Topper Harley's PRK surgery and financing.

[Topper Harley]

My Vision after 2 weeks!!!

Hey everybody! I just had my two week follow up appointment with the eye doc on monday 2/08/10 and he gave me some great news. My vision went from 20/100 or so to 20/15! PRK really was worth the money. I'm not having any issues other than minor dryness in the mornings but easily fixed with Theratears. My eye doc also stepped down my steroid drop regiment from 4 drops a day to just 2. It is a very expensive surgery and the heal time is long but it is completely worth it for these results and it's given me a chance to become a Naval Aviator. I'll keep this thread posted with any updates or tips that I can think of. Also feel free to ask any questions about anything.

Topper

 

[BigJeffray]

First off, congrats on the successful surgery, Topper. Next, if anyone could give me some insight into this, I would appreciate it. I'm looking to apply for OCS and would need PRK to be a Naval Aviator. If anyone has experience with this, when is the best time to have the surgery in relation to the application process? For example, before the app is sent in, before or after being Pro Rec'ed (should I be so fortunate), before or after MEPS? I know it's a long process, and I'd like to expediate it as much as practical. My OR didn't give me a confident answer when I asked him, and he's been on leave for awhile, so if anyone could give me their perspective, that'd be sweet. Thanks.

 

[russellf54]

I received my pro-rec Feb 5, 2010 for SNA and now just waiting for the FS..... I was wondering the same thing..... I went to MEPS mid-december right after my packet was sent in and then all my medical info was sent in as well (before Jan 5).... When I did the vision test at MEPS I DID NOT meet the standards required for SNA (I was not 20/40 uncorrected...but i am 20/20 corrected and my near vision was 20/20 uncorrected)... So now as I wait for this FS I am wondering if I should look into getting PRK or what?! My recruiter is trying to look into it but he was not sure yet.... What would be the next step for me?

 

[Topper Harley]

First off, congrats on the successful surgery, Topper. Next, if anyone could give me some insight into this, I would appreciate it. I'm looking to apply for OCS and would need PRK to be a Naval Aviator. If anyone has experience with this, when is the best time to have the surgery in relation to the application process? For example, before the app is sent in, before or after being Pro Rec'ed (should I be so fortunate), before or after MEPS? I know it's a long process, and I'd like to expediate it as much as practical. My OR didn't give me a confident answer when I asked him, and he's been on leave for awhile, so if anyone could give me their perspective, that'd be sweet. Thanks.

Thanks for the congrats! I'd be happy to help. I'm not sure if your are applying directly for OCS but I would assume you would have to be pro rec'ed before hand anyway but the PRK has to be done BEFORE you can be pro-rec'ed. This is because the pro-rec board can't recommend you for the SNA slot if you are physically qualified. The pro-rec comes before anything (atleast that's the way my Officer Recruiter is doing my recruitment) so it would be best to do the surgery as soon as possible. The recovery time for the surgery isn't bad at all. 2 weeks and I'm seeing 20/15. The wait for the waiver from NAMI is 6 months though. Granted the surgery is really expensive (around $4,200 is about what I've seen as average). Some eye docs my be nice enough to cut you a break like mine did because I was having the surgery to join the military. Also be sure to check out my earlier posts that give some ideas about financing. I personally did www.carecredit.com which will finance your surgery and let you make monthly payments towards the surgery. The price also includes the year's worth of follow up visits with the eye doctor. I hope that helps. Feel free to ask anything else you would like to know. You can post your questions here or send me a private message and I'll answer.

 

[Topper Harley]

I received my pro-rec Feb 5, 2010 for SNA and now just waiting for the FS..... I was wondering the same thing..... I went to MEPS mid-december right after my packet was sent in and then all my medical info was sent in as well (before Jan 5).... When I did the vision test at MEPS I DID NOT meet the standards required for SNA (I was not 20/40 uncorrected...but i am 20/20 corrected and my near vision was 20/20 uncorrected)... So now as I wait for this FS I am wondering if I should look into getting PRK or what?! My recruiter is trying to look into it but he was not sure yet.... What would be the next step for me?

Russellf54, congrats on the pro-rec. To answer you question, I would say yes, you should be looking into PRK. Doesn't mean you have to get it right now, but to be on the safe side you should. There is a person here on Air Warriors username is Nugget61 who had a similar situation. He posted on this thread if you wanna message him. He was pro-reced after MEPS but he squinted during the vision test and then the Navy said he wasn't physically qualified. He then got the PRK done and is finishing up the progress with the Navy now. Just saying NAMI is very cautious about giving out SNA slots because the aircraft costs millions upon millions and that's on top of the year and a half and millions of dollars worth of training you will go through before you are ready to go to the fleet and fly. I hope it works out for you but if you don't meet the guidelines then it would definitely be best to start getting all the info you need to make an informed decision on PRK. I personally haven't seen anybody that regrets having the surgery but it has to be the best decision for you. If you have any questions about the surgery, I will be happy to answer them so I can help you get as much info in a short amount of time if you need to. Just post a question here or you can send me a private message by viewing my profile and sending the message there. Hope this helps.

 

[Topper Harley]

One month after surgery.

So I had my one month check up with the eye doctor and he said everything is looking great. My eyes are healing really well and I'm still seeing 20/15. I will have to say this about the steroid drops though, they can make some peoples' stomachs hurt sometimes. I believe it's because they go down your tear ducts and then drip down the back of your throat. I went to see my medical doc and he gave me some previcid and it's working great. Just wanted to let you guys know in case you have this after surgery. Still doing the drops twice a day and my eyes are feeling great. Still the best advise that I can give anyone is get as much sleep and rest as you can. O and get some sunglasses.

 

[Topper Harley]

Steroid Drops

Hey everyone. I just wanted to post this about the steroid drops that you have to use after PRK. I've never noticed this information in any threads and I think it's pretty valuable. The steroid drops are a MUST after PRK. The reason that you need them is because your eye has been traumatized. Your eyes will begin the natural healing process after being shot with lasers which is to produce a haze. This haze can blur your vision. The steroid drops will help to reduce this haze. My doc explained it and don't quote me on this but I believe he said that the steroids stop the eyes' natural healing process so that no haze is produced. Remember to use them as much as the doctor recommends because the surgery is only the first part and doing the follow ups and taking care of your eyes the way they tell you is the second part for achieving your new vision. Hope this helps!

 

[Topper Harley]

Hey everyone. I wanted to do a quick post since it's been more than 2 years since I've posted here. I had my 2 year check up in February and my eye sight is still 20/15 combined. All in all PRK was well worth the money, and it is always good to have good vision in your favor.