Need an advice on eye laser surgery

[sha106]

Good morning,

I applied online to join the Canadian Armed Forces in the last Dec and just had CFAT. I got an email notification told me that I successfully completed CFAT and will compete with the other applicants to the position I have applied. The occupations I applied are Bioscience Officer, Pilot and Signal Officer. Now I am just waiting for the next process.

The question I have is if I need to get an eye surgery prior to the medical exam. My eye sight does not meet the requirements for the pilot so I am considering to have LASIK. I have been told that I need to wait 6 month before the medical exam. I need anyone's opinion; should I get the laser correction as soon as possible to save time or should I wait for the selection toward interview and medical exam first. Please give me any opinion if you have.

Thank you.

 

[down on the upside]

I would check with the staff at your recruiting center. When I was applying, the only options for laser surgery were PRK and Epi-Lasik. Regular Lasik would have disqualified me from applying permanently.

I'm no doctor, but from what I understand, with Lasik, an incision is made to the epithelium, creating a flap that never fully heals. Blunt force trauma to the epithelium could result in the flap coming undone.

 

[DAA]

The question I have is if I need to get an eye surgery prior to the medical exam. My eye sight does not meet the requirements for the pilot so I am considering to have LASIK. I have been told that I need to wait 6 month before the medical exam. I need anyone's opinion; should I get the laser correction as soon as possible to save time or should I wait for the selection toward interview and medical exam first. Please give me any opinion if you have.

If you haven't done the medical yet, how do you know you don't meet the vision requirements for Pilot?

 

[sha106]

If you haven't done the medical yet, how do you know you don't meet the vision requirements for Pilot?

Hi DAA,

As the vision requirement for pilot, CF posted V2 as a requirement. My prescription falls into V4, which is low compared to V2, and my optometrist told me that my vision is just counting fingers. So I just estimate I am not going to meet the requirement.

Hi down on the upside,

They told me that the recommended procedures are Wavefront Guided (WFG) PRK, WFG LASIK and WFG LASIK with femtosecond. Also, the conventional ones are not met the vision correction for the pilot vision requirement.

Thank you for the two replies 

 

[DAA]

Hi DAA,

As the vision requirement for pilot, CF posted V2 as a requirement. My prescription falls into V4, which is low compared to V2, and my optometrist told me that my vision is just counting fingers. So I just estimate I am not going to meet the requirement.

Hi down on the upside,

They told me that the recommended procedures are Wavefront Guided (WFG) PRK, WFG LASIK and WFG LASIK with femtosecond. Also, the conventional ones are not met the vision correction for the pilot vision requirement.

You are getting ahead of yourself here.  You can "self diagnose" all you want, at the end of the day the CF will decide what your Vision Category is.  Also, it is not your optometrist who decides either.

If you want to get laser eye surgery, then go right ahead.  Just don't be doing it with the idea that it will increase your chances of becoming a member of the CF.

Many have come before you and there is nothing worse, than seeing someone go out, spend at ton of $$$ for something they "think" will help, only to never get beyond the testing stage or fail at the medical stage or fail at the background check stage or fail at Aircrew Selection.

 

[HaZarD SFD]

If said person passes and hits BMQ with V4 and does his/her trade.  While in said trade if they get Corrective Eye Surgery, will it help further in the trade?  or when they are done that trade and want to get into another down the road?

 

[LightFighter]

If said person passes and hits BMQ with V4 and does his/her trade.  While in said trade if they get Corrective Eye Surgery, will it help further in the trade?

What do you mean, go further in their trade? Something specific you are looking for?  Provided you continue to meet the medical category for your trade and do good in your job, etc you can advance in your career.

or when they are done that trade and want to get into another down the road?

Well, if you are V4 and wish to VOT into a trade that requires a higher vision category you wouldn't meet the vision requirement and would be unable to VOT. How ever, if you get LASIK/PRK and than meet the medical/vision category for the trade you want you'd be able to continue with the VOT.

 

[Loachman]

To those asking the questions here: You are posting in the "Recruits Only" forum. Think about that.  Most of the people that can give decent answers with factual information cannot post here. There is also an extensive thread regarding laser eye surgery, with other useful relevant information likely available in other threads. Do your homework, and then post in the appropriate thread.

To those who freely admit that they are "not a doctor" but offer advice anyway": We appreciate your helpful instinct, but, unless you have experience as a recruiter or in the medical world, please restrain yourselves. You are not providing any input of value.

I am locking this thread.