stuckindayton

Correct, no waiver for above -3.00. It's obviously a little bit of a gamble to put off PRK and LASIK and qualify as is, but your odds are very good.

The cycloplegic refraction was not done the way it would be done with an IFC I exam. This is a refractive surgery application where they measure your cycloplegic refraction to BEST acuity, in this case 20/15. During an IFC I we only go until you can see 20/20. It should be at least 0.25 diopters and often 0.50 D to 0.75 D less than your manifest refraction. Assuming no changes between this exam and your IFC I, your right eye meets criteria. I would expect your left eye would come down from -3.50 to -3.00, but that's not a guarantee, however highly likely. BTW- You would appear to be a very good refractive surgery candidate if your prescription is stable.

No....the pre-operative limit for refractive surgery is -8.00.

Mattey, Your refractive error, i.e. glasses prescription, is all that matters. If you are over -3.00, there is no waiver. So don't base it on 20/200 (better or worse) as that doesn't matter. You need to know if you exceed -3.00.

Kudos to those who bought the jerseys.

Kind of liked the Steelers before. Not any more..... Steelers' Alejandro Villanueva has highest-selling gear in past 24 hours. His actions weren't supported by all, including his own coach. Asked after the Steelers' 23-17 loss to the Chicago Bears what he thought of Villanueva's positioning for the anthem, Mike Tomlin responded, "I was looking for 100 percent participation. We were gonna be respectful of our football team."

The -3.50 would put you outside standards and there is no waiver beyond 3.00. However, if that is a manifest refraction to BEST acuity, you may be OK. The number that is documented is the cycloplegic refraction to 20/20. That benefits you in two ways. First, the drops used will force your focusing muscles to relax, which typically brings down the Rx (for nearsighted people) by 0.25 to 0.50. Also, if you are normally corrected to 20/15, it won't take quite as much lens power to get you to 20/20. I would bet you'd be OK.

Sorry, missed the first part of your question. The number of pilots getting PRK/LASIK is not that high. Mostly, it's because it's hard for them to take the time off. Around 40% of pilots wear glasses/contacts. That amounts to around 6,000 pilots in the AD pool. Of those, probably 50% could be PRK/LASIK candidates. We see about 150 getting surgery annually. The biggest hurdle is the ops tempo.

AF policy is that the minimum DNiF is one month. Average PRK DNiF is around 3 months, and average LASIK DNiF is around 2 months. These are averages. I've seen many pilots flying again well before then.

Has no impact. Go to whatever doc you feel is right for you.

GDAL, What kind of stats are you referring to? Numbers? Outcomes? Complications?

Based on what you said, I wouldn't sweat it.

Most people attribute low blue cone scores to acquired color vision problems. However, if the red/green scores for the eye that scored 80 are near 100, an acquired color vision problem is unlikely. Was the fellow eye low on blue? If you were only low on blue on one eye and all the other scores are 90+, I wouldn't sweat it.

Yes. Technically the color test is not part of an IFC I exam (it's a long historical explanation), although it is always done at the IFC I exam. You will take it at MFS.

If your only eye problem is that you are 20/100, you are probably wasting your time worrying about it. More than likely you meet standards. I agree with BEEP, just go get an exam. Post the numbers in the Aviation Medicine page and you will get feedback that may save you getting an eye surgery you likely don't need.

If your refraction is exactly -3.00, it is considered within standards. -3.25 would be outside of standards.

No clue as to that timeline. They just show up at my door and I do an eye exam.

There is no policy on when you have surgery and when you can talk with ANG/AFRC units. The policy is only in regards to the IFC I eye exam. Most guys I see for IFC I exams already have offers from a unit and I'm really not sure if you can practically get an IFC I exam without a unit "sponsoring" you. I could see that they might be reluctant to hire you knowing that you have a disqualifying condition, however, refractive surgery is so routine these day and very few people are disqualified anymore that I don't think it should be much of an issue at all.

I'll quote you on the six month wait between PRK/LASIK and your IFC I exam. You are correct.

There is a mandatory 6 month wait between surgery and your IFC I/MFS. It used to be 12 months, but that changed several years ago. However, that is probably why you are getting two different answers. I have no idea how MEPS works into the equation.

Yes, without question. No need for a suit and tie.

It was explained earlier on this page (about four posts up). The biggest difference is MFS is usually only one day vs. 2-4 four IFC I.

TK, Thanks for the feedback. All good info. To add some commentary.... The color test is time limited, however, your time is not "graded." It's pass or fail. Do not rush to try and pass as that will only hurt you. You have up to four seconds to respond. Use it to get the correct answer.

IF the eyeball portion of your exam is driving an MRI, then you may have something more significant than routine optic nerve cupping such as optic atrophy, optic neuropathy, or optic disk pallor. Any of those could be associated with excessive cupping as the nerve is essentially degenerating from a pathology which kills nerve fibers and increases the cup size. It's possible, but would be exceptionally rare for a young healthy person. For IFC I exams, 99.99% of the time excessive optic nerve cupping is simply an anatomic variation of normal and the Air Force's exceptionally conservative policy requires work-ups on a large percent of people who would not be routinely worked up as part of a routine exam. If you want to know why you're getting an MRI, PM and I'll tell you. If you'd rather not reveal your identity I totally understand and respect that. But it's not fair to take my response as "I don't know" when I don't have all the information.

You don't get an MRI for excessive optic nerve cupping.