Blagging my eyeballs - is it possible?

Hello everyone,

As I've mentioned in a different thread about eyesight, mine is pretty damned poor (-6 / -6).

Now, I'm sure that this will be a bar to entry (is the minimum -3 / -3 for recruitment?) unless I have the dreaded and much talked about surgery. However, according to a letter I received from the recruitment office, I have to wait until 12 months AFTER having it done before I can join... slightly infuriating to say the least.

So my question is, and it's purely hypothetical of course, will it be possible to just turn up with my laser-corrected eyeballs, read the lines off the chart and pass, leaving them none the wiser? I'll probably have to tick a few boxes incorrectly too, but anyone can make mistakes.

In other words, will they have checked with my doctor about my poor vision? (Presuming he even has a record of it - and I'm also assuming they don't know I get my subscription from Boots)

This is the only obstacle that I can foresee barring me from signing up and I'll be gutted if I have to stick out my current job for another 12 months.

Of course, it could all go horribly wrong and they could burn out both of my eyeballs!

Any feedback would be much appreciated. I like a good blag, me.

p.s. Great forum, I've learned so much reading through the different threads, what a fantastic support network for those wanting to join up and, by the looks of it, a community with plenty of banter for those already in.

 

Feagal

Whilst I support your enthusiasm and wish you well in joining two things spring to mind...

1. There is a criminal offence of Obtaining a Pecuniary Advantage - to sum it up if you obtain paid employment by knowingly telling a lie (or not telling the truth), and had you not told the lie you would not have received the payment, you commit the offence - wouldn't look too good if you got found out and got in the brown stuff.

2. Not a good idea to start off a long term career on a lie - if you can, try to be patient, keep the enthusiasm and if you make the decision to go for the surgery, come back in a years time.

Whatever you decide, good luck matey and I hope everything goes well for you.

 

Hi Windy,

Thanks for the reply... you've certainly put another perspective on this for me. I'm already feeling guilty and I haven't even done anything yet!

The thing is, I'm already 31 and I don't want to waste any more time, especially if the reasons for the 12 month delay are purely red-tape-admin-bullsh*t.

Obviously I'm looking into every aspect of this as I really don't want to do anything rash that could get me binned before I've even started (let alone put myself or others in jeopardy).

But another 12 months? Arghhhh!

I suppose mumbling something about not understanding the question wouldn't really cut the mustard if I got found out at a later date, would it?

I would obviously be wary of lying about having a criminal record or something similar. Then again, like you say, lying about this would in fact be a criminal offence. Damn these moral dilemmas! :cry:

 

Get a grip

Get down there do the test and keep stum

Mag to grid the legal mumbo jumbo and the moralising

Eyes work! excellent! crack on!

 

It's all down to whether or not it's possible to blag it - there's no point in trying if they're going to find out by using some sort of test.

i.e. If they start shining a light in my eyes, they will surely see the correction if it's relatively recent?

What I'm asking is, do they just ask you to read the lines and if you can, no further checks are made?

 

Most likely, one of the reasons they make you wait for 12 months is that the surgery does not have a 100% success rate and if any rejection or complications are going occur, then they will do so within the year.

If you lied about the surgery, joined the RN and anything happened to your eyes, an optical examination will show it.

Not only will you get kicked out, you will probably be barred from any other service career, or one that requires honesty.

Play it safe!

 

Damn, all I want to do is fit my square-peg eyes through the round hole of navy medical standards.

Does anyone know of a medical examiner on this forum that I could ask a few sly hypothetical questions of via PM? (Assuming that's not being too cheeky).

Well, I'm having a consultation with the eye clinic next Friday, so I'm going armed with 1001 questions like, "What sort of problems could develop over a year?"

 

Having your eyes zapped shouldn't prevent you from joining up unless maybe you want to be a pilot, although I'm not aware of the requirments in that case.
Plenty of people in the mob have had laser eye surgery, including me. I had my eyes done in March last year, Wavefront LAZEK correcting -5.75 in both eyes with asigmatism. My eyesight is now better than 20/20. It's about 6/5 on a snellen chart.

If you do decide to get it done though, just tell them.

 

Feagal,

Tough decision! However, at the medicals it would be difficult to lie about this. Not that they go into any great detail, but they do blatantly ask if you've had laser surgery. You can't really pretend it was glossed over.

Regarding the year wait, chances are you'd have to wait that time anyway because the recruitment process is slow. Obviously it's your choice, but think about whether the surgery would improve your quality of life.

Go into the recruitment office, speak to them, see if you can at least get something rolling while you're waiting for surgery.

