Vision Questions Megathread, Categories, Problems etc.

[Bert]

DEEJ

That eye specification (V1 category) may be for airforce pilots only.   All MOCs in the military have medical and physical criteria though.
Almost all airforce MOCs do not require the same level of eye classification as pilots.

 

[Garbageman]

DEEJ

That eye specification (V1 category) may be for airforce pilots only.   All MOCs in the military have medical and physical criteria though.
Almost all airforce MOCs do not require the same level of eye classification as pilots.

Indeed, pilots require 20/20 uncorrected, and without any laser.  Only other Air Force trade that MAY require that is Air Navigator (it used to anyway, but I think the standards have changed recently).

 

[Army_Deej]

That is what I meant when I said that the airforce needs V1 vision.  Sorry I didn't make that more clear.

 

[FredDaHead]

Alex: I think -4.00 is about a V2 or V3, but I'm not certain. However, I know someone in combat arms with a -5.00 correction, so you shouldn't have TOO many difficulties.

Sorry to resurrect such an old thread.. Anyways, I was rejected from the reserve infantry and I'm -4.00 and -4.25. (V4) However, I'd forgotten to take off my contacts until I was at the recruiting office and since I was from out of town (at the time) they had me do the test right away regardless, so that might be it.

Anyways, can anyone shed some light on this? It's kind of annoying to not know.

 

[INGm]

Hi there all.  My friend told me that in order to get into infantry, they require good eyesight, is that true?  For my medical test, after reading the first letter w/o my glasses, I couldn't read anything else after that.  Maybe this is why I am not getting a call to get recruited.  Someone please let me know, thanks.

 

[Scott]

I am a -5 in my worst eye and I got in, not saying that hasn't changed though.

Your best bet is to go and talk to a Recruiter, the only way you'll really be able to tell is to see them and do their vision test.

Good Luck.

 

[combat_medic]

You need reasonably good vision without your glasses. This does not mean 20/20 vision, but you can't be legally blind either. However, if the only thing you can read on an eye chart is the great big "E" at the top, then you probably won't have a snowball's chance in he|| of getting into the infantry, and will likely not be able to get into the army at all.

 

[INGm]

I can only read the big E, and the rest I can't.  Shouldn't they have failed me on that for the medical exam? instead of passing me and placing me on the merit list and getting my hopes up.

 

[qor556]

You need reasonably good vision without your glasses. This does not mean 20/20 vision, but you can't be legally blind either. However, if the only thing you can read on an eye chart is the great big "E" at the top, then you probably won't have a snowball's chance in he|| of getting into the infantry, and will likely not be able to get into the army at all.

Well thats not exactly true either... with me they said if my eyesight was that bad then i couldn't go infantry and would forced to be a clerk or something of that nature.

 

[George Wallace]

If you wear corrective lenses (Glasses) and can pass the Eye Test, you will have no worries.  Your vision will have to be extremely poor--ie. blind, to fail on enrollment.

This question has been asked and answered several times today alone.

GW

 

[Michael OLeary]

Without my glasses, I can't read anything past the "E", and haven't been able to for the 25 years I've been in the Infantry. You don't need to read read any of the chart unaided, the question becomes how much correction you do need and what vision category that gives you.

 

[INGm]

OK thanks for clarifying everything guys.  Wow 25 years of bad vision, wouldn't it have been a good idea to get refractive surgery?

 

[George Wallace]

Check out the threads on Laser surgery.  There is one on the US Army giving free surgery for their troops and another on Laser Surgery and if you can get into the Air Force or CF.

Seek and you will find.

Gw

 

[combat_medic]

OK, let's clarify a few things.

1. To get into the infantry you must have a visual category of V3. This means you must have no worse 6/120 (20/400) vision in either eye, uncorrected. Corrected, you must have 6/6 (20/20) in your better eye, and no less than 6/9 (20/30) in the other.

Refs: http://www.dnd.ca/health/policies/med_standards/pdf/Engraph/cfp154_annexAappen_e.pdf

2. Legal Blindness is when a person's best-corrected vision is 6/60 (20/200) or worse.
(Legal Blindness as defined in Blind Persons Regulations, Consolidated Regulations of Canada 1978, Chapter 371)

3. In a typical Snellen eye chart such as this one: http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/wendy.braje/424/snellen.jpg  which is often what is used by the military, the top letter "E" is at 6/60 (20/200). So, depending on if you can read it with each eye independantly, and depending what you scored on your corrected vision, you may have a chance of getting infantry.

So, if your corrected vision is 20/200 in your best eye, or worse, that you are legally blind. This means that you can qualify as a legally blind person with the Canadian National Institute for the blind (CNIB) and are eligible for certain concessions afforded to persons with disabilities (more information here: http://www.cnib.ca/divisions/nfllrd/services/concessions/list.htm )

All that being said, I would highly recommend, if you can afford it, to get laser correction. Vision that bad can cause a LOT of problems for you in the military, particularly if you're in a combat arms unit.

EDITED - removed the mistake, sorry for the confusion.

 

[PhilipJFry]

2. Legal Blindness is when a person's best-corrected vision is 6/60 (20/200) or worse. Which means you can be legally blind in the combat arms... funny enough.
(Legal Blindness as defined in Blind Persons Regulations, Consolidated Regulations of Canada 1978, Chapter 371)

So, if your uncorrected vision is 20/200 in your best eye, or worse, that you are legally blind. This means that you can qualify as a legally blind person with the Canadian National Institute for the blind (CNIB) and are eligible for certain concessions afforded to persons with disabilities (more information here: http://www.cnib.ca/divisions/nfllrd/services/concessions/list.htm )

You can't be legally blind in the combat arms! Of course not... You just said that legal blindness is when someone has a corrected vision of 6/60 or worse. Even with glasses, this person can just read the big E of the chart. This doesn't meet the 6/6 and 6/9 standards of corrected vision for infantry...

I just thought for a moment that I was blind, like maybe millions of other people in Canada.

 

[Love793]

RMO ISSUE

 

[the 48th regulator]

Just aim for the centre of mass, you'll be ok from there. 

tess

 

[kincanucks]

Before somebody goes out and performs surgery on themselves perhaps the mods could lock medical question threads?  That way we can put the pretend medical experts out of business.  Just a thought.

 

[Scott]

Kincanucks, I think that people were just pointing out that the issues of refractive surgery has been addressed many times before and that it doesn't need to be raised again. Having said that, you have a point, not many of us are qualified to be metering out medical advice.

The bottom line is that we have the RMO and the CFRC Med Staff for a reason, the best advice is always to call your local CFRC and speak to them, they'll get you going in the right direction.

Good luck.

 

[P Kaye]

I heard once that infantry is one of only a few trades in the military in which you can be colour blind.  One of the guys at my old unit was colour blind.