She has been told that they are allowed to get either PRK or LASIK as long as the eye doctor says they are a candidate for either. They have to do it on their own. Coast Guard does not pay or provide doctors. They are allowed to get it while at the Academy, and just have to make sure that the doctor will let her get follow-ups with the Academy doctors. She is considering flight school so knows she needs to get it by mid-year her 2/c year. So....it is finding a good eye surgeon that is the trick. If she could go to one that is used/recommended by the Navy that would probably be good.Your last sentence is the long pole in the tent. Your DD is the one to research the process and determine USCGA SOP for their cadets for this procedure.
Part of the answer may be in this link. Since there is not a DoD medical center facility in the neighborhood, specialty care is referred to local providers. This is standard for military people under TRICARE Prime who are remote from DoD major medical centers. The military CAC card serves as the insurance card and generally pays 100% for approved care outside MTFs (military treatment facilities).
Clinic/Medical Services - United States Coast Guard Academy
Clinic/Medical Services Staff The Clinic serves cadets and active duty military personnel including residential students at the Leadership and Development Center It is staffed by Public Health Service officers, Health Service technicians and support personnel. The Clinic provides the following...www.uscga.edu
No doubt some others will weigh in with factual experience. I suspect there is a local provider who is a long-time referral for this procedure. USCGA will want to minimize time away from school and keep a watchful eye.
That is not what they've been told. She attended a meeting specifically on LASIK/PRK this past year which is what prompted my initial post. Most cadets get it while at the Academy if they are going to, especially if they are considering flight school upon graduation. She was not told that they had to wait til after graduation.
ekb1398
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Sorry, to clarify: The Coast Guard will not approve it to be paid for by the government until after graduation.
ekb1398
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I will also add for the information of anyone who may read this in the future: There is a common misconception that you must have 20/20 vision without the aid of glasses or contacts. This is NOT true. I forget the exact standards, but I think it can be down to 20/40 or 20/50 uncorrected and still be eligible for flight school. If anyone is near this, it's worth looking further into the details before dropping thousands on surgery.