PRK eye surgery disqualifies??

[gus2001]

I need some clarification from the guys who are getting eye surgery. I know this has been debated and that there have been many topics, but I want to be sure. If a person gets PRK a year before enlisting in the navy, considering all went well and he sees 20/20, will he be able to enlist ? When I mean enlist I refer to enter the navy without asking for a SEAL challenge contract and without any immediate way to go to BUD/S. Just enlisting as any regular sailor.

This is a question I have not seen addressed, perhaps I haven't found it.
Is it possible, say for example, after 3 years to go to BUD/S, considering you receive the orders and the eyes are in good shape?


Thanks

[KDK273]

Well, first things first....its PRK, not PKR. Ha.

And yes, you can enlist in the Navy after having the surgery. I had PRK done October 29, 2004, and went to MEPS in early April of 2005. I believe that it is more along the lines of a one year wait from the date of surgery to go to BUD/S.

[brandon_12]

I'm actually scheduled for eye surgery one Feb. 27th through the navy that way i can get to BUD/s. I called the motivators today, that way i could find out the waiting periods for eye surgery to submit my package, and they told me that it was 3-6 months depending on the surgery and if everything went well... I'm pretty sure that as long as you have a letter in your medical record stating a successful surgery it's 3 months... But, I'm still trying to find it in writing, once i do, i'll post it that way if there's any problems with your recruiter not telling you the right info, you can just show them the BUMED instructions.

[brandon_12]

Go to this website, and read this medical Instruction
http://www.seal.navy.mil/seal/pdf/medicalfaq.pdf

Also, you can go to this web site and get the actual BUMED instruction: Just click on BUMED, then click on corrective eye surgery on the left side...It tells you all about what you need to know...Here is what it says just in case you can't find it...


5. What is the current policy for new accession candidates that have already had corneal refractive surgery and wish to enter the service in either the Navy or Marine Corps?
Beginning in 1997, the Navy/Marine Corps instituted a policy that allows waivers to be granted for laser corneal refractive surgery, provided certain uniform criteria are met. The purpose of requiring a waiver process is to ensure that applicants have had successful and stable outcomes following surgery, prior to being accepted into the service. Criteria that must be met before a waiver will be considered were most recently revised in April 2000, and include the following:

1. Surgery must have been completed at least six months prior to entry into the service.
2. Copies of all pre-operative notes, operative notes, and post-operative medical records must be submitted as part of the waiver review process.
3. Vision following surgery must be correctable with glasses (if necessary) to meet the current visual standards for whatever program the candidate is applying to.Visual standards may differ for enlistment, commissioning, or appointment to a service academy or NROTC.The term `correctable? means that glasses may be used if necessary to fine-tune the visual acuity even after surgery.If the use of glasses is still unable to correct the visual acuity to meet the specified visual standards of a particular program, a waiver will not generally be granted.
4. The results of the surgery must be stable. In other words, the refractive error (i.e. power of glasses) must not still be changing.In particular, the applicant must show evidence of two separate refractions having been performed at least one month apart after surgery, and there can be no more than 0.50 diopters difference in the measurement of sphere or cylinder.
5. There can be no complications present as a result of the surgery, such as difficulty with night vision, glare symptoms, scars or other conditions that interfere with visual function.
6. The amount of refractive error (i.e. myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism) that was present before surgery cannot exceed the current visual standards for entry into the service.In other words, if the amount of nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism before surgery was greater than what Navy and Marine Corps standards allow, the applicant will still be disqualified even if the visual acuity result after surgery is very good.The reason for this, is that the risk of other diseases of the eye, associated with very high degrees of refractive error, are not changed (i.e. are not reduced) as a result of having had refractive surgery.

Although the Navy waiver policy does not specifically exclude any form of refractive surgery from consideration, waivers for RK are no longer being considered.New forms of refractive surgery, such as intracorneal ring implants (ICR), will not likely be waivered until more data proving their safety and efficacy in the military is available.Meanwhile, candidates for general accessions into NON-WARFARE communities will generally receive approval of waiver requests for PRK and LASIK if all of the criteria identified above are satisfied.

Candidates for accession into WARFARE COMMUNITIES may have additional restrictions, and may require additional approval by community managers before a candidate is accepted in those communities.Presently, PRK is waiverable for accessions into all WARFARE communities.LASIK is waiverable for all WARFARE communities with the exception of aviation and diving. Appendix 3 contains tables that summarize PRK and LASIK policy for new accessions in both NON-WARFARE and WARFARE communities.

[PaulieP]

I'm actually scheduled for eye surgery one Feb. 27th through the navy that way i can get to BUD/s.


Where are you getting yours done? Belboa?

[brandon_12]

I am getting my eye surgery through Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Va... Also, i found out today that you have to wait three months after your eye surgery to get your dive physical and hyperbaric chamber testing done, then you can submit your package and begin training... Hope this helps out and answers any questions..

[V_DeSan]

A SEAL Motivator told me today that it is a minimum of three months after getting PRK before you can go to BUD/s, and a six if you had LASIK done and got a waiver for it. You can enlist with it no problem, and get a SEAL Challenge and not wait three years. I did. I had the surgery Nov 2005 and I'm shipping off in a few months now.

Go to ptforlife.com and click on medical. It's a site the motivator told me about.

[gus2001]

I was wondering whether it was possible to get the surgery done by a civilian while serving in the navy?

[brandon_12]

yes you can. This and many more answers are covered on the official web site: www.seal.navy.mil