Lasik / Prk

[DNA Helicase]

Is it possible to get LASIK or PRK done for free as a physician in the military? This might seem like an ignorant question, but I figured it was worth asking.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[bogatyr]

Is it possible to get LASIK or PRK done for free as a physician in the military? This might seem like an ignorant question, but I figured it was worth asking.

Yes. It's even easier to get done if you are stationed where they perform the procedure. Several of us had it done in internship.

 

[cavaor]

what are the locations where this is done? (interested in Army specifically)

 

[pgg]

Is it possible to get LASIK or PRK done for free as a physician in the military? This might seem like an ignorant question, but I figured it was worth asking.

AFAIK the military only offers PRK. For LASIK I'm told you have to get it done out of pocket from a civilian.

And FWIW, the waitlist for PRK was pretty long (months), at least at Camp Lejeune.

 

[Midoc]

You can get either LASIK or PRK for free at Ft Lewis, WA for free but unless you're deploying the waitlist is around 12 months.

 

[edinOH]

AFAIK the military only offers PRK. For LASIK I'm told you have to get it done out of pocket from a civilian.

And FWIW, the waitlist for PRK was pretty long (months), at least at Camp Lejeune.

They are doing Lasik at NMCSD. Steve Schallhorn is the cornea guy there, among others.

 

[backrow]

They have recently gotten the femtosecond laser at NMC Portsmouth and will start doing (may have already started) doing LASIK with the laser created corneal flap instead of the more traditional mechanical microkeratome flap.

 

[pgg]

They have recently gotten the femtosecond laser at NMC Portsmouth and will start doing (may have already started) doing LASIK with the laser created corneal flap instead of the more traditional mechanical microkeratome flap.

Really. I didn't know that ... and here I was all prepared to go pay out of pocket to get my eyeball cooked. I'll have to stroll by ophtho on Monday.

 

[backrow]

Ran into one of the ophthalmologists at NMCP today and he said they were getting ready to start up the ole Intralase Laser any day now. I stopped by and saw the thing the other day. They basically stick you under one laser to create the flap and then swing the chair under the Excimer laser and then repeat for the other eye. The machine itself is a bit smaller than the excimer laser machine.