Dreams not over, so why do i feel so crap

[edd1989]

Bugger

Just been informed today that my eyesight is not up to scratch for a commission in the Royal Marine's. I always knew it was going to be an issue but not necessarily a problem.

You have to be 6/60 uncorrected vision (no glasses or contacts), and I have narrowly missed that with my right eye.

I am getting another test that hopefully should give me the nod as being equal to 6/60. I took my glasses off minutes before the test. That could have affected my results because if you just take off the things which are correcting your vision, your eyes aren't use to it.

Laser eye surgery is now making me think. I was always going to have it, but I was going to wait until I was serving to get it done. You have to be 21, and being only 17 gives me a significant wait. Especially since you have to wait 12 months after the surgery.

I have two options:

1. Have the other test and pray to anything that I just scrape through it and then proceed. But then I will be disadvantaged, because I would have to mess around with contacts and gecks.

2. Whether I pass the test or not, get a job for a few years. The plan being to just use it to get cash so I can pay to be dive trained, parachute trained etc. Basically to make me a more desirable candidate.
However I have no idea what sort of job a 18 year old with A levels could get which would be relevant to when I try to join again when I’m 22 after my surgery.

Obviously 2 would be the better choice. But I don't know what sort of job I would get and I have "I want it now" syndrome.

Before anyone suggests it, I don't want to go to university. It has never taken my fancy. Especially since I will be paying for courses which I don't really want to be doing. I have no idea what I would want to study.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Bugger

Edd

 

[Chicogiz]

Bugger

Just been informed today that my eyesight is not up to scratch for a commission in the Royal Marine's. I always knew it was going to be an issue but not necessarily a problem.

You have to be 6/60 uncorrected vision (no glasses or contacts), and I have narrowly missed that with my right eye.

I am getting another test that hopefully should give me the nod as being equal to 6/60. I took my glasses off minutes before the test. That could have affected my results because if you just take off the things which are correcting your vision, your eyes aren't use to it.

Laser eye surgery is now making me think. I was always going to have it, but I was going to wait until I was serving to get it done. You have to be 21, and being only 17 gives me a significant wait. Especially since you have to wait 12 months after the surgery.

I have two options:

1. Have the other test and pray to anything that I just scrape through it and then proceed. But then I will be disadvantaged, because I would have to mess around with contacts and gecks.

2. Whether I pass the test or not, get a job for a few years. The plan being to just use it to get cash so I can pay to be dive trained, parachute trained etc. Basically to make me a more desirable candidate.
However I have no idea what sort of job a 18 year old with A levels could get which would be relevant to when I try to join again when I’m 22 after my surgery.

Obviously 2 would be the better choice. But I don't know what sort of job I would get and I have "I want it now" syndrome.

Before anyone suggests it, I don't want to go to university. It has never taken my fancy. Especially since I will be paying for courses which I don't really want to be doing. I have no idea what I would want to study.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Bugger

Edd

I dont wear glasses or anything my eyes are fine but i do know that haveing eye laser treatment it could go wrong and make your eyes worse as it happend to my uncle. It's up to you what route you take because you could go fine with the treatment but it's the risk you take "good luck".

 

[trufflehunter]

just a suggestion, maybe not possible, but how about joining the navy in a role with a lower eyesight requirement, serving the neccesary time and transferring across to the Royals after the surgery

 

[edd1989]

just a suggestion, maybe not possible, but how about joining the navy in a role with a lower eyesight requirement, serving the neccesary time and transferring across to the Royals after the surgery

Have thought about it, however after having a look there isn't really a section that I would want to go into. I want a nitty gritty job, the marines seemed to tick all the boxes.

There is risk with laser eye surgery, but I was planning on blowing about £5000 to get it done in Harley Street. My Uncle and a family friend had it done there and theirs turned out better than fine. But then accidents do happen. It does depend a lot on the case.

The only other section I ever expressed and interest in would be an intelligence officer. But I can’t see the career on the website.

Edd

 

[Lamri]

I know you don't think so mate, but you really are very young and have a long time ahead of you for a career in the RM.
If its what you want to do, bide your time, keep yourself fit and have the surgery when you are old enough to do so, then re-apply.
Or just join the pongos as an hofficer.

 

[chris]

just a few things.

just because you pass one test doesnt mean anything.

i believe a basic eye test is part of the medical as well, not to mention the RM are probably going to be quite strict about sight. a borderline case (e.g. just hitting 6/60) is looked over by an officer of a certain status.
you may just get 6/60, but the RM could decide your too close to call and reject you.

also, you probably will get tested after you join (assuming you pass all the other stages), be it as a new recruit, or later on in your career. if your sight drops you could be dismissed on medical grounds. if you hit the rock bottom, that means your eyes have to stay exactly at that level, and a minor drop could end up with you being unfit for service.

also, yes you would have to wear contacts, but if you look into extended wear ones it might be easier (there are contacts which you can wear 24/7 for 2 weeks or one month, including sleeping etc) which means you dont have to change them in a pit in the ground in the middle of nowhere everyday.

also, its a waste of money really to do dive and jump training. if you do it because you enjoy it thats fine, but it wont help your cause that much. those skills arent a standard in RT, and should you ever need those skills the RM would teach you. diving and parachuting are really limited to special forces and recce troops (parachuting mainly), and i can tell you now you wont be special forces unless they significantly change the requirements, which they wont.
it seems a lot of money in order to gain a very small number of points towards joining up, when being super fit and such would help more.

laser eye surgery has an age limit of 18 at a lot of clinics, 21 is only some of them.
if you are 18+ and have had stable vision for a year and a bit or so, and look around, you should be able to get it done.

also, laser eye surgery is a risky game with the forces. it is so recent they dont know for sure the long term effects. they want people for 22 years really, and if you go blind after 15 years, they could find suddenly half their senior staff are unfit for duty.

so certain types are not allowed, and if you have had it you are still not treated exactly the same as a guy with 20/20 vision.

all this should be checked with a person who can say for definate, like a military doctor, so you can be sure. dont ask AFCO they know shit all thats not in the brochure.

im sure 18 with a levels can get a half decent job. i have had jobs, and im 16 with gcses.


http://www.aop.org.uk/uploaded_files/pdf/04-navy.pdf has info on vision shit for the RN.

i hate to say this but at 17 being on the edge is a poor state to hope to scrape in on. they would probably say "hes still young, and he probably hasnt finished growing etc completely yet, so if his eye changes by a tiny portion, he'll be too blind to serve, so its a waste of time and money for us to train him and then he will be unfit before he does a decent service."

if you were maybe 30 on the brink, and could prove your sight hasnt changed in 10 years its a slightly different case.

i would suggest laser surgery or go down a different road.

you could train and be the best in the world, but if you cant see 3 foot in front of you, and your glasses get knocked off by grenade or RPG, your as good as dead. you cant shoot what you cant see.