PRK or Lasek in the Marine Corps.?
PRK or Lasek in the Marine Corps.?
I am enlisting into the Marine Corps. no matter what. Currently I am waiting for a waiver because of a high eye refraction. I measure up to -12 and -9 in my eyes. I plan to go in as 0300 infantry or 1371 combat engineer. I understand for engineer I will have a program code of CM which doesn’t really guarantee 1371 exact so I have a big chance of getting something else. Therefore I am 90% sure to go as infantry.
I am hoping to get PRK or Lasek in the military but I am not sure if I will be a good candidate for any eye surgery. This is mainly due to the high eye refraction. I’m wondering if any Marines out there can help me with this problem especially those who have or had really bad eye sight as close to mine, -12. Since I will be going in as infantry, what is the waiting period to get the eye surgery? Will I be put in front as priority for the operation since I’ll be infantry?
If in the event I am not able to get the eye surgery from the Marine Corps, will I be allowed to get it outside in the civilian world. I already know a doctor who can perfrom LASEK on me and I already qualify as a good candidate. I’m not getting my eye surgery from him only because I will have to wait another 6 months just so I can go into recruit training. Also I may be disqualified if anything were to go wrong.
Jay posted: 28 May at 2:11 pm
The short answer, yes, you can receive LASIK or PRK while you’re in the Marine Corps.
I couldn’t tell you if you’d be a good candidate or not, only the actual Navy doctor that performs your screening could give you a definitive answer on that. But, based on what you posted, I don’t see why you wouldn’t be (I’ve seen far worse).
To be eligible, you must be on active duty, 21 or older and have at least 24 months remaining on active duty. You must also have authorization from your chain of command.
Given that you’ll be going infantry, chances are you’d qualify for PRK (LASIK is mostly reserved for aviators in the Navy and Marine Corps, and will disqualify you from some MOS/ratings). Priority is mostly given to special forces, aviation, a select few MOS/ratings (mostly those that deploy frequently), and those currently serving on shore duty (Navy). Infantry in itself is not high priority. If you pass your screening and elect to do the surgery, you’d be placed on a waiting list (normal wait time is 1 year).