LASIK approved for Naval Aviators 7 May 08

[wink]

I'm one signature away from being in the LASIK study. It is open only to designated naval aviators, so once I go back to TW-4 pool I will be eligible to get them fixed. They are up and running in San Diego and Portsmouth right now. I'll keep the board posted on my progress thru the hoops.

I am still confused so please update us on the details. You don't have your AW wings yet but your profile indicates you might have just been winged. But you are going back t the TW-4 pool? Your post says the LASIK study is still just for winged naval aviators. If you got your wings and are still getting into the new study what are your eyes now?

 

[scoolbubba]

Sorry for the confusion. I'm not winged yet; I will be tomorrow. We go back to the pool after we get our wings, so once I put them on I don't belong to my advanced squadron. That being said, I still knocked out all the pre exams and whatnot. All thats necessary is for the commodore to sign off on it. I had to route the paper thru the wing even though I'm not there yet, because it would have been a waste to walk it up my squadron chain of command since I'll never have been a winged aviator under my advanced sqn CO.
As it stood on Friday, when I had my last exam, the study is only for winged guys. Somewhere else in the thread spoke to them opening it up to applicants and SNAs,

oh, and as it stands my eyes are 20/400 uncorrected. I'm on a soft contact lens waiver. I lucked into that; I couldn't afford PRK in college and were it not for that waiver, i'd be shooting for some double anchor wings right now.

 

[nugget61]

What happens if the LASIK study comes back negative? Will they still waiver everyone in the study? I don't know if I'd be willing to risk that with PRK almost a given waiver.

 

[scoolbubba]

no.

the point of the study is to get you back to flying asap with less down time than PRK. LASIK is not a new technology, but it has taken the navy 10 years to catch up with the civilian world in terms of a less invasive, less painful, and less healing intensive technology. Results from the study thus far have been pretty phenomenal when compared to the PRK recipients in terms of med down time, and immediate gains in visual accuity. 20/20 in 3 days, 20/10 for something like 80% of recipients in two weeks vice appx 12-16 weeks for PRK.

 

[theblakeness]

When I went to Pcola, I had a pretty informative flight surgeon who was really good about explaining the reasoning behind a lot of things. I had PRK done, so he talked about that for a little while and the whole reason why Lasik wasnt originally allowed. I knew about the Lasik study and asked if he thought that it would be approved in the near future. He seemed sure that it would be.

 

[BarrettRC8]

oh, and as it stands my eyes are 20/400 uncorrected. I'm on a soft contact lens waiver. I lucked into that; I couldn't afford PRK in college and were it not for that waiver, i'd be shooting for some double anchor wings right now.

Thank God for the soft contact lens waiver. I'd not be here without it!

 

[rjmayer]

Not fair they got rid of that soft contact waiver. I wonder if something happened that they didn't like. I'll be using my OCS money to pay for PRK. My OSO wants me to switch contracts my senior year of college before i get sworn in.

 

[desertoasis]

Any information about the approval process for SNFOs? I know that right now its non-waiverable for any applicants SNAs or SNFOs, but my logic tells me it should be more easily approved for the SNFOs than the SNAs.

Not counting my chickens or anything, but it would be nice to know...20/400 kinda sucks.