Warning about Laser Eye Surgery

[Anonymous]

To those out there considering the procedure I have this to say - DON'T DO IT!!!! I originally enlisted in the Navy last year and a month before boot camp I had the surgery done and it was a success. Unfortunately when my recruiter found out he brought me down to MEPS where I was disqualified by the doctors. I was told if I waited a year after the procedure I can become qualified again. This time around I realized I wanted to become a Marine. I spoke to a recruiter and he said it should be no problem since it's been a year and my eyesight is still 20/20. But when he looked up my files and saw the Navy disqualification he told me that destroys any chance of getting into a service for good even if it has been a year. Now I regret my decision of having eye surgery. I can never become a Marine. I haven't given up though. There's gotta be a way to beat this technicality. But I just wanted to warn all you out there considering eye surgery that it's just not worth jeopardizing your military career for. By the way, is there any advice or suggestions for me? Semper Fi.

Keywe25@aol.com

[Anonymous]

Audrey,

I don't think the point is that you had eye surgery, it's that you had it a month before going to boot camp. MEPS will disqualify anyone if they've had certain major medical procedures done recently and they'll make you wait 6 months to a year before you can go to MEPS again. My friend Natalie has to have her foot operated on, and she will have to wait 6 months after that before she can continue processing her stuff. There is -nothing- you can do to get around that 'technicality'.

Besides the fact that as a poolee you are obligated to tell your recruiter about any changes in your medical history. When you say 'he found out about it' it sounds like you're saying you didn't voluntarily tell him? Is that so? If so then that is a Major No-No.

If you didn't tell him, they look upon that as lying. They don't want people who do that in the service. Esp. the Marines, whose core values are Honor, Courage & Commitment. Withholding information or outright lying to MEPS or the military about your medical record can and will permanently disqualify you. I'm sure you remember them threatening that when filling out your original medical history the first time you went to MEPS. This may be what the Marine recruiter was talking about.

In any case, I would try to go to a different Marine recruiter. I HIGHLY doubt that eye surgery of that type disqualfies you FOREVER from applying to the service. But then again, they are the authority.

HOWEVER, if you purposely withheld the fact that you had it done, that's most likely the problem, not the surgery itself.

Good luck, M.A.


:
: To those out there considering the procedure I have this to say - DON'T DO
: IT!!!! I originally enlisted in the Navy last year and a month before boot
: camp I had the surgery done and it was a success. Unfortunately when my
: recruiter found out he brought me down to MEPS where I was disqualified by
: the doctors. I was told if I waited a year after the procedure I can
: become qualified again. This time around I realized I wanted to become a
: Marine. I spoke to a recruiter and he said it should be no problem since
: it's been a year and my eyesight is still 20/20. But when he looked up my
: files and saw the Navy disqualification he told me that destroys any
: chance of getting into a service for good even if it has been a year. Now
: I regret my decision of having eye surgery. I can never become a Marine. I
: haven't given up though. There's gotta be a way to beat this technicality.
: But I just wanted to warn all you out there considering eye surgery that
: it's just not worth jeopardizing your military career for. By the way, is
: there any advice or suggestions for me? Semper Fi.


zuma50@hotmail.com

[Anonymous]

Anderson,

I did not lie to any of my recruiters. However I am guilty of not consulting with them before I had the eye surgery done. That I probably will regret for the rest of my life because it jeopardized my chances of joining the Corp.

And the technicality was based on my belief that I should not have been disqualified from USMC because of my Navy disqualification which technically should have been waived after a year.

However, I will take your advice and go through another recruiter. I'm willing to try anything. Semper Fi.

Wong, A.

Keywe25@aol.com

[Anonymous]

Well Audrey Glad to hear it....do try another recruiter and see what he/she says. The USMC is a part of the Dept. of the Navy, as you know, but they do have higher standards than any of the services for entrance, including the Navy...

Good Luck!

Semper Fi, M.A.


:
: Anderson,
:
: I did not lie to any of my recruiters. However I am guilty of not consulting
: with them before I had the eye surgery done. That I probably will regret
: for the rest of my life because it jeopardized my chances of joining the
: Corp.
:
: And the technicality was based on my belief that I should not have been
: disqualified from USMC because of my Navy disqualification which
: technically should have been waived after a year.
:
: However, I will take your advice and go through another recruiter. I'm
: willing to try anything. Semper Fi.
:
: Wong, A.


zuma50@hotmail.com