API. NAMI said my vision is 20/40 correctable to 20/20+, and I didn't need a waiver. An AF friend waiting to start API fpr Nav had 20/150, correctable to 20/20, and he got by okay, too.