Corrective Eye Surgey

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Bubbac17

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My DD is finishing her freshman year as a 4 year schaloarship Army ROTC Cadet. She is considering the possibility of having corrective eye surgery to avoid having to continue to wear glasses and/or contact lenses.

Her desire for the surgery is two fold:

1. She would really prefer to not have to wear corrective lenses
2. She wants to ensure that, (although she is currently 20/50 distant vision in each eye and we have had a fight surgeon ophthalmologist assess her using the Army standards), she will be able to pass an Army Flight physical in a couple of years. She currently meets the standards (I know that this isn’t official), but she is concerned that her acuity may drop and she would prefer to not have that concern.

Her goal is to branch aviation (either AD or try to work her way into a NG Aviation unit). She is already a private pilot (since age 17).

As a former army aviator, the standards were different when I applied..... it was 20/20 and perfect exam or you were a No-Go. So this is all new to me!

I have read the current Army regs on flight status standards.

My questions are:

1. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good eye surgeon that understands the Army standards (we are in GA but willing to travel)

2. Timing seems to be important and the Army flight exam requires time for stabilization from surgery. She will be 20 this Septmeber and we were considering having this done during Christmas Break.

3. What hoops or permissions are required at her Battalion as a contracted cadet contemplating corrective eye surgery and seeking an aviation branch assignment?

4. Most importantly, is there anything that we do not know that we do not know? Any experince, stories, pitfalls or successes would be helpful.

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Capt MJ said:
See this discussion - this comes up regularly:

https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/a-few-questions.60044/
Click to expand...
Yes sir! Thank you for the link. My DD and I have already scoured this site for the various postings on CRS.

We were just wanting to ascertain if anyone had a recommendation for a surgeon and wanted to get any information that may have been changed or updated.

Thanks!
Capt MJ said:
See this discussion - this comes up regularly:

https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/a-few-questions.60044/
Click to expand...
 
Bubbac17 said:
My DD is finishing her freshman year as a 4 year schaloarship Army ROTC Cadet. She is considering the possibility of having corrective eye surgery to avoid having to continue to wear glasses and/or contact lenses.

Her desire for the surgery is two fold:

1. She would really prefer to not have to wear corrective lenses
2. She wants to ensure that, (although she is currently 20/50 distant vision in each eye and we have had a fight surgeon ophthalmologist assess her using the Army standards), she will be able to pass an Army Flight physical in a couple of years. She currently meets the standards (I know that this isn’t official), but she is concerned that her acuity may drop and she would prefer to not have that concern.

Her goal is to branch aviation (either AD or try to work her way into a NG Aviation unit). She is already a private pilot (since age 17).

As a former army aviator, the standards were different when I applied..... it was 20/20 and perfect exam or you were a No-Go. So this is all new to me!

I have read the current Army regs on flight status standards.

My questions are:

1. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good eye surgeon that understands the Army standards (we are in GA but willing to travel)

2. Timing seems to be important and the Army flight exam requires time for stabilization from surgery. She will be 20 this Septmeber and we were considering having this done during Christmas Break.

3. What hoops or permissions are required at her Battalion as a contracted cadet contemplating corrective eye surgery and seeking an aviation branch assignment?

4. Most importantly, is there anything that we do not know that we do not know? Any experince, stories, pitfalls or successes would be helpful.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

@Falcon A wrote up an excellent gouge in this forum a few months ago.

His DS backwards planned and timed the surgery perfectly so that he would pass the eye portion of the flight physical at Advanced Camp.
 
Bubbac17 said:
My questions are:

1. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good eye surgeon that understands the Army standards (we are in GA but willing to travel)

2. Timing seems to be important and the Army flight exam requires time for stabilization from surgery. She will be 20 this Septmeber and we were considering having this done during Christmas Break.

3. What hoops or permissions are required at her Battalion as a contracted cadet contemplating corrective eye surgery and seeking an aviation branch assignment?

4. Most importantly, is there anything that we do not know that we do not know? Any experience, stories, pitfalls or successes would be helpful.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

This based on experience of DS, commissioned out of AROTC May 2015, AD Sep 2015. He received PRK in Dec 2017.

1. He had PRK surgery at a Military Hospital in Mobile, AL by an opthamologist who was not a military surgeon. She certainly knew the standards. A military hospital would be a good place to start your search.

