AFROTC + LASIK/PRK ????????

[USAFA2021]

Hi everyone,

So straight to the point, I am currently a sophomore in AFROTC and have a deep desire to get picked up for a pilot slot. I took the AFOQT and am happy with a score of 86. Now the one thing im worried about is something that I cant even control-my eyesight.

Does anybody have any insight on the process of when to pursue eye-corrective surgery while in AFROTC ?

The NCO's say to wait till im in Active Duty because getting corretive eye surgery would interfere with Field Training coming up this next summer.

I'm just really confused on WHEN to start this process. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Tex232]

The NCO's say to wait till im in Active Duty because getting corretive eye surgery would interfere with Field Training coming up this next summer.

Don't put too much stock into what the NCO's are telling you. I've seen/heard of more than one instance in which a cadet was screwed over due to what they heard from an enlisted man. I'd consult with your officers. The big thing to keep in mind is they won't offer you a medical waiver to fly with corrective surgery until you are at least one year post op.

 

[Pima]

Are you waiverable?

 

[USAFA2021]

The NCO's say to wait till im in Active Duty because getting corretive eye surgery would interfere with Field Training coming up this next summer.

Don't put too much stock into what the NCO's are telling you. I've seen/heard of more than one instance in which a cadet was screwed over due to what they heard from an enlisted man. I'd consult with your officers. The big thing to keep in mind is they won't offer you a medical waiver to fly with corrective surgery until you are at least one year post op.

Will do, thanks so much for the input. I will speak to my officer this up-coming week.

 

[CrewDad]

USAFA2021. Don’t get your eyes corrected. If you read past posts or read on AF Sites and USAFA site will tell you will be DQ’d if you get lasik before 21 and prior to getting permission to from the Air Force. Your eyes will be corrected by the Air Force if you are qualified for Aviation. Don’t worry about poor eye site at this point. If correctable AF will do it for you!

 

[Pima]

Our DS was on the cusp. He begged and pleaded with us to let him get it done. His father (retired F15E WSO) said the one thing you don't mess with is your eyes. By the time he was 20 he was no longer on the cusp. He is an ADAF pilot and never had eye surgery.

 

[USAFA2021]

Are you waiverable?

Waivrable

USAFA2021. Don’t get your eyes corrected. If you read past posts or read on AF Sites and USAFA site will tell you will be DQ’d if you get lasik before 21 and prior to getting permission to from the Air Force. Your eyes will be corrected by the Air Force if you are qualified for Aviation. Don’t worry about poor eye site at this point. If correctable AF will do it for you!

Our DS was on the cusp. He begged and pleaded with us to let him get it done. His father (retired F15E WSO) said the one thing you don't mess with is your eyes. By the time he was 20 he was no longer on the cusp. He is an ADAF pilot and never had eye surgery.

I see. My best guess of what will happen is that God willing I get a pilot slot, medical will disqualify me for my eyesight, then send me to get corrective eye surgery. Also Pima, what is cusp exactly ?

 

[Pima]

Cusp means you are right there on the edge. You don't need a waiver right now, but if it gets worse than you will.

They may not send you for surgery if it is waiverable. Remember as an AFROTC cadet you are on your own insurance, not theirs. That is true until you become AD at your 1st base. Getting them to send you while you are on casual status may be unrealistic. It takes months to get back on flight status.

 

[Humey]

My son is at UPT right now and wears glasses. They actually gave him like 8 pairs of glasses as part of his equipment. Some are for flying and the rest are for every day. He went recently and was retested as he was hoping he wouldnt need to wear his glasses. They said he needed to continue but told him if his vision gets worse and doesnt want to wear the glasses, they would fix his eyes.

 

[Sleeplessnights]

My son had PRK after Field Training with the permission of his AFROTC unit. He also had to have regular checks after the PRK, and it all had to be documented on forms supplied by his unit. As others have noted, the AF doesn't pay for PRK while you are in AFROTC (his surgery was funded by the Bank of Dad). It worked out for him, as he is now a pilot. The rules may have changed since he was in AFROTC.

 

[GoCubbies]

Hi everyone,

So straight to the point, I am currently a sophomore in AFROTC and have a deep desire to get picked up for a pilot slot. I took the AFOQT and am happy with a score of 86. Now the one thing im worried about is something that I cant even control-my eyesight.

Does anybody have any insight on the process of when to pursue eye-corrective surgery while in AFROTC ?

The NCO's say to wait till im in Active Duty because getting corretive eye surgery would interfere with Field Training coming up this next summer.

I'm just really confused on WHEN to start this process. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

What is your eyeglasses prescription?

 

[kevster]

I went to FT, contracted, and then got PRK done (on my parent's dime) right before my junior year started. I did my FC1 Physical a year after surgery. My vision was about 20/200 prior to surgery. My information may be dated (2014 grad) but I would absolutely try and compete for a pilot slot out of ROTC. AD UPT slots are incredibly difficult to come by. ROTC/USAFA are the best ways to snag a slot. It's been 4 years since I was a cadet but I'm fairly certain that ROTC cadets will not get their eyes corrected by the AF as CrewDad said above even if they are PQed. I think that is just a USAFA thing. I have known AD members who got LASIK/PRK as part of the Warfighter program at Wright-Pat but that is not designed to create Pilot candidates.

In regards to your timing question, If the process is the same when I was in you need to contract prior to getting surgery. Get it done right before your junior year because I think there is about a 9 month check up period to make sure your eyes have stabilized. Your vision will be 20/20 and you can compete for a rated slot right away. After your 9 month period, you can go and take your FC1 at WP. Keep all your PRK/LASIK documentation and bring it to WP. I think PRK/LASIK is an automatic waiver now.

I would recommend you spend a few nights really digging into the process for ROTC cadets. No one will care about this more than you will. It's a weird process and non-rated cadre might not understand the Flight Physical game so verify everything you are told. Before and after my surgery I was proactive in finding regs and making sure I met all deadlines. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions. Best of luck!

 

[Pima]

Kevster.
Long time no see! How is the flying going? You must be up for a PCS soon, right? FYI, if you haven't been following lately...your AFROTC mentor has had a baby girl, or I should say his wife had the baby, and he is just the proud daddy.