 

All I can add is my other half who has just passed out found the pre joining medical very easy but the medical everyone has in the first few days at HMS Raliegh more indepth and a few where sent home on the 1st day. Also later on a young lad didnt say he was in pain with his shoulder it got worse and worse and when it came to the swim test he could not pull himself out of the pool, the PTIs would (could) not help him and he then really buggered his shoulder - he was sent to Doctors and told he needs and operation which he more then likely would not of needed if he had been honest, he was gutted and discharged on medical grounds but told he can apply after a year of the operation.

Although this is unlikley to happen with an eye correction but you never know, what happens say if during week 4 you mess up on the gun range and the gun sight hits your eye and damages it? it would then come to light and its good bye! of if jumping off the platform in the pool caused some damage (pressure etc) because it hasnt fully healed?) again good bye. Or on HAVOC the high pressured water could cause a problem.

I dont know much about the eye correction but just trying to say there are things that could happen 99 out of 100 they wont but you knwo sods law! wait a year your age is not a problem.

My fella just passed out last week and in Febuary he will be 34.

At the end of the day its not worth it, but as someone else said you could see if you could get the ball rolling and my fella had to wait 8 months but he is going to be a SA and they are in short supply (so the AFCO said) and applied to be a submariner so again that made it faster. Some people on his course had been waiting 2 years the WAFOS?? or something (sorry I know thats not right but someone will know what branch I mean and correct me)

You have 2 choices, lie and if found out its good bye! or wait and then even if you had a problem you are covered.

You say your already feeling bad for thinking about it, could you honestly cope with the fear and worry that someone just mayfind out and call you in? every time a pipe comes over are you going to be worrying its your name?

Hope this helps

 

Thanks for all the feedback, it's really helped sort out my head.

Whilst my instinct is to get in as quickly as possible, there is too much of a risk that I will get found out and lose the chance to join up forever.

I'm going to have the surgery and wait the 12 months if that's what is required. You never know, they may have a special offer on and let me in early, employ one able-bodied seaman and get a blind one in for free or something.

Damn my eyes!

 

It will be worth it in the end, good luck,

 

With a sense of humour that good, you'll fit in just fine! :wink:

Best of luck, and hope it all goes well.

 

Hi Feagal.

A certain Lt. who is taking me through the recruitment process didn't say to me "if you don't put anything down on the medical forms to cause doubt about your fitness AND you pass the tests - then they won't go and do a check of your medical records"

So its a moral and serious dilemma you and I both share! My eyesight is not the issue, it my medical history, but as far as I'm aware now I'm fitter than the average 22 yr old and have taken the "bo***ks to it" approach and have my AIB very soon I hope. I already passed my rating medical so who knows - the officer medical cant be that much more difficult! The proof will be in the pudding I guess.

One thing I would say is don't on purpose choose a trade that needs excellent vision, and if u must then wait the extra year!

I wish you the best with your decision making!

 

Thanks again for all your support and good advice... I've got the surgery booked for 14th Feb.

Also, congrats to your fella, NavyWife. I hope he enjoys it as much as I'm gonna! :smile:

 

Oh he does its well worth the wait! :smile:

 

I wouldnt advise winging it!You WILL get found out eventually,as to the above quote,the Officer concerned should be ashamed of himself!You can get discharged for Fraudulent Entry for not disclosing stuff on your forms!True the initial Medical isnt too detailed,how ever the following ones are.Im not too well up on Laser eye surgery but i wouls think its not that hard to find out if it has taken place.My advice is not to risk your future career.By all means take the Medical be be up front!

 

silly thing to say,
but it will be on your medical records surely?

they cant give you pretty major surgery and not tell anybody.
im sure surgery on an eye which has had laser eye with the last few months is more complicated then a normal eye.
not to mention if you got a major eye infection which spread to your blood and you passed out, the doctors would need to know about the surgery so they could treat you.

why risk your whole career for a few months?
whats worse, waiting 10 months, or getting caught lying and never being able to join?

 

I've got a luverly jubberly plan worked out for the year I've got to wait after the surgery... I'm renting out my house to a friend so that she covers my mortgage (she was going to be renting it anyway when I joined up) and then I'm bvggering off to Argentina for a year to stay with family.

I'll be able to keep my fitness levels up by swimming, running and canoeing... and I'll also be well prepared for any runs ashore bearing in mind their bars and clubs stay open until about 8am.

Money will be tight, it'll eat into my savings, but f*ck it, you don't get the chance to have a year off that often!

 

check with your AFCO what the restrictions on joining if you have been out of the country for a long time, i cant remember what they are or how serious the set backs can be but i know they do exist!!! don't go and delay yourself even more - be sure and ask b4 you go!