To answer your surgical correction question, I've pasted below the USNA Medical Considerations for Admissions excerpt because it's the same as that of DODI 6130.03. The USCG follows very similar standards when it comes to aviation:
"Procedures to change the refraction (Corneal Refractive Surgery) performed with the excimer laser, including but not limited to photorefractive keratectomy, laser epithelial keratomileusis, and laserassisted in situ keratomileusis are disqualifying if any of the following conditions are met: the presurgical refractive error in either eye exceeded a spherical equivalent of +8.00 or -8.00 diopters, pre-surgical astigmatism exceeded 3.00 diopters, at least six-month recovery period has not occurred between last refractive surgery or augmenting procedure and accession medical exam, there have been complications and/or medications or ophthalmologic solutions required and postsurgical refraction in each eye is not stable. Additionally, history of any incisional corneal surgery, including but not limited to partial or full thickness corneal transplant, radial keratotomy, astigmatic keratotomy, or corneal transplants are disqualifying.”
So, you can have corneal refractive surgery (CRS) provided you don't meet any of the DQ conditions listed above. However, no eye surgeon should be doing CRS on a kid who is a junior/senior in HS. Eye surgeons generally wait until at least the 3rd year of school to do CRS. In other words, if you're considering having CRS to correct your vision and refraction to aeromedical standards before applying, I wouldn't do it because your visual acuity, in general, hasn't stabilized yet.
