Expert: Howard Lorenz - 3/2/2009

Question
Dear Sir,
   I am very interested in joining the United States Air Force in the next few months or so and currently I am getting medical history together.
   As a child (roughly age 8) I was diagnosed with ADHD and took Ritalin until I was 10. At that point the same doctor diagnosed me instead this time with depression. I was prescribed Zoloft and took it for two years and soon refused to take it. I haven't been on any medication since (minus the prescription of Imitrex that I had been prescribed two years ago and only took one pill and didn't like the effect it had, by the way the migraines I was having were hormone related heh) My doctor when she was doing the physical said she see no signs of either of those as an adult.
   Also I have a small problem with my left eye, its a very weak form of lazy eye (it just doesn't have good vision but can move in all directions and doesn't wander) My right eye is perfect vision and more than makes up for the other one. I did have glasses as a child and glasses do improve the sight in the left eye.
   I am now 21 and have a GED (which I passed with high scores) and attended three years of JROTC in high school.
   I am curious if the medical issues I had as a child would pose a problem when I go into enlist?

Thank you for your time

Answer
Maggie,

You might want to check with the recruiter for current standards, but I believe that your eye condition will be a showstopper for you. If I remember right, the maximum vision loss in one or either eye uncorrected is 20/400.

As for the medications that you were on as a child, as long as you haven't taken any of these medications in the last 2 years, you should be OK as far as that goes.


The GED will slow you down in the fact that you have to have 15 semester hours of college to accompany the GED.


Check with your local air force representative to be sure about the current enlistment standards as they do change yearly.

HW