2. He thought of Branching AV at the beginning of his MS IV year, but decided against it because his recovery/stabilization time after PRK would have taken too long. I do not know the regs regarding LASIK, but I can tell you that the military only sanctions PRK for Active Duty.

3. I assume my DS cleared everything with his PMS, at which time he learned that he was too late receive PRK, recover and branch AV.

4. The PRK procedure is very invasive and immediate recovery is very painful. You and Mom should be prepared to do some nursing. The facility was first class. He stayed in something like a group home on the base that looked like something out of Better Homes and Gardens. My wife was with him to attend to some basic needs. He was not allowed to drive for, I believe, 5 days post surgery. The recovery/stabilization time is long. DS had to refrain from a number of physical activities for several months. As with your DD, his surgery was not medically necessary. Unlike your DD, he didn't have to pay for the procedure. He wanted to get rid of the glasses/contacts because he could look down the road as see that he may end up in Ranger School or SFAS and glasses would be one less thing to keep track of.

He couldn't be happier with the results.

I think the bottom line is to get the procedure ASAP if that is what you and she believe it is the right thing for her and ROTC give thumbs up.

Best of Luck!
 
My DS had lasik during winter break junior year so that he could take his aviation physical fall of senior year. We went with the surgeon recommended by his eye doctor. Little did I know that his surgeon is world reknown and travels nationally to perform lasik...it is all he does. He also wrote the text books on lasik and helped enhance a lot of the equipment used. My son's vision wasn't bad...they would not have performed lasik if it weren't for the military and aviation. He came out of it with 20/15 vision....this was over 3 years ago...he was just tested again at NAS, it came back 20/20....I don't think the base equipment is as accurate as the surgeons because they just checked him not to long ago and they had 20/15. Best thing he ever did.
 
Bubbac17 said:
My DD is finishing her freshman year as a 4 year schaloarship Army ROTC Cadet. She is considering the possibility of having corrective eye surgery to avoid having to continue to wear glasses and/or contact lenses.

Her desire for the surgery is two fold:

1. She would really prefer to not have to wear corrective lenses
2. She wants to ensure that, (although she is currently 20/50 distant vision in each eye and we have had a fight surgeon ophthalmologist assess her using the Army standards), she will be able to pass an Army Flight physical in a couple of years. She currently meets the standards (I know that this isn’t official), but she is concerned that her acuity may drop and she would prefer to not have that concern.

Her goal is to branch aviation (either AD or try to work her way into a NG Aviation unit). She is already a private pilot (since age 17).

As a former army aviator, the standards were different when I applied..... it was 20/20 and perfect exam or you were a No-Go. So this is all new to me!

I have read the current Army regs on flight status standards.

My questions are:

1. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good eye surgeon that understands the Army standards (we are in GA but willing to travel)

2. Timing seems to be important and the Army flight exam requires time for stabilization from surgery. She will be 20 this Septmeber and we were considering having this done during Christmas Break.

3. What hoops or permissions are required at her Battalion as a contracted cadet contemplating corrective eye surgery and seeking an aviation branch assignment?

4. Most importantly, is there anything that we do not know that we do not know? Any experince, stories, pitfalls or successes would be helpful.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

In terms of the standards for Army aviation, distant VA must be 20/50 or better. You are correct. Your DD is right on the cusp of the standard and could potentially go over with the next couple of exams. The Army will waive up to no worse than 20/70.

The other piece you need to look into is her refraction which is basically the amount of correction she needs to get her to 20/20.

What is her eye glasses prescription?
 
Many in my unit wait until Dec/Jan of their junior year to get surgery. May be different as it’s NROTC, but good information regardless
 
One other recommendation...have her obtain an approval to obtain lasik from her CO so that it can be retained in her file.
 
goirish1 said:
One other recommendation...have her obtain an approval to obtain lasik from her CO so that it can be retained in her file.
Click to expand...

GoIrish1 — “Approval” is not required. Read my post in the link @GoCubbies provided. Your DD does need to “inform” her cadre and she should get with her detachment medical waiver pic for advice on how to include info in her file.
 
Falcon A said:
goirish1 said:
One other recommendation...have her obtain an approval to obtain lasik from her CO so that it can be retained in her file.
Click to expand...

GoIrish1 — “Approval” is not required. Read my post in the link @GoCubbies provided. Your DD does need to “inform” her cadre and she should get with her detachment medical waiver pic for advice on how to include info in her file.
Click to expand...
Ah...my experience was NROTC and we did need a document from CO for medical file.
 
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