Age For Prk

[jabadiah]

Just talked to the Navy SEAL motivator in my area. He told me I'd have to wait until i'm in my twenties to get laser eye surgery, problem with that is my eyes will be worse than 20/200 by that time and he told me if that happends i'm disqualified from the SEAL Challenge. Is there anyway I can get laser eye surgery at 17 or at 18, even if I have to take a big risk? Or is this it, never to become a SEAL?

[king henry viii]

Your motivator is right. I've been told it's 21. I don't know what the deal is with civilian places. That might be your best bet.

However, there is a reason the Navy wants you to be at least 21 and that's because your eyes could still be changing at 17 or 18.

[king henry viii]

Your profile says you're 22. You should be fine for PRK.

[JLPestkeJr]

20/200 is the index the Navy uses as a rough guage. The exact measurement they use is the actual refraction of your eyes, measured in diopters. I can't remember what the actual limit is for PRK in the civilian world but its pretty damn blind (think 20/400-20/600 range). There are pre-surgery limits the navy has but those are pretty high too. If you're gonna be that bad off, just get it as a civ and then get a waiver when you head to MEPS.

~Jim

[Courtenay]

What is true is that at the time your eyes are tested at bootcamp, not just MEPs, and they are tested AGAIN just before you head to BUD/s, they have to be correctable to 20/20 with contact lenses or glasses, and can be no worse uncorrected than 20/200 in your worst eye.

Here's some information about entering post surgery.
http://www.sealchallenge.navy.mil/seal/vision.aspx

There have been so many threads regarding vision and BUD/s. It is probably the single most frequently asked question on this site. The one answer which comes up over and over again regarding the surgery if you are going to get it pre-enlistment is make very sure you are getting the right kind of surgery from a reputable doctor. There have been a couple of guys over the years I have been on the site come back and say that their surgery disqualified them from the SEAL challenge program. Don't make a mistake like that!