I recently emailed my AMIs to DoDMERB regarding a remedial due to a past surgery (It was cleared and subsequently removed). However, I also received a disqualifier (D211.40) for my color vision. I decided to see my optometrist to get a second opinion and forwarded his findings and previous history. In one of the documents, he incorrectly stated that I had been off my Ortho-K contact lens for a month when in fact I had been off since August. I received another two remedials after the documents were received and processed due to this mistake. During my DoDMETS exam, I mentioned my use of Ortho-K and that I had not been wearing the lenses for over 90 years and it seemed to go through. Is it possible to get this fixed? DoDMERB is requesting that I do another eye exam (manifest refraction) in late May, but I fear that it might be too late at that point. Could it impact an appointment to a service academy?
My optometrist has written a letter correcting his mistake and included my most recent and previous manifest refraction results. Will DodMERB honor this? He has offered to call on my behalf but I'm unsure who to contact at this point.
You've got a problem on your hands. A May re-exam is absolutely going to impact a service academy appointment, depending on when the academies you have applied to require your medical be cleared. At the CGA, is it May 1. If you aren't medically qualified or received a waiver by May 1, your conditional appointment expires. You can look up the dates for the other service academies. You need a determination NOW so the academies have an opportunity to consider a waiver. Your doctor sending corrected papers and calling probably wont help at this point. DODMERB either doesn't have the ability or chooses not to exercise discretion, even when that discretion involves correcting the errors of the doctors they send you to. The reason for the May exam is probably to make sure that you have stopped the use of those contacts for 90 days. This is where the discretion to correct errors comes into play - they have something that says you haven't been off them for 90 days, and something that says you have. They are either unable or unwilling to resolve this conflict.
In the future, YOU need to review anything your doctor submits for accuracy BEFORE it is submitted!
