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Far-sightedness?
Last Post 21 Aug 2009 05:23 PM by Goatman. 6 Replies.
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Goatman


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01 Aug 2009 07:50 PM

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Like many of you, I am concerned about my vision when I apply for a pilot slot. I hope to attend Texas A&M University next year, and they have a really good AFROTC program. However, unlike many of you seeking vision waivers, I am not near sighted, but far sighted. I realize that my vision is not within standards, so I will have to get PRK/LASIK and try to get a waiver. Who should I talk to about this? Even after research on the internet, I am still unclear on how you get a waiver for PRK/LASIK. I don't want to go to a civilian doctor and have them perform an operation that makes disqualified for a waiver (obviously).

Any advice? Thanks a ton.

 

"You cannot be a true man until you learn to obey" - Robert E. Lee
VirginiaBeachUser is Offline
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VirginiaBeach


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14 Aug 2009 03:16 PM
Hold off on surgery. As far as getting waivers goes it's actually better to be near sighted than far sighted, the standards are a lot stricter for farsighted people. I'd go to an optometrist/opthalmologist and have them dilate your eyes to see how far sighted you are (measured in diopters) and check out the Air Force Waiver Guide to see what your chances are of getting a waiver. Worst comes to worst, apply for an Exception to Policy waiver
GoatmanUser is Offline
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Goatman


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14 Aug 2009 09:19 PM
Thank you VirginiaBeach, from what I gather so far it is more difficult to get a wavier if you are farsighted yet not impossible. LASIK does work for farsighted people but I will have to ask the ROTC instructors when I get there. I have never heard of the Exception to Policy wavier but it sounds great, and I see you have a thread asking about it, I'll keep an eye on that.
"You cannot be a true man until you learn to obey" - Robert E. Lee
ShepUser is Offline
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Shep


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16 Aug 2009 11:18 AM
Sorry to call you out there VABeach... but that's terrible advice. Goat, if you want to fly and your eyes are out of regs, you can get your eyes fixed. HOWEVER - there is a very strict process that you must follow to the T so you don't DQ yourself. Wait until you get into ROTC before you do anything, then talk to your cadre (leadership). Tell them that you want to get PRK and they should explain the process to you. As long as you have no complications from the surgery, you will be pilot qualified when it's all said and done.

I was outside of the waiverable range when I joined ROTC in 2004, but in May of my freshman year, I got the surgery. Now I see 20/15, never have to touch contacts or glasses again, and I'm in pilot training in Wichita Falls, TX. Keep in mind though that after you get the surgery there will be a long period of time (6-12 months) that you won't be eligible for scholarship and you can't do certain ROTC activities that are important (such as Field Training). So make sure you get all of the details and then cross check that info by posting it on this website. We'll get you taken care of. Good luck!
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GoatmanUser is Offline
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Goatman


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17 Aug 2009 07:16 PM

Thanks a ton for that information Shep, I will make sure NOT to get it right now. I will probably graduate college in 2013 as I have stated in different posts. Are you saying the fact that I am farsighted instead of nearsighted does not matter as long as I have the surgery done properly? And by the way, I realize you had your surgery in freshman year (before field training), would it matter if I got mine after field because I am going to be a transfer student (in other words I will start as a sophmor in college, and be on a three year program)?

"You cannot be a true man until you learn to obey" - Robert E. Lee
ShepUser is Offline
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Shep


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21 Aug 2009 11:09 AM
The fact that you're far-sighted has nothing to do with the surgery. The only limitations on the surgery are what they call "diopter limitations." You have to go to an eye doc and get dialated to find out what diopter you are at. Then check the pre-op diopter limits (available through your cadre and also listed on the waiver) which will be a range from max allowable near-sightedness to max allowable far-sightedness. When I went through it was something like -6 to +6 diopters (negative being near-sighted and positive being far-sighted). I've heard that they've since expanded this range so you'll have to check on that.

As far as when to get the surgery, understand that there will be a period of time that you will be listed as on "medical" status. While on this status, there are big things that you will not be cleared to attend, i.e. field training. When I went through, it took 12 months from the date of your surgery to get off of medical status. However, I've heard that this too has changed. So to tie all of this together, get the surgery done as soon as possible. This will give you max time to heal and if there are any complications, you'll have more time to sort it out. For example, I had haze after my surgery (which is an automatic dq-er) but I had enough time for my doc to get rid of it before my Flying Class 1 physical. Make sure that you know exactly how long the waiver process will take for you and if it will interfere with any of your mandatory training dates. Best of luck dude.
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GoatmanUser is Offline
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Goatman


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21 Aug 2009 05:23 PM
Alright great, I actually had my eyes looked at and they are in that range. However, I'll have to be asking about the eye surgery right when I get there, all in all it doesn't seem like this will be as much a problem as I thought. Thank you!
"You cannot be a true man until you learn to obey" - Robert E. Lee
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