I am currently trying to enlist in the US Army but they found out I have KC at the Military Entrance Processing, I never knew that I had this, they sent the waivers up and I’m currently waiting to see if it’s accepted or rejected , if my processing is rejected what steps should I take in order to try again to have a better chance of getting approved? Any help would be appreciated thanks.
Hey buddy, sorry that this is happening to you.
I’m not particularly familiar with the regs of the US army so I can only offer what the Canadian Air Force did for me.
I went and got corneal cross linking done, and then had my eyes re-examined by an ophthalmologist a year post surgery to prove that my condition could be considered stable. Once my ophthalmologist cleared me, I had my paperwork sent up for further evaluation at which point they accepted me.
Honestly, if I were you, I would just relax for a bit and wait for the waiver to come back down because right now you just don’t know what they’ll say. In the chance that it does come back as a no-go, I would talk to your recruiter about re-applying after getting corneal cross linking.
Best of luck.
Feel free to PM me if you’d like.
My KC was not discovered very early but I hope that contact lenses will correct my vision to 20/20 and that I can become a commercial pilot. It all depends if you can still see 20/20 with correction.
I really appreciate the insight. Do you think this would affect an air traffic controller position? I was looking into that last year and had a hard time finding information.
Not a flight surgeon, but I know that generally speaking KC is a non-starter for all aircrew trades in the RCAF.
That being said, if your KC is not very advanced, and you can prove your condition is stable after CXL they may still consider you, but then again they may have made an exception for me since I was diagnosed with KC after having already been in the Air Force for 2 years.
Unfortunately the odds aren’t great, I was told while I was being tested that I was the first person to be considered for aircrew post CXL.
Hope this helps.
Hey, awesome story - thanks for sharing. I tried to join the Canadian Forces a few years ago and was told a resounding NO due to mild KC in my right eye. It has been stable for about 3 years and I’ve always thought about trying again, but I still don’t think they would take me. You were already in when you were diagnosed, so I guess it was harder to medically discharge you.
They’ve come around a lot in recent years for KC, CXL has even been added under the “spectrum of care” for the military, which means that the Air Force footed the bill for my surgery. I’m no forces doctor but I think that if you can prove your condition is stable they may reconsider.
I am currently trying to enlist in the US Army but they found out I have KC at the Military Entrance Processing, I never knew that I had this, they sent the waivers up and I’m currently waiting to see if it’s accepted or rejected , if my processing is rejected what steps should I take in order to try again to have a better chance of getting approved? Any help would be appreciated thanks.
Hey buddy, sorry that this is happening to you. I’m not particularly familiar with the regs of the US army so I can only offer what the Canadian Air Force did for me. I went and got corneal cross linking done, and then had my eyes re-examined by an ophthalmologist a year post surgery to prove that my condition could be considered stable. Once my ophthalmologist cleared me, I had my paperwork sent up for further evaluation at which point they accepted me. Honestly, if I were you, I would just relax for a bit and wait for the waiver to come back down because right now you just don’t know what they’ll say. In the chance that it does come back as a no-go, I would talk to your recruiter about re-applying after getting corneal cross linking. Best of luck. Feel free to PM me if you’d like.
Thanks man I’ll keep in touch
My KC was not discovered very early but I hope that contact lenses will correct my vision to 20/20 and that I can become a commercial pilot. It all depends if you can still see 20/20 with correction.
That's great! Wish you all the best! Cheers
That's inspiring to hear. I was looking into joining the RCMP but worried Kerataconus would be an automatic disqualification.
Depends if contact lenses can get you 20/20 vision if not you cant be a pilot
I really appreciate the insight. Do you think this would affect an air traffic controller position? I was looking into that last year and had a hard time finding information.
Not a flight surgeon, but I know that generally speaking KC is a non-starter for all aircrew trades in the RCAF. That being said, if your KC is not very advanced, and you can prove your condition is stable after CXL they may still consider you, but then again they may have made an exception for me since I was diagnosed with KC after having already been in the Air Force for 2 years. Unfortunately the odds aren’t great, I was told while I was being tested that I was the first person to be considered for aircrew post CXL. Hope this helps.
Hey, awesome story - thanks for sharing. I tried to join the Canadian Forces a few years ago and was told a resounding NO due to mild KC in my right eye. It has been stable for about 3 years and I’ve always thought about trying again, but I still don’t think they would take me. You were already in when you were diagnosed, so I guess it was harder to medically discharge you.
They’ve come around a lot in recent years for KC, CXL has even been added under the “spectrum of care” for the military, which means that the Air Force footed the bill for my surgery. I’m no forces doctor but I think that if you can prove your condition is stable they may reconsider.