UK Armed Forces (officer); any hope?

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afridi0921
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Re: UK Armed Forces (officer); any hope?

Postby afridi0921 » Thu 14 May 2020 11:06 am

Hi All

I hope you and family are safe in this current time.

So very keen to join the forces and applied for a reserve role back in OCT 2019.

I had lasik back done in 2009 which caused cornea ectasia and then went to do cxl in 2012 and 2014

My vision is okay and going to routine checkup.

I put two appeals but i dont think getting any positive response from the centre

i guess its a NO - any one else have got any exception ?

FYI Below ;

Due to :1) Confirmed bilateral keratoconus. I note the clinic letter dated 21st March 2019 from Hospital regarding the ongoing monitoring of your eye conditions. The reason for not accepting keratoconus is due to its well recognised progressive nature- one which is reiterated by the need for regular monitoring clinics for patients with this condition. With regards to your previous refractive surgery, the army medical policy only allows for corneal refractive surgery in cases where there are no visual side effects, and there is no ongoing requirement for topical eye medication. In your case, your LASIK treatment was complicated by corneal ectasia requiring corrective cross linking. For these reasons I must uphold the original decision to reject your application.

The decision has been made using all the information available to us and in accordance with Joint Services Publication (JSP) guidance. The relevant extract is below.

EYES PRE-ENTRY ANNEX A

2. The following conditions, in either or both eyes, will normally exclude entry:
f. Cornea
2. Keratoconus

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Anne Klepacz
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Re: UK Armed Forces (officer); any hope?

Postby Anne Klepacz » Fri 15 May 2020 5:43 pm

We did make some progress on the issue of CXL and the armed forces just before lockdown, making representations to one of the forces medics who advises on eye issues and also getting support from one of the Moorfields consultants. The feedback was that a meeting had taken place and recommendations made to the forces decision makers. (Although the feedback didn't specify what the recommendations were, I think we would have been told if they felt there was no reason to make a change). BUT, then came Covid-19 and all attention for both medics and armed forces has switched to that. So, while there is some hope that the rules re KC might change in the future, quite when that will be given current priorities is anybody's guess. All very frustrating.

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Re: UK Armed Forces (officer); any hope?

Postby borgmill » Mon 22 Jun 2020 3:02 am

Hi folks.
Just a quick update from my experiences over the last few months. (Nearly a year, really - doesn't time fly?). I was keen to get into the new batch of recruits so I booked a private appointment at a hospital in Glasgow, I failed to get 'undiagnosed', since the warpage had worsened slightly since I'd last had it checked, but the ophthalmologist chap informed me that he'd seen "plenty of folk in a similar boat." and that all I had to do was get my cross-linking and I'd be good to go. I wasn't going to get the cross-linking done privately, as it would have been almost £2500, so I booked an appointment with the NHS. I was lucky enough to see a man who'd served as a naval ophthalmologist for around thirty years, and he quite succinctly informed me that the first chap had been "talking out of his backside.", and that in his experience, the only thing the specialist medics might consider, is a few years worth of documentation proving that my condition is stable and unlikely to worsen. We're undergoing check-ups every six months to get these records under my belt, and then we'll work on the appeal from there. I'm still hopeful of being able to join, just not as soon as I'd initially hoped.
@Anne Klepacz- still no response from the specialist that had been asked to produce a report?

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Re: UK Armed Forces (officer); any hope?

Postby Anne Klepacz » Mon 22 Jun 2020 1:04 pm

No, despite chasing, I never heard anything more about a report or got any sort of reply. Which is why I tried another route into the labyrinth, with a new contact plus evidence from one of the Moorfields consultants. And we were getting somewhere when Covid struck. I think I need to wait a little bit longer for things to begin to get back to normal before I chase my new helpful contact. But I will do soon. If there is a change, it will be on the principle of demonstrating that the individual's KC is stable after CXL, so we're talking a minimum of 12 months after the procedure.
Good luck with your efforts!

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Re: UK Armed Forces (officer); any hope?

Postby watty8883 » Tue 16 Feb 2021 7:05 pm

Watching this thread with interest since my diagnosis. Currently on the waiting list at 17 years old for cross linking. The consultant who referred me for this was really optimistic and said after this was done there should be no problem joining the army following this so naturally I am devastated to read KC history is a lifetime ban from joining the military especially when people have been given waivers for mental health issues in recent years. Please keep pursuing this Anne a lot of our dreams depend on this.

