Corrective Eye Surgery prior to R-Day

PJay

5-Year Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2011
Messages
45
I'm sure this question has been asked before, but I couldn't find one given a few minutes of searching...

my vision is about -6 in each eye (give or take .25) and am contemplating Lasik and recovery before R-day. Any suggestions? I don't know if my eye sight will be changing much after now, since I'm gonna be 18 in two weeks. Also does USMA have any opinions on this?
 
I would say no.

From USMA catalog page 191

Refractive Surgery: Procedures to
change the refraction (refractive surgery)
including but not limited to: Lamellar
and/or Penetrating Keratoplasty, Radial
Keratotomy and Astigmatic Keratotomy
are disqualifying. Refractive surgery
performed with an Excimer Laser,
including but not limited to Photorefractive
Keratectomy (PRK), Laser Epithelial
Keratomileusis (LASEK), and Laser-
Assisted in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)
is disqualifying if any of the following
conditions are met: The pre-operative
refractive error exceeded +8.00 or -8.00
diopters (spherical equivalent) in either
eye; pre-operative astigmatism exceeded
3.00 diopters; at least a six-month
recovery period has not occurred between
last refractive surgery or augmenting
procedure and DoDMERB medical exam;
there have been complications and/or
medications or ophthalmic solutions
required; and post-surgical refraction in
each eye is not stable.
 
In simple language, you cannot have it done. Do NOT do it. You will have it done by the Army firstie year. Just wait.
 
Agree with all the above - DON'T DO IT!
Don't risk being medically DQ'd.

WP will do it for you. But you don't have to wait until Firstie year.
My Cow DS had it done last semester.
 
Mine had to wait til he jumped through the aviation hoops...which were delayed by semester abroad...but definitely isn't done plebe or yearling year.
 
Mine had to wait til he jumped through the aviation hoops...which were delayed by semester abroad...but definitely isn't done plebe or yearling year.

Yeah- I think you have to sign the Cow commitment first. :wink:
 
We were told straight out by a member of USMA Admissions, at an information session in the fall: You will DQ if you have corrective eye surgery at any point between DoDMERB certification and R-Day. Period. His exact words (I actually wrote them down in my notebook at the time): "We don't want to find out the hard way that you had your surgery done by some lowest-bidder doctor in Canada, by having you go to your first artillery exercise and have the concussion cause your retina to detach and fly out of your skull. This would be considered a suboptimal event". That image alone made the session worth the price of admission. Suboptimal event. Classic. :biggrin:
 
"We don't want to find out the hard way that you had your surgery done by some lowest-bidder doctor in Canada, by having you go to your first artillery exercise and have the concussion cause your retina to detach and fly out of your skull. This would be considered a suboptimal event".

Ha ha ha ha! :smile:
 
After beast, and the cadets settle into the school year, can cadets wear contact lenses instead of the glasses?
 
After beast, and the cadets settle into the school year, can cadets wear contact lenses instead of the glasses?

Yes. The only times you will have to wear glasses after Beast will be during training and will vary depending on what training you do over the Summers.
 
What are the qualifications needed, or circumstances needed to get the lasik surgery at West Point?
 
There are medical guidelines you have to meet, as far as eye shape, corneal thickness, etc. My son was DQ'd from having it done at WP, but was granted a special waiver to have it done by a civilian doc.
 
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