PRK Surgery

[jmac12]

Had my PRK surgery today. Left with 20-30 after about 20 minutes so I was pretty happy. Still, putting eye drops in every 30 minutes is anoying. A few questions about this surgery though. Anyone who has had it and swims much, I was wondering how long you waited to get back in the water. They suggest a month, but I'm hoping this is just being very cautious. Also, my recruiter told me that depending on certain measurements of my eye, the wait is either 90 or 180 days before you can apply for pilot. They sprung this on me as I was signing papers to swear in and didn't go into great detail, so further info would be greatly appreciated. the 90 days comes before I leave, but the 180 days does not. Thanks.


John

 

[JTP]

My doc said to wait 3 weeks to swim. he said the chlorine was pretty bad for the eyes.
As for the wait...90 days for pre-op measurements of 5.50 or less....and 180 for 5.50 or higher.
I had my eyes done very recently so I can go along with the hassle of eye drops and crap. Did they give you some crazy looking goggles to sleep in?
Good luck man!

YEAH COME ON!!

 

[PDR]

The first 72 hrs after PRK were hell for me. I felt like somebody had scoured my eyes with a rusty nail, poured rubbing alcohol in them, and then set them on fire!!! I'm glad I did it though. My PRK (both eyes) was done 01/17/02. As of 05/10/02, I was 20/13 in each eye with no complications. I haven't tried to swim in a chlorinated pool yet, but I wouldn't be afraid to try at this point. I agree with the other responses, you'll probably be ready for swimming after a month or so. When your eyes start to come around, it happens very quickly. You'll be amazed. I didn't have goggles after the surgery though. Huh...those are to keep you from rubbing your eyes I guess. I didn't have problems rubbing my eyes, but I do remember not being able to see worth a darn for at least a week. I'm amazed that you could sit down in front of a computer monitor and type the day of your surgery! I was so sensitive to light that I had to wear sunglasses in the dark for a week. I guess every patient is different though. Best of luck to you!

I haven't been to MEPS yet. My recruiter told me that I had to wait 6 months. When I spoke to him a week ago, he told me that he had heard about a 90-day rule and said he was going to check into it for me. Before the surgery, I was -2.00 in each eye. Not like it matters now. I'm just ready to get my physical over with and get the ball rolling on this deal.

 

[jneagl01]

I had mine and its been three months, now i am eligible to submit my commissioning papers, i never heard of 6 months, thats long

 

[akamifeldman]

TO everyone who has had the PRK procedure done: Did the Navy pay for it while you were already in the service, or did you have it done before OCS or while in NROTC or USNA out of your own pocket? Has anyone been given the SNA designation, had the surgery done and then went on with primary? In a nutshell, When exactly in your timeline did you have it done?
I'm asking simply because I'll one day have to go through this myself. Thanks!

The Three D's of Aviation: Never do anything Dumb, Dangerous, or Different!

 

[contrail_dash]

Its been about 10 months since my PRK surgery, still have some slight haze in my right eye...really makes me worry, but i can see 20/20.

http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL36/883152/1606416/19873016.jpg

 

[jumppilot01]

The first month after PRK my vision was terrible, and flucuating..."There goes my career" I thought...

It gets better and better everyday. At my one month I was 20/40, but now (2 months) my vision close to 20/20...And it only improves. You see 99% of your final results after 12 weeks from what I hear.

Give it time, don't expect success overnight.

EDIT: I was 20/400 with -2.25 correction per eye...So I wasn't that bad. GIVE IT TIME TO HEAL!

 

[absolutVU]

Hey, I was 20/400 before my surgery and now am 20/20 in both eyes. My civilian doc guaged me at 20/15 and the Navy docs claimed their chart was more stringent--aka: worse lighting...The surgery was absolutely worth all the pain -- if anyone would like to check out a little PRK documentary my friend and I did complete with pictures feel free to browse my webpage--http://people.vanderbilt.edu/~andrea.j.alvord/eyesurgery.html

 

[EA-6B1]

Good Journal absolutVU. I'm from Nashville. Did you have your surgery in Nashville? In the pictures is doesn't look like you're in too much pain? Can you explain? Thanks.

"For he who serves his fellows, is among his fellows greatest."
- Meteu -

 

[absolutVU]

Yeah, I had my surgery at the Vanderbilt Laser Eye Sight Center. Such amazing, wonderful people over there! I have had to call many a time to request some paperwork or other for the navy and they're right on the ball with it. Well, it was fairly painful--like someone sprayed shaving cream in my eyes for three days-- really, my friend and I just slept for the 3 days following and sat around in the dark the rest of the time!! One of our mids had his surgery done at Baptist and I'm not sure how much it cost him but I got a discount for being a Vandy student so each eye for me was $1280. I have another friend at Georgia Tech who had his done in Chattanooga with a military discount so each eye for him was $800 bucks! That would be worth the drive over there and I'm pretty sure his eyes are ok!!

 

[EA-6B1]

So, have you gotten accepted with the PRK waiver yet? I assume you're shooting for SNA. Were you scared/nervous that it wasn't going to work? How well is your eyesight now? How long did you have to wear sunglasses? Were your eyes really sensitive to light for a long time afterwards? You think the PRK is worth shooting for? Thanks

"For he who serves his fellows, is among his fellows greatest."
- Meteu -

 

[absolutVU]

I got selected for SNA and I just have one more checkup to show that my eyesight is stable and then they stamp the waiver. I'm not worried at all about that. I had completely written off any kind of surgery on my eyes because it freaked me out until I talked to a middie on cruise this summer who had had it done. After talking to the docs, I don't think I was worried at all that it wouldn't work. They said no one has ever gone blind from PRK and that is what I was most worried about. The huge concern was having to pay back the 120K for tuition to the Navy if something went wrong! I forget how long exactly i wore sunglasses--probably a week and the worst thing was not being able to read for a week just because I had schoolwork to do! That got annoying after a little while. The haze went away after two or three weeks--one day I just realized it wasn't there anymore. I absolutely think it's worth shooting for the surgery. No more hastle with the contacts or any of that business--it's great!

 

[absolutVU]

hassle, i mean hassle. wow, that looks like a funny word.

 

[EA-6B1]

Thanks.

"For he who serves his fellows, is among his fellows greatest."
- Meteu -