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Re: UK Armed Forces (officer); any hope?

Postby Anne Klepacz » Fri 26 Feb 2021 4:44 pm

This was the situation last September as reported by the forces consultant we asked for help.
"We did meet and discuss (virtually) and have made recommendations to change the JMES. That will need to be approved by the relevant military occupational health committee but hopefully will be. It is likely to be something along the lines of kmax <58, CCT>400 and stability for at least 1 year after x-linking. I am afraid that I cannot give a timeline or any guarantee of whether our recommendations for a change will be accepted."
JMES is the Joint Medical Employment Standard. No more news since then so we are still awaiting news of the decision of the military occupational health committee. I'm at a loss as to what else we can do.

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Re: UK Armed Forces (officer); any hope?

Postby elliott » Mon 03 May 2021 2:36 am

Anne Klepacz wrote:Hi Borgmill,
If it's many years since your diagnosis and you continue to have negligible symptoms, it certainly seems worth a try to see an ophthalmologist and get 'undiagnosed'. I'm sure it wouldn't be the first time that an initial diagnosis turned out to be wrong. I've no idea how likely you are to be successful, but do let us know how you get on. You're absolutely right that the severity of KC varies a great deal - some so called 'subclinical' KC is only picked up when people go for laser treatment for short sight and it turns out their cornea is a little thinner than the average. And you're right that if the diagnosis came after you'd joined, there wouldn't be an issue unless the KC became severe.
Frustratingly, I had no reply to my chasing this up last year. I'll take a deep breath and try again!


Hi, I have just found this forum from searching online, I have keratoconus in my left eye. I've had crosslinking and as of now there is no signs of regression in my cross linked eye or any sign of keratoconus in my right eye. I found though googling this link https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/files/cnr-pdfs/20210201_eligibility-form_080221update.pdf?la=en-gb&hash=A16638AC9CC0A0A3922299079F075ED7 that i believe to be for 2021, that does state that keratoconus is still on the no-go list.

Essentially I saw that you had actually been taking this up with the Royal Navy and hadn't heard anything back, I assume this is still the case and what is the likelyhood that this will ever be able to change. I would like to apply as an officier, of which I can still meet the same eye sight requirements with correction, so I do feel there is an argument to put forward that if there are definitively no signs of regression that it should not be a barrier to entry - which is what I guess you have already put forward.

Thanks

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Re: UK Armed Forces (officer); any hope?

Postby Anne Klepacz » Mon 03 May 2021 4:16 pm

Hi Elliott,
I last chased this a couple of months ago, but still no news. The case for changing the rules has been made by our charity and supported by a corneal specialist at Moorfields, and put forward to the occupational health committee that decides these things. There is now so much evidence that crosslinking stops the progression of KC in the vast majority of cases, that I cannot understand the Armed Forces failure to change their entry criteria.

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Re: UK Armed Forces (officer); any hope?

Postby Jazzclem » Wed 23 Jun 2021 3:41 pm

Anne Klepacz wrote:Hi Elliott,
I last chased this a couple of months ago, but still no news. The case for changing the rules has been made by our charity and supported by a corneal specialist at Moorfields, and put forward to the occupational health committee that decides these things. There is now so much evidence that crosslinking stops the progression of KC in the vast majority of cases, that I cannot understand the Armed Forces failure to change their entry criteria.


Hi Anne,
I know this has been going on for years to no end. However I was wondering if there's been any update.
I have keratoconus and now have been 2 years stable post x-linking.
I'm wanting to go in as an intelligence officer. But obviously I'd fail health checks with kera. With the last update, about them considering it. Do you have any suggestions about who I can talk to in the military about this?
I'm hoping since ill be going in with a degree they may be more inclined to listen, as I'll be working on a desk too.

Thanks for all your hardwork for us with Keratoconus, it's greatly appreciated x

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Re: UK Armed Forces (officer); any hope?

Postby Anne Klepacz » Thu 24 Jun 2021 7:29 pm

Hi Jazz - unfortunately there are 2 threads on this topic and my latest update was on the one called KC and the armed forces. This is part of what I posted last month.
"I e-mailed my contact again yesterday and his response was "sorry that the wheels are turning slowly, but they are turning". He also said that if individuals are rejected, they can request an appeal and the case will then come to one of the ophthalmologists advising the armed forces. The implication is that they are likely to be sympathetic."
I'm afraid I don't have any suggestions about who you can talk to - I find the whole set up really opaque! But good luck, and let us know how you get on.


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