I recently tried joining the British army but failed to get in due to eyesight requirements. However, I had LASEK eye surgery to correct my visual acuity to around 20/20 and then tried to reapply. However, the army still wanted nothing to do with me because of my original visual acuity which was 1 diopter over the limit. I had my heart set on the army as I can think of nothing worse than sitting behind a desk for a job. After doing research, i found two options that were suitable to me: the French Foreign Legion (FFL) and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Mahal program which I am suitable for due to me being Jewish. The FFL has a commitment of 5 years, whereas the IDF is 18 months with option to stay longer. I was wondering what people’s thoughts on these two options were. Don’t get me wrong, I am British first and foremost, and I love my country and would have been proud to serve it, and I also have no idealogical reasons for wanting to join the FFL or IDF other than the training, discipline and adventure that they offer. So it seems that fate has led me to these two options, and i would very much appreciate any feedback about these two forces, or any other ideas which could be of help to me. Serious answers only please and nothing idealogical to do with the Israeli- Palestinian conflict as I have already stated that I would only consider it as a path to adventure and military discipline and training, thank you.

I’m not sure on the LASEK/LASIK eye surgery rules for all countries but many don’t fancy it(including mine: AUS) and still contest that their pilots have 20/20 vision.

The argument is pretty straight forward,
0mill plane vs. blurry mountain

but what I’m gettin at is:

OVER A THIRD of people have poor eye sight:
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/m/myopia/stats.htm

Are the armed forces really taking the right precaucions when they rule out over a third of possible applicants?

(Please mind the spelling, comp froze at publish)

is it harmful if i wear coloured lenses after doin the lasek laser surgery?

My boyfriend is planning to have LASEK to improve his sight for entry into the police. He has a -4.5 on the left and -5.0 on the right and has had a stable prescription for several years now. He’s 25.

Could someone give me details of the risks, complications and time-span for treatment? I’ve looked at the individual websites for details, but we’d prefer to know everything we can before the consultation. Who is offering the best deal? Who is the safest? Each company is probably biased about safety so if anyone knows which is best that would be great. How soon will he be able to see better?

Thanks alot of any advice. I’ve really been worrying about it x
I’m talking about LASEK not LASIK.

Hi all,

I am 25 and have had glasses for about 8 years (only worn daily for a few years). I am considering laser surgery and notice in the ‘am i suitable’ type info that your prescrip shouldn’t have changed much in the last two years. Most websites are so commercial they don’t really tell you - how much is a big change? e.g. I went from -2.00 and -1.75 to -2.25 and -2.00 in about a year. Is that a lot? Also, what does ‘cylinder’ refer to on a prescription? Mine is -0.50, whatever that means. Cheers.

Well it’s 2008 now and there are companies all over the world that are offering the revolutionary treatment. I have heared that the best treatment can be found in Europe. My question is i hear that treatment companies have successfully treated many patients with long lasting results (now with the safer method of using "Intralase" to create the Corneal flap).
One company i found even advertised on a reputable website of an opticians. My question is if i was to have surgery at the age of 23 or 24 (which is why i refer to 6 / 7 years from now) how far advanced is the technology likely to be? Medical science is improving all the time and i really need this surgury if i am to make the grade for my dream job in the police service in the future.

Answers and opinions from Opticians, patients and success/ failure stories (with prescription strength details before and after) all welcome…

P.S. Does the Corneal flap heal? I have heared a scary story that it sometimes never heals, help pls?