Eye Surgery Recommendation in NJ/PA/NY Area

[Jamie_D]

Hi All,

I am currently in the process of applying to OCS for SNA. To get there I need to get eye surgery and not sure if LASIK or PRK yet. I plan on getting a consultation to see if I am eligible for LASIK. I live in New Jersey, near NYC and I was wondering if anyone had a recommendation in this area. There are so many around here and currently I'm researching which are reputable and meet Navy requirements (which is a long process!). Any recommendations would help greatly! Thank you anyone who contributes!

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Hi All,

I am currently in the process of applying to OCS for SNA. To get there I need to get eye surgery and not sure if LASIK or PRK yet. I plan on getting a consultation to see if I am eligible for LASIK. I live in New Jersey, near NYC and I was wondering if anyone had a recommendation in this area. There are so many around here and currently I'm researching which are reputable and meet Navy requirements (which is a long process!). Any recommendations would help greatly! Thank you anyone who contributes!

Did you get an eye exam at MEPS? Is there documentation that shows your vision isn't at Pilot standards? Also, are you only set on pilot and not NFO? Many things to consider before forking $4-5k for eye surgery.

 

[AUav8r]

Hi All,

I am currently in the process of applying to OCS for SNA. To get there I need to get eye surgery and not sure if LASIK or PRK yet. I plan on getting a consultation to see if I am eligible for LASIK. I live in New Jersey, near NYC and I was wondering if anyone had a recommendation in this area. There are so many around here and currently I'm researching which are reputable and meet Navy requirements (which is a long process!). Any recommendations would help greatly! Thank you anyone who contributes!

Like Rufio said there are several things to take into consideration. My eyesight was out of SNA requirements so I had to get LASIK, and it comes with at least a 6 month wait. PM me if you want to know more about the process.

 

[Jamie_D]

Did you get an eye exam at MEPS? Is there documentation that shows your vision isn't at Pilot standards? Also, are you only set on pilot and not NFO? Many things to consider before forking $4-5k for eye surgery.

I was previously in Air Force ROTC and got an exam by them through the DODMERB. My vision is 20/400 in both eyes. I've been thinking about if for months now and this is the path I want to take. Becoming a pilot is my passion and I've decided its worth it.

 

[Jamie_D]

Like Rufio said there are several things to take into consideration. My eyesight was out of SNA requirements so I had to get LASIK, and it comes with at least a 6 month wait. PM me if you want to know more about the process.

I have been in contact with someone who went through my recruiter, with the same vision as me and get PRK. he walked me though the process. I am aware of the 6 month wait after surgery, that's why I'm trying to get it now. I graduate college in May and I want to minimize the amount of time I have to wait to apply to OCS. Thank you though! I do have one question that I've been getting confused about. Its wavefront guided LASIK and PRK that is accepted, correct?

 

[exNavyOffRec]

I was previously in Air Force ROTC and got an exam by them through the DODMERB. My vision is 20/400 in both eyes. I've been thinking about if for months now and this is the path I want to take. Becoming a pilot is my passion and I've decided its worth it.

The USN goes by diopters, if your vision pre-surgery exceeds the diopter limit (for overall vision standards) then surgery won't matter, it will say something like -X.XX

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

The USN goes by diopters, if your vision pre-surgery exceeds the diopter limit (for overall vision standards) then surgery won't matter, it will say something like -X.XX

Exactly. N3M has advised recruiters to be more informed about advising LASIK/PRK to applicants.

 

[Jamie_D]

The USN goes by diopters, if your vision pre-surgery exceeds the diopter limit (for overall vision standards) then surgery won't matter, it will say something like -X.XX

Do you mean my contact/glasses prescription? That's -4.00 for both eyes for me. I haven't seen that requirement anywhere, nor have I heard it from my recruite. I'll have to do some research and make sure before I get the surgery then.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Do you mean my contact/glasses prescription? That's -4.00 for both eyes for me. I haven't seen that requirement anywhere, nor have I heard it from my recruite. I'll have to do some research and make sure before I get the surgery then.

If your prescription is -4.00 in both eyes you should be fine for pre-op requirements.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Do you mean my contact/glasses prescription? That's -4.00 for both eyes for me. I haven't seen that requirement anywhere, nor have I heard it from my recruite. I'll have to do some research and make sure before I get the surgery then.

Not many recruiters know vision requirements other than 20/40 and better in addition to passing depth perception and color vision.

There's other vision requirements that can DQ you that cannot be fixed by surgery. I would still recommend checking out NFO unless you're set spending the $4k on surgery.

 

[Jamie_D]

I have checked out NFO and it seems great, I'm just dead set on going pilot. My mindset is that I will so anything to get there and exhaust every option before they tell me no. If I become an NFO or Pilot, getting LASIK would change my life and it's something I'm willing to pay for. Not using contacts or glasses is worth the $4,000 to me. But thank you! I am pretty sure I pass the other requirements, I did for the Air Force but I'm not sure how they differ in the requirements. I will definitely look into it.

 

[Jamie_D]

Update: I had a consultation today with Dr. Dello Russo in New Jersey. I am a good candidate for LASIK and my vision can be corrected to 20/20 or better, I was told. I have the ability to get the surgery done before I head back to school on January 15th. I don't want to jump into this surgery with only looking at one doctor, but they seem like a reputable place for the surgery. My next step is to print out the requirements the Navy has and bring them there and see if they can meet them all. So far they've told me that is Wavefront guided/custom laser LASIK eye surgery and they have the latest equipment for eye surgery.