Glasses in the Legion

[handjar]

How are candidates with glasses treated in the recruitment process for Legion? Ive read the FAQ but still I want to get some info of current legionare who got in with glasses.

Thank you

 

[flash010]

How are candidates with glasses treated in the recruitment process for Legion? Ive read the FAQ but still I want to get some info of current legionare who got in with glasses.

Thank you

i was short sighted after a go on the range at castel my sarg chef got me taken for cotacts and the rest is history

 

[Leutnant Callan]

I've read so much information regarding this issue...probably all you can find online or in books, and I still don't have a definite answer. So my conclusion is just that, yes, the Legion will take you if you have poor eyesight, but it's probably going to depend on a few other factors as well. For example if you're in great physical condition, intelligent, do what you're told, get along well with the selection officers and the fact that you wear glasses is really your only defect, then you probably stand a decent chance of making it. But then again, I understand the Legion's selection process is pretty random at times, so maybe not.

I wear glasses, and when I e-mailed the Legion a while ago about eyesight requirements, the information they sent me listed the "correction in dioptres" as "-10" if you're near-sighted, and "+8" if you're far-sighted. I'm assuming these numbers refer to the stickers on my contact lens boxes which say "-3.00" and "-2.25" for my right and left eyes respectively. So if that's the case then I guess I'm within the acceptable limits.

Anyway, I'd hope that if you show up at Fort de Nogent wearing glasses, that they would at least let you through the front gates instead of automatically turning you away because of that. By letting you in, they're giving you a chance to actually show them what you can bring to the table, and if it's a little more than what they're used to I'm sure it would give you an edge.

 

[Corpvalues]

guess you know how i feel... im -2.25 vision. that's what im afraid of, because a book i got called ''life in the french foreign legion'' said having glasses will seriosuly cut your chances. but i wear contacts

 

[BlankTheYank]

Does the Legion prefer glasses or contacts?

 

[Leutnant Callan]

guess you know how i feel... im -2.25 vision. that's what im afraid of, because a book i got called ''life in the french foreign legion'' said having glasses will seriosuly cut your chances. but i wear contacts

I have that same book. It's good, but when I read that if you wear glasses, then "your chances of simply getting past the recruiting center are slim to none," I was mildly taken aback. Just mildly. The good news is that the other physical defects Mr. McGorman lists don't apply to me, but then again, that might not matter if they won't even bother to look past your eyes.

I used to wear contacts (when I was in the mood for aviators instead of clip-ons), but they were a pain to put in, so I stopped. I still have some unopened boxes though.

And as far as the Legion having a preferred method of visual correction, wearing contacts into Fort de Nogent might help you until it comes time to take the eye exam, and you have to ask for a mirror or a WC to take them out.

 

[flash010]

Does the Legion prefer glasses or contacts?

they dont care as long as you can see and pass the eye test might be worth cheaking out lazer treatment ??

 

[Nickfury]

If you guys are worried, or if you want to up your chances, why not just get Lasik??

It is relatively inexpensive, Largely safe, and you heal fast. You only need to wait a year before you join (if you tell them about it of course, I did, but have friends that didnt and got in no problem despite having the surgery done a month or two before selection, but that is a little risky for your eyes if you get hit in the eye. Your choice).

I saw maybe 1-2 guys get rouge with glasses. But ask why they should take someone with glasses when plenty of guys without, UNLESS you are bringing a bit more to the table (prior military, skills, French, etc)

So train hard, study French...etc...

Good luck
Nick

 

[Corporate]

That is good advice, but instead of LASIK I would personally recommend PRK. There is no flap creation, so you avoid a whole slew of potential complications.

I'm currently two weeks out from my PRK procedure, and my eyes are 20/15 and 20/25. I do have a little bit of corneal hazing that is noticeable when moving from dark to light, and my right eye has a slight afterimage effect going on, but my eyes should continue healing and stabilizing for another few weeks. I am very happy with how they have turned out so far.

The main thing with refractive surgery is that you don't skimp. There are a lot of horror stories out there about how people have gone blind, or committed suicide from the pain of dry eyes, etc. If you're not willing to spare no expense for a good doctor with new equipment, then you shouldn't even think about going under the laser.

