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Originally Posted by Dustin03
is there any info on those of us who want lasik/prk done before we go to SFAS? I believe I read that you have to wait a to attend after you have the surgery performed, but I might be mistaken. One guy once talked about guys going off on a friday afternoon after training, getting the surgery and being back in training monday morning. Said this was done sometime in the pipeline of training. I know in the AF they where picky about which surgery flyers could get, does the Army have the same policy?
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Take TR's advice. The risks are real. The stories you've heard are from guys who paid out of their own pocket to have it done in a civilian facility. (That invites a "Line of Duty NO" if anything screws up.) LASIK can close up that fast but it still takes weeks before the Army considers you deployable. Anything that dislodges the corneal flap (the proverbial stick in the eye) can cause serious complications. That's one of the reasons Womack does PRK on deployable soldiers, they can throw you to the wolves as soon as the pain goes away. The Group Surgeons can give you a good brief on everything you need to know to make an informed decision. FWIW - I had PRK almost four(?) years ago. 20/15 far vision both eyes and it corrected mild astigmatism (as part of the procedure). I now have to wear reading glasses if I spend too much time at the computer or reading (all the time now) but I can still see the front sights. The best part - now I can scan for intermediate/long range targets without reaching for my glasses first so I think it was well worth it. Critical point - If you wear glasses don't forget to keep wearing some type of eye protection even after the corrective surgery. We get used to having something in front of our eyes just so we can see to the point it's taken for granted that we're protected from that aforementioned "stick in the eye". Does anybody else remember the stink when Gargoyles first became available? Thankfully a lot of the leadership is more enlightened now. FWIW - Peregrino