Air Force (US) Vision Requirements

[casio3476]

To anyone connected with the Air Force,

I understand that the worst vision allowable for a pilot and navigator is 20/70 and 20/200 respectively, but does "Corrective eye surgery could be a disqualifier " mean that it IS most definately a disqualifiier regardless of the outcome of the procedure?

Would I have any chance of becoming a pilo/nav with vision corrective surgery (PRK)?
My vision is corrected below the 20/70 threshold for pilot, am I still a candidate though my surgery did not completely eliminate my need for corrective lenses?

I know this question is a little unfocused, but so are my eyes, any information that you can provide on anything relating to this subject would be greatly appreciated.

Air Force Vision Req.

 

[Chaotic42]

20/70? Damn. When I was in ROTC the recruiter said it was 20/40.

You'd be best off to talk to the recruiter, that's really the only help I can give you. Sorry.

 

[Desslok]

Good luck guy, I couldn't be a pilot or GIB my sight was to bad un corrected.

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: casio3476
To anyone connected with the Air Force,

I understand that the worst vision allowable for a pilot and navigator is 20/70 and 20/200 respectively, but does "Corrective eye surgery could be a disqualifier " mean that it IS most definately a disqualifiier regardless of the outcome of the procedure?

Would I have any chance of becoming a pilo/nav with vision corrective surgery (PRK)?
My vision is corrected below the 20/70 threshold for pilot, am I still a candidate though my surgery did not completely eliminate my need for corrective lenses?

I know this question is a little unfocused, but so are my eyes, any information that you can provide on anything relating to this subject would be greatly appreciated.

Air Force Vision Req.

I think the "could be a disqualifier" refers to the fact that the military does not allow LASIK surgery as a corrective means, only PRK. There are more than few places where active duty folks can go to receive corrective surgery using PRK (Brooks AFB and Travis AFB for USAF at least). As far as I know also, if your eyes are still correctable to 20/20 then it's fine.

 

[XMan]

Originally posted by: AndrewR

Originally posted by: casio3476
To anyone connected with the Air Force,

I understand that the worst vision allowable for a pilot and navigator is 20/70 and 20/200 respectively, but does "Corrective eye surgery could be a disqualifier " mean that it IS most definately a disqualifiier regardless of the outcome of the procedure?

Would I have any chance of becoming a pilo/nav with vision corrective surgery (PRK)?
My vision is corrected below the 20/70 threshold for pilot, am I still a candidate though my surgery did not completely eliminate my need for corrective lenses?

I know this question is a little unfocused, but so are my eyes, any information that you can provide on anything relating to this subject would be greatly appreciated.

Air Force Vision Req.

I think the "could be a disqualifier" refers to the fact that the military does not allow LASIK surgery as a corrective means, only PRK. There are more than few places where active duty folks can go to receive corrective surgery using PRK (Brooks AFB and Travis AFB for USAF at least). As far as I know also, if your eyes are still correctable to 20/20 then it's fine.

Out of curiousity, why not lasik?

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: X-Man

Originally posted by: AndrewR

Originally posted by: casio3476
To anyone connected with the Air Force,

I understand that the worst vision allowable for a pilot and navigator is 20/70 and 20/200 respectively, but does "Corrective eye surgery could be a disqualifier " mean that it IS most definately a disqualifiier regardless of the outcome of the procedure?

Would I have any chance of becoming a pilo/nav with vision corrective surgery (PRK)?
My vision is corrected below the 20/70 threshold for pilot, am I still a candidate though my surgery did not completely eliminate my need for corrective lenses?

I know this question is a little unfocused, but so are my eyes, any information that you can provide on anything relating to this subject would be greatly appreciated.

Air Force Vision Req.

I think the "could be a disqualifier" refers to the fact that the military does not allow LASIK surgery as a corrective means, only PRK. There are more than few places where active duty folks can go to receive corrective surgery using PRK (Brooks AFB and Travis AFB for USAF at least). As far as I know also, if your eyes are still correctable to 20/20 then it's fine.

Out of curiousity, why not lasik?

Maybe the extreme Gs undo what the laser did?

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: KingNothing

Originally posted by: X-Man

Originally posted by: AndrewR

Originally posted by: casio3476
To anyone connected with the Air Force,

I understand that the worst vision allowable for a pilot and navigator is 20/70 and 20/200 respectively, but does "Corrective eye surgery could be a disqualifier " mean that it IS most definately a disqualifiier regardless of the outcome of the procedure?

