General

[everex5]

Originally Posted by chopper duke

I'd love to get it done. I'll be at Lackland in May, but only for Basic.

once you get to your duty station, see your optometrist and get an evaluation. They can point you in the right direction.

[everex5]

Originally Posted by stolz

im army nasty guard i was wanting to do lasik i wear contacts i wonder if uncle sam would take some of my bill?

good question. It depends on your status. If your activated, you should be covered, however you cant deploy within 6-12 months after surgery unless your doing somewhere with a place you can get your mandatory checkups. And sand = bad for eyes. But it never hurts to ask... because if they fix your eyes now, they save money in the long run from rx glasses and sunglasses.

[everex5]

Originally Posted by lacerationlenny

I tried to get prk. The navy said I was just outside the limits to get the surgery. I still want it but it will be a while before I have that kind of cash.

they almost said that about me... I was borderline, then I kept being persistent and it worked our fine. Keep getting checkups and asking... repeatedly about it.

[chopper duke]

Originally Posted by everex5

once you get to your duty station, see your optometrist and get an evaluation. They can point you in the right direction.

Well, I'm reserve, though I plan to do 120 days active for additional training once I get back.

Also, my eyes aren't horrible, but I would like to not have to wear glasses ever again.

[aldumil]

I was on the waiting list for it down in Florida but the navy decided to transfer me before my turn came around...once I get back from Cuba I will get back on the list up here.

[LUKE]

Wow, what a change from years back. Last time I processed thru MEPS to go back onto active duty (1998), I talked to one of the medical staff regarding this issue, since I was strongly considering it. At the time, it was verboten during enlistment, or would have required a 5-year wait for enlistment if done prior to. They stated that not enough research/documentation existed concerning long term health effects.

Glad to see they actually offer it to service personnel now.

[Venge]

Wow I mis-read that completely.Thought I was gonna see a nice RPK reproduction.

Modern Firearms - Kalashnikov RPK light machine gun

[BlueDragonX]

So why'd you go with PRK instead of LASIK?

I had LASIK, full recovery time was three months. However, I was able to function normally the day after the surgery.

The day of wasn't too bad. After the surgery and the numbing effects of the drugs wore off my eyes itched terribly. But I made it a point to pass out. By the time I woke up I was fine. For a week I had to wear these protective coverings over my eyes when I slept. For almost a month I had to put steroid eyedrops in three times daily - the first day I had to do it hourly. And during the whole three months I had to make sure I was keeping my eyes moist with drops. After the first month, though, I was pretty much fine.

As I said, the day after surgery I was pretty much back to work. I'm in front of my computer all day, so I just kept putting eyedrops in on a regular basis. But I could immediately see more clearly. As for visual side effects - I'm not experiencing any. Everything about my vision is better. The doc said I may have decreased night vision, which includes seeing starbursts or halos around lights, but in fact my night vision has improved and I don't have either starbursts or halos. At worst there's a slight haze around lights, but that's it. I had starbursts before the surgery.

I can see 20/15 now.

[Jaan]

Originally Posted by BlueDragonX

So why'd you go with PRK instead of LASIK?

In my case I got PRK not for vanity, but for a painful medical condition; recurring corneal erosion. PRK was actually developed to fix what I had.

I would still get PRK instead of Lasik. When you get PRK done the top 2 layers of skin is scraped off and the cornea re-shaped. What grows back is stem cells. After you heal even an eye doctor would have a hard time telling if you've had surgery, if he could at all.

With Lasik, you get the "flap". The recovery time is quicker...at least the recovery time until you can see clearly, however, that flap takes years to heal. At any time over the next few years if you rub the eye the wrong way it could tear off. That's why they don't do it to cops, and probably why they don't do it to soldiers. It would suck of you got into an altercation with someone you're trying to arrest and are blinded that way from a headlock.

PRK just seems like the better way of doing it. A few extra days to heal is worth it IMHO.

I'm happy with the results because I was waking up several times a night in agonizing pain, and that's gone away. I don't think I would have done it otherwise. I didn't mind glasses, and in fact I liked that I had excellent close up vision. Being nearsighted, a benefit is that you can focus a couple of inches away from your eyes. A lot of what I do is fine detail work. Now I have to wear mild reading glasses to see that far in.

Besides repairing my eye disease, I was a perfect candidate for PRK...my eyes were a good shape, they teared a lot etc. My recovery was textbook as well. I had mine done on a Saturday morning and by Wednesday the skin grew back 100% in one eye and 99% in the other and the protective contacts were removed. Things were still a bit fuzzy but in 3 weeks I was fine and am now a tick better than 20/20 in both eyes.