So after about a 2 week process of dealing with a recruiter, gathering all the necessary paperworks, and what not.. I get to the physical station (MEPS) and get Disqualified after my physical for having an astigmatism in one eye.
My prescription is 5.50 - 3.00 x 180 in one eye, which is perfectly acceptable.. but my other eye is 4.00 -3.75 x 180.. which is .75 diopters over the acceptable standard. Anyway, I'm scheduled for some sort of Orthupedic (sp?) consul, and they said all I can do is hope that they grant me a waiver stating it won't impair my ability to serve. This has never been an issue with me before, it is correctable to 20/20 (I wear contacts). But everywhere I read tells me that any astigmatism over 3 diopters is an automatic disqualification because of conflictions with standard issue equipment (refractions in goggles and masks lenses etc).
Does anyone know anything about this waiver process? Should I even get my hopes up or what? I think it sucks that I'm completely motivated to serve my country only to get shot down after getting this far.