'My army dream was ended by childhood eye surgery'

ByNathan Heath

BBC West Investigations

Lewis Jackson cannot retrieve a clip erstwhile helium did not privation to articulation the service and proceed a household contented of subject work going backmost to World War One. That imagination was shattered, though, erstwhile his exertion was rejected connected aesculapian grounds.

"Serving my state has ever been a imagination of excavation and I ne'er considered that I'd bash thing else," said the 21-year-old.

Jackson, from Cirencester, was turned down by the Army due to the fact that helium had cataract country astatine the property of three.

A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson said: "Service successful the Armed Forces is physically demanding, truthful it's close that we person sensible wellness and recruitment policies which support operational effectiveness but don't unnecessarily exclude people."

The BBC has spoken to imaginable recruits and professionals who question whether the rules are excessively strict portion immoderate applicants said they had been prevented from joining due to the fact that of aesculapian conditions they respect arsenic insignificant oregon nary longer relevant.

Jackson spent his teenage years successful the Army Cadets wherever helium was recognised successful his portion arsenic the champion shot.

He applied to articulation the Army Reserve, motivated by a tendency to "give back" to a state which helium said had fixed him "so much", but helium was rejected.

"It's precise frustrating, particularly erstwhile you cognize that you are acceptable and steadfast and you haven't adjacent been fixed the accidental to fail," helium said.

There were 108,020 applications to the British Army Regular Forces successful the twelvemonth starring up to September 2025.

Separate figures obtained nether a Freedom of Information (FOI) petition to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) showed much than 114,000 applications to the Army were rejected connected aesculapian grounds successful the past 5 years.

Psychiatry, oculus and musculoskeletal conditions were immoderate of the astir communal reasons for rejection.

An MOD spokesperson said: "The bulk of these figures screen years earlier the important changes the authorities has made to region implicit 100 outdated and unnecessary recruitment policies."

The figures travel against a backdrop of wider recruitment challenges for the equipped forces.

Latest UK defence unit study figures showed the subject remained astatine astir six percent beneath its full-time trained spot people with a shortfall of 8,460 personnel.

Jackson said helium had appealed against the rejection, providing a scope of supporting evidence, including a enactment from a advisor ophthalmic surgeon who said his imaginativeness was present "excellent successful some eyes" and "everything was stable".

But though his imaginativeness present meets the standard, helium is ineligible due to the fact that aesculapian introduction rules mean applicants who person had lens replacement country are considered "unfit" arsenic they request "the ocular relation to beryllium capable to execute their relation safely and effectively".

He has been told helium is "permanently medically unfit to serve".

Jackson said: "We are missing retired connected young men and women who are passionate astir serving but alternatively are pursuing antithetic careers.

"I deliberation it is ludicrous. If you're fit, you should beryllium capable to join."

GP and Labour MP for Stroud Dr Simon Opher said determination needed to beryllium a "more sensible approach" to aesculapian screening.

"If a wellness information is unchangeable and it's not affecting someone's functional ability, past there's nary crushed to exclude that person," helium said.

"We person to get that equilibrium close betwixt what's happened successful the past and what would really impact an equipped forces unit successful their day-to-day duties."

The MoD sets retired the aesculapian standards successful a papers known arsenic the Joint Service Publication (JSP) 950 Medical Policy.

In 2024, it reviewed recruitment policies, including removing a ban connected applicants with asthma and terrible acne.

But for 20-year-old Ben Smith those changes person made small quality arsenic his exertion was rejected due to the fact that of ongoing usage of an inhaler.

Smith, from Blandford Forum, Dorset, wanted to articulation the Royal Air Force (RAF) but asthma has prevented him from doing so.

"There is thing much I wanted to bash successful the world," helium said.

"I'd led 250 cadets connected parades and then, for each of that to travel crashing down erstwhile I didn't person a back-up plan, it was horrible."

After rising done the cadet ranks, Smith studied subject protective services astatine assemblage and dedicated himself to reaching the fittingness standards required for service.

"I was proud," helium said.

"I was lifting treble my assemblage value successful the gym and my bleep trial scores were perpetually improving."

Inspired by different household members who had served successful the equipped forces, helium applied to articulation the RAF, hoping to bid arsenic either aircrew oregon a mechanic.

However, his exertion was rejected due to the fact that helium uses an inhaler.

Smith's entreaty included a missive from his GP which said helium had an "unlimited workout tolerance".

The missive said: "He is simply a acceptable and progressive young antheral with a beardown ambition to join."

His entreaty was unsuccessful.

The reappraisal said: "All candidates, irrespective of role, request to beryllium a minimum of 12 months treatment, grounds and medication-free."

For Smith, the determination brought his life-long ambition to an end.

"The imagination has ended," helium said.

"I've been told no. I don't cognize what to bash with myself."

Prof Neil Greenberg, president of the Society of Occupational Medicine, said: "The subject has to person strict standards of carnal and intelligence health.

"It requires radical to spell each astir the globe, often astatine abbreviated notice, and to enactment up with environments that truly are rather unpleasant.

"It is captious that soldiers tin execute to a precise precocious level due to the fact that if it goes wrong, it could mean nonaccomplishment of life."

Former British Army Lt Col Stuart Crawford, who was antecedently a defence spokesperson for the Scottish National Party (SNP), said the subject was "losing retired connected talent".

He said: "Recruitment policies indispensable beryllium successful place, of course, but we request to beryllium cautious that we are not turning distant endowment due to the fact that of insignificant aesculapian issues."

He said this was "increasingly dangerous" successful a clip of planetary instability.

"We're ever being told that we could beryllium astatine warfare and we are obscurity adjacent rising to that situation successful presumption of our recruitment," Crawford said.

An MoD spokesperson said: "Each exertion is considered connected a case-by-case ground by specializer clinicians, assessing the severity of immoderate information and the individual's quality to train, deploy and operate."

Jackson said the MoD needed to spell "much further" successful its reappraisal of recruitment policies.

"We're blanketing retired thousands of young men and women," helium said.

Jackson is presently studying cultivation absorption astatine the Royal Agricultural University successful Cirencester.

"I'm successful a fortunate concern being astatine assemblage wherever I person the clip to combat my lawsuit alongside my studies," helium said.

"But for galore people, it's conscionable not feasible to walk hours a week trying to combat the system."