Jump to content

PRK waiver?


Recommended Posts

Hello everyone,

I was wondering for those who had PRK, did you all have to get a waiver for the surgery? I've been trying the last 3 months to get a MEPS physical, and between everything being lost and my eye surgeon filling out the MEPSCOM form incorrectly, I finally received word today from MEPS that I'm going to need a waiver for my eye surgery for "inconsistent refraction" (I thought my eyes were supposed to be changing anyways during the 6 month healing period). My visual acuity is 20/15 and I haven't had any complications with the surgery. Has everyone who has had PRK needed a waiver? Any ideas on how long this can take to get approved? What is the likelihood of it being approved? Thanks everyone. I've been in this process over a year now (obviously had to take 6 months after the surgery) and really am trying to get the ball rolling, but it's just one thing after another at this point. Would appreciate any help!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I'm not sure what the requirements are for MEPS, but I can tell you that anyone who gets some sort of refractive surgery, whether it be PRK or LASIK, will need a waiver in order to get an approved flight physical.

 

I had LASIK done on one eye about 3.5 months before I was supposed to report to Fort Rucker. Once you have your final follow up appointment (3 months for LASIK, 6 for PRK) and have all the documented refraction test result that show you being within standards, a flight surgeon can submit the paperwork.

 

Generally, as long as you are within standards after you have the procedure done, you should have no problem getting a waiver for it. Mine got approved in about 3 business days, but I'm Guard and my unit's flight surgeon was actively monitoring the status of it to ensure it was sent through prior to my report date.

 

Hope this helps, I'll do my best to answer any other questions you may have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you very much for the reply. Unfortunately, no news yet on the waiver. I'm well within limits, and my 6 month post op was done last September. Doctor mess ups with the paperwork and changing recruiters caused a massive delay for me thus far, but I'm still determined to get this packet finished. Thank you again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...