Would I have any chance of becoming a pilo/nav with vision corrective surgery (PRK)?
My vision is corrected below the 20/70 threshold for pilot, am I still a candidate though my surgery did not completely eliminate my need for corrective lenses?

I know this question is a little unfocused, but so are my eyes, any information that you can provide on anything relating to this subject would be greatly appreciated.

Air Force Vision Req.

I think the "could be a disqualifier" refers to the fact that the military does not allow LASIK surgery as a corrective means, only PRK. There are more than few places where active duty folks can go to receive corrective surgery using PRK (Brooks AFB and Travis AFB for USAF at least). As far as I know also, if your eyes are still correctable to 20/20 then it's fine.

Out of curiousity, why not lasik?

Maybe the extreme Gs undo what the laser did?

yup. Over certain altitudes can also render a person with LASIK blind until they go below the level, I believe.

 

[focusyn]

sorry if i sound like an idiot, but what's PRK?

 

[XMan]

Originally posted by: focusyn
sorry if i sound like an idiot, but what's PRK?

Partial radial keratotamy. (sp?)

 

[Dudd]

Originally posted by: X-Man

Originally posted by: focusyn
sorry if i sound like an idiot, but what's PRK?

Partial radial keratotamy. (sp?)

Geeze, I just googled that, and PRK consists of incisions made with a diamond micrometer knife. I think I could stand a beam of light going into my eye, but a knife? That might freak me out.

Edit: Doh, that was the older RK procedure. PRK is with a laser.

 

[XMan]

Originally posted by: Dudd

Originally posted by: X-Man

Originally posted by: focusyn
sorry if i sound like an idiot, but what's PRK?

Partial radial keratotamy. (sp?)

Geeze, I just googled that, and PRK consists of incisions made with a diamond micrometer knife. I think I could stand a beam of light going into my eye, but a knife? That might freak me out.

I'm not sure why PRK is more acceptable than lasik, perhaps it has something to do with the corneal flap they cut open to shine the laser through.

There is supposedly a new type of lasik that doesn't require any cutting though IIRC.

 

[Armitage]

IIRC, corrective surgery is allowed for people who are already AF pilots to maintain vision, but not for pilot candidates, although I think the academy has a trial program that allows it.

And yes, high altitude can render some recipients of certain types of procedures effectively blind ... read Into This Air about that disasterous attempt on Everest a few years back ... one of those guys ran into that trouble.

 

[Dudd]

Good site explaining the various procedures.

 

[Cyberian]

Originally posted by: casio3476

I understand that the worst vision allowable for a pilot and navigator is 20/70 and 20/200 respectively, but does "Corrective eye surgery could be a disqualifier " mean that it IS most definately a disqualifiier regardless of the outcome of the procedure?

Yikes!

You can be a USAF navigator with 20/200 vision?

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: Cyberian

Originally posted by: casio3476

I understand that the worst vision allowable for a pilot and navigator is 20/70 and 20/200 respectively, but does "Corrective eye surgery could be a disqualifier " mean that it IS most definately a disqualifiier regardless of the outcome of the procedure?

Yikes!

You can be a USAF navigator with 20/200 vision?

Not to worry -- GPS is making it a dying career field. All of the navigators on the tankers have been removed (or nearly so) in favor of advanced navigational systems onboard. There are former navigators running around all over the place these days, and the ones that remain probably aren't feeling all that secure. I've not seen anything official on it, but I wouldn't surprised to hear the end of the career field at some point.

Briefly, the military is worried about that incision into the eye because it apparently never fully heals (or sometimes doesn't, not sure which). With PRK, the reshaping is done on the outer surface of the eye so there isn't a similar worry.

 

[Cyberian]

Originally posted by: AndrewR

Not to worry -- GPS is making it a dying career field. All of the navigators on the tankers have been removed (or nearly so) in favor of advanced navigational systems onboard. There are former navigators running around all over the place these days, and the ones that remain probably aren't feeling all that secure. I've not seen anything official on it, but I wouldn't surprised to hear the end of the career field at some point.

Oh, that wasn't meant as a criticism at all.
My Dad was a Flight Engineer for Seaboard World Airlines for many years, and I thought the whole flight crew had to have 20/20 uncorrected.
Of course he flew the old Lockheed Super Constellation, so they were probably still using a quadrant for navigation.🙂