 

[Nickfury]

Fair enough...I hear PRK is more painful and has a longer healing time, but yeah it is the preferred method by the US Military.

I got the most advanced technology out there when I had mine done. I still had side effects for several months (starbursts and hazing at night. Some light sensitivity and mild dryness,) but it pretty much all went away.

 

[Corporate]

Yes, LASIK definitely has the advantage over PRK when it comes to ease of recovery. I spent the first 3 days after surgery wondering what the hell I had done to myself. It was very uncomfortable.

 

[voltigeur]

$900 Canadian for both eyes in Calgary.

 

[Leutnant Callan]

I've been thinking about laser surgery just in general for a while now, so it's possible that I'll go that route (although there's always going to be just as many sensationalist "horror stories" about LASIK mishaps as there will be satisfied customers).

If you were kicked out during selection primarily based on your eyesight, would you be permanently ineligible to return, or would they give you an "inapt temporaire" since technically it is correctable? To get that then, would you have to bring up your willingness to get surgery yourself, before the fact (and to who?), or could a permanent ban be changed later if you tell them you want surgery?

Trying to reason with the doctors while their main goal is to get you out the door so they can continue on with selection is probably very difficult, so how would you go about sparing yourself permanent ineligibility? Thanks.

 

[voltigeur]

I've been thinking about laser surgery just in general for a while now, so it's possible that I'll go that route (although there's always going to be just as many sensationalist "horror stories" about LASIK mishaps as there will be satisfied customers).

If you were kicked out during selection primarily based on your eyesight, would you be permanently ineligible to return, or would they give you an "inapt temporaire" since technically it is correctable? To get that then, would you have to bring up your willingness to get surgery yourself, before the fact (and to who?), or could a permanent ban be changed later if you tell them you want surgery?

Trying to reason with the doctors while their main goal is to get you out the door so they can continue on with selection is probably very difficult, so how would you go about sparing yourself permanent ineligibility? Thanks.

Even the most routine surgeries can go awry.
Once you get an inapt definitive you will not be able to try again. So if you are "thinking" of having lasik surgery, you probably kick yourself if you got rejected on account of poor eyesight and needing eye glasses, if you did not have the surgery. Again as I stated in another post, they need maybe only 10% of the applicants . Who would you pick?

 

[russjt]

I had the Lasik done at the end of November , felt ok afterwards but kept getting this pain at the back of my eye , long story short , had to go into hospital on Christmas day due to the pain and red eye !!! and at that point could still see !!!
Had to take steroid/addrenalin drops , every hour for few days , didnt work ! eye got worse , vision started to go ! started blurry then went to a total white out , pain was that bad from sunlight couldnt go outside , that was middle of summer down here , so had to stay inside with sunnies on and curtains shut ! vision went totaly just in left eye , had to get two injections over three days into my eye to try and give it a kick start ! , by this point the iris had stuck onto the lens and wasnt moving .
It started to show signs of improvement after end of January , got worse again in February , now its fine ! stopped drops , had last checkup about end of April when i could read the smallest line on the chart with each eye .
Scared the crap out of me , am so f**k**g lucky it was touch and go , If the injections didnt work , and the iris didnt move my eye would have died and would have had to take it out !

sorry to bore you guys lol , but thats a long story short !!!

 

[russjt]

and it wasnt cheep either NZ$2600 per eye !

 

[voltigeur]

and it wasnt cheep either NZ$2600 per eye !

Holy Sh..!!!! that is $2009 Canadian dollars per eye compared to $450 CAD per eye.
What a rip off!!
I have not checked if there are additional cost besides the "advertized" cost because I have no plans to get lasik.

 

[russjt]

Man ..now i feel totaly ripped off !!! I just checked and its now NZ$2900 per eye !

This is the only guy offering Blade Free Lasik in the South Island .

www.lasik.co.nz

 

[voltigeur]

Here is their web site http://www.lasikmd.com/ccalgary/lasik-md-calgary-home.en.html

 

[joette ✞]

Holy Sh..!!!! that is $2009 Canadian dollars per eye compared to $450 CAD per eye.
What a rip off!!
I have not checked if there are additional cost besides the "advertized" cost because I have no plans to get lasik.

It's around 2000.00 to 2500.00US per eye here.