PRK surgery

PackMom

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My S (2C NROTC) is planning to have PRK surgery over Christmas break in order to pursue an EOD slot next Fall. Anybody out there with PRK experience? Is there any kind of paperwork/permission he needs from the Navy before proceeding with PRK? He is not aware of any. Told me he knows several mids in his battalion who have had PRK who have just made the arrangements and done it on their own. He says he plans to let his NROTC commanding officers know he plans to have PRK done but is there any thing else he should do?

Also, if anyone has had PRK, what has your experience been?
Thanks, PackMom
 
I had PRK done about a year ago (which reminds me that I need to go in for my final one year check-up).

I guess since he's ROTC the procedure is a little different. For us, if anyone was interested in PRK, you had to go to a PRK eye checkup in the USNA clinic on base to make sure your current presciption was correctable with PRK. After that, there was another more detailed eye checkup done in Bethesda to double check that you were qualified. A week after that appointment was the surgery at Bethesday.

Everything was handled by the Navy so I didn't have to go through any special paperwork. It was just a standard PRK pipeline that every who was interested in and qualified did.

I do know that after the surgery, your son will have to go through numerous follow up appointments to make sure that the eye heals right and that his vision improves. They are typically at the 1 month, 3 month, 6 month, and year intervals. The 6th month was the most important one because that is when the doctors officially cleared you as commissionable in the different warfare communities.
 
As long as the NROTC battalion commander gives your son the OK, then there is nothing to stop him from getting PRK. A verbal OK is sufficient. I would stress what KaMiKaZi has posted about the follow up appointments. Your son MUST make all follow up appointments up to the 1 year post surgery mark. Before your son's commissioning physical exam he will need copies of all the medical records pertaining to the PRK, from the pre-surgical workups, through that one year follow up. If he is missing any of that paperwork it could jeopardize his medical qualification.
 
Thank you so much for your replies. I will be sure to advise son to get copies of all paperwork.
 
My S's Det. has a list of doctors that they wish you use. They have been screened and other cadets have use them with good results. They also require a stack of paperwork to be filled out, one is permission of the commander. We have decided that he will have it done in his college town, because if there are any problems the doctor is there and not 800 miles away. I will fly in for the surgery and stay a couple of days to make sure he is OK.
 
Lasik

I just had Lasik on my eyes last week and both TLC and the Doctor performing the surgery told me that the Navy had in the last month approved bladeless (intralase) Lasik for pilots. I was asking about PRK because my son will be needing the surgery if he wants to fly and they said they just got the word in the last month. I have tried to find some written confirmation online about this and have been unsuccessful. Just wondering if you know whether or not it is true.
 
As of the last time I checked on the vision standards for Naval Aviation (last week), LASIK is still a disqualification, and waivers are not granted. There are some small study groups currently, but I stress SMALL and STUDY. If you are not a part of the study group PRIOR to getting LASIK, at this point in time you will not become a Naval Aviator.

Standards change though, and I would not be surprised to see it being approved sometime in the next 5 or so years (probably sooner).
 
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