Help with eyesight waiver

[kerryoly]

Hello everyone, I'm Kerry (female high school senior) & this is my first post but I've been reading the forum since last September, and the amount of information and experience has helped me a lot.

Anyway, I have received the NROTC-Marine Option scholarship, (early boards, they told me in Jan.) but a week ago I got a letter from DODMERB (everyone's favorite acronym) saying that I was disqualified because my eyesight exceed the -6.00 diopter limit. My eyes are really, really bad, as in -7.50. (But they are correctable to 20/20, and they aren't going to get much worse)

We have just started the process of getting a waiver, and I was just wondering what my chances of getting this successfully waivered are. I think I read on here that the closer you get to -8.00 the less of a chance you have. I am kind of freaking out about my chances of keeping my scholarship. Any advice or information would be really, really appreciated!! Thank you, and semper fi!

 

[statesman]

We have some people who are nearly blind in my unit. A guy I will be commissioning with used to have 20/300 vision or worse. I dont know what his vision problems were with respect to diopters, but I would say that all hope is not lost.

Do you intend to go aviation?

Do you know if your particular condition allows for PRK?

 

[kerryoly]

I would like to go into aviation (helicopters, like my dad), but I wouldn't be crushed if I couldn't. I'm just concerned with not losing the scholarship and getting a waiver right now, really. And PRK would work for me, but probably not LASIK. Apparently my cornea is too thin for LASIK, but still ok for PRK. Thanks for replying, I really appreciate it! I'll be crossing my fingers, but DODMERB is just a bunch of red tape and bullshit to get through.

 

[statesman]

Well lucky for you LASIK isn't approved yet for Aviation candidates.

But again I cant tell you for sure if you are going to get approved, but I have seen some people with pretty nasty vision make it through our unit.

 

[DSL1990]

Hello everyone, I'm Kerry (female high school senior) & this is my first post but I've been reading the forum since last September, and the amount of information and experience has helped me a lot.

Anyway, I have received the NROTC-Marine Option scholarship, (early boards, they told me in Jan.) but a week ago I got a letter from DODMERB (everyone's favorite acronym) saying that I was disqualified because my eyesight exceed the -6.00 diopter limit. My eyes are really, really bad, as in -7.50. (But they are correctable to 20/20, and they aren't going to get much worse)

We have just started the process of getting a waiver, and I was just wondering what my chances of getting this successfully waivered are. I think I read on here that the closer you get to -8.00 the less of a chance you have. I am kind of freaking out about my chances of keeping my scholarship. Any advice or information would be really, really appreciated!! Thank you, and semper fi!

you should definitely ask on the following subforum:
http://serviceacademyforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20

there is a retired navy hospital corpsman who worked in dodmerb for years who gives advice there.

 

[ea6bflyr]

Kerry,
I had a student that was NPQ'd by DODMERB for his scholarship (he too exceeded the 6.0 dioper rule). He came to the unit anyway as a College Programmer and participated in the NROTC. He verified that his eyes weren't changing anymore and had PRK surgery. The following semester he was selected for a 3 year scholarship and passed the DODMERB physical.

I do not believe they will issue waivers for diopters in excess of 6.0. You could try, but please don't get your hopes up.

-ea6bflyr

 

[kerryoly]

Thank you ea6 and DSL, I'll be checking out that link. I appreciate your input, and I'm planning to do NROTC anyway even if the scholarship doesn't work out. Again, thanks, you're all helping me out a lot!

 

[war eagle]

Yeah, those guys posting above are pretty much right on....

I had the PRK surgery and my waiver cleared in plenty of time for my service selection. Just remember, the DoDMERB physical/waiver process is different than the one you will go through in a few years when you go up for your NROTC service selection, USMC aviation guarantee, etc. They are separate entities.

Good luck to you.