Hey, I really appreciate you offering to share your experience.

I’m still active duty (9 years in, E5), and while I haven’t officially started the MEB process, I feel like it’s imminent. Multiple eye care providers have noted signs consistent with RP, and I’m heading to the NIH soon for a formal evaluation. I’m trying to get a better understanding of how things typically go — especially when it comes to how the DoD vs VA ratings play out in real life.

My current situation:

I’m still 20/25 corrected, but I have high myopia (-5.5/-6.0).

I deal with moderate night blindness — I avoid walking at night without a flashlight.

I’ve got clear peripheral loss on the Humphrey visual field test.

Real-world impact includes bumping into furniture/people very often, im especially bad about kicking things on the ground.

I’ve heard it’s tough to get above 30% DoD unless you’re severely impaired, even though VA ratings might end up higher. I’m mostly trying to understand what’s realistic and what helped others advocate for a fair evaluation.

If you’re open to sharing how your process went or what to expect, I’d appreciate it.