What does the Navy think about laser eye surgery? Would it disqualify me from being a SEAL?

Q. If my vision is worse than the minimum for SEALs, could I have it corrected by laser eye surgery and still be eligible?
DETAILS: only intelligent people answer please!!

A. As a member of the navy's delayed entry program, who leaves in august for bootcamp who also is trying to reclassify to SEAL after i was disqualified for my eyesight. I have eyesight of 20/40 and 20/75. If it's correctable, and MEPS doesn't fuck you like they did me whe they give you your eye exam and say it's uncorrectable....the only requirement regarding eyesight is that it HAS to be able to be CORRECTED to 20/20. As long as they tell you that it's correctable, and you fill out the appropriate waivers (ask your recruiter) then you should be able to class as SEAL. You might also be interested in EOD. If not then. go to your A school and work your regular job for 4 years, and reclass then. In all honesty, the Navy is hurting for SEALs, because not too many are qualified...I do believe that the current bonus for seals is around $40,000. Your local recruiter will probably tell you much of the same, but they'll be able to go into much more detail with you and your particular situation. Also, if your eyesight is correctable, your health insurance policy through the navy will provide LASIK eye surgery at no cost.

Original Question

Can you get laser eye surgery to fly for the Marine Corps?

Q. I have been doing some research and was not sure if you have bad vision that is corrected with contacts or glasses, if you get laser eye surgery to return your eyes to 20/20 vision, will that qualify you to fly for the Marine Corps or are you just out of luck if you have bad vision. Any help would be nice.

A. Yes, eye surgery is possible to qualify for flight training. See page 2....
http://www.und.edu/org/mao/MarineProgams.pdf
"AVIATION APPLICANTS
Applicants who desire to apply for a guaranteed position in aviation must pass two additional requirements, a cycloplegic eye exam and the Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB). Aviators (pilots) must have 20/40 or better vision in each eye. However, as of 1 June 2005, applicants outside those requirements may apply for a contact lens waiver. Applicants must have uncorrected vision better than 20/400 and be correctable to 20/20 with soft contacts. In addition, they must be able to show they�ve worn soft contacts for at least six months without any type of problems. Naval Flight Officers (co-pilots/navigators) must simply have vision correctable to 20/20. Applicants who have had their vision surgically corrected should be aware that only vision correction through the PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) procedure is eligible for aviation. Applicants who has had their vision corrected through the LASIK (Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) procedure are disqualified for aviation, but may
apply for the ground or law program."
I am not sure if the contact lens waiver is still available. The link to the waiver guide on the NAMI website is broken or at least the waiver guide will not download on the computer I am currently using:
http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/navmedmpte/nomi/nami/clinical/Pages/Ophthalmology.aspx
I believe Lasik is now approved. It is best not to get the surgery done on one's own without prior approval from the military. The military pays for eye surgery for Naval Academy Mids and Air Force Academy Cadets who want to fly. An OSO should be able to answer these questions.
http://openbah.com/marine-ocs-articles/marine-oso-city-list
http://www.dcmarineofficer.com/programs.html
http://officer.marines.com/marine/making_marine_officers/commissioning_programs
Good Luck!

Original Question

Do you need laser eye surgery to become a National Guard pilot?

Q. Some places I read up on say all you need is "correctable to" 20/20 vision (glasses/contacts okay) and some places say you NEED to get laser eye surgery to become an Army National Guard pilot (rotary aircraft). Which statement is true and if the answer is "correctable", do pilots wear glasses/contacts when they fly?

A. In the Army and NG, applicants for aviator training must have uncorrected distant visual acuity no worse than 20/50 in each eye. If distant visual acuity is 20/50 or better in either eye, each eye must be correctable to 20/20 with no more than 1 error per 5 presentations of 20/20 letters, and uncorrected near visual acuity must be 20/20 in each eye; with no more than 1 error per 5 presentations of 20/20 letters; both near and distant vision are as measured on the AFVT or any Snellen near visual acuity card. This includes vision corrected by laser surgery, but normally ONLY if the surgery is performed by Army as the standards for gauging success are very complex; see page 8 of AR 40-501. Once you have earned your wings, your vision must be 20/400 correctable to 20/20 and you can fly with glasses; I did in the Navy. Under some circumstances waivers are granted to student aviators, particularly if they are more than 50% through training.

Original Question

If you have laser eye surgery, does it count as uncorrected vision?

Q. To specify, my vision is worse than 20/40 which is the minimal uncorrected to become a police officer. If I had laser eye surgery performed to correct my vision to 20/20, would my vision count as 20/20 uncorrected since I do not need to wear glasses to correct them?
Thank you

A. "Uncorrected vision" means your visual acuity without the assistance of contact lenses or spectacles. If you used implants or laser vision correction surgery to achieve that goal, it is still uncorrected vision.

You may need a medical wavier to have Lasik, depending upon the police department. They may also have a preference for a particular type of laser vision correction surgery. They may also have a recommended surgeon who may even provide discounts to recruits.

Original Question

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