I love reading about the unexpected, quirky little side effects that seemingly innocuous decisions lead to. I remember reading about 10 years ago that now that women are allowed in the Navy, fresh water usage was doubling, causing problems on boats at sea. The initial supposition was that the new women recruits were using more water. Turns out it was the fellows who were content to be stinky before. They were all washing up to be more presentable to the ladies!
Looks like the Navy has another predicament. The NY Times published an article today about how laser eye surgery is messing up the navy's ability to fulfill quotas for some very important job categories.
Many top-notch candidates who couldn't pass eye tests were resigned to boat jobs instead of the more desirable fighter positions. Now those with less than 20-20 vision can have surgery to qualify to fly. Which makes for a shortage of candidates for less desirable careers on boats and submarines.
The Naval Academy missed it's 120 quota for sub school by 22 candidates. Furthermore "Last year, 310 midshipmen competed for 272 flight training slots. Of those, 104 had undergone laser eye surgery." Without the surgery, there would be 206 vying for the 272 slots, and the other 104 would have looked elsewhere in the Navy and Marine Corps.
I had RK surgery in 2000. I love it. I can wake up in the middle of the night and see what time it is. I can skinny dip without squinting. The procedure the Navy for pilots uses is a little different. The doctor sliced a flap on my cornea and folded it down to perform the surgery. Navy brass are concerned that the flap will pop open in high-G flights, so they grind the cornea down, which leads to a longer healing period. Ack!
