Military Research with Contact Lenses

Although all military air services have strict vision standards to select only the most physically qualified candidates, the prevalence of refractive errors among aviators is quite significant. Recent advances in helmet mounted displays and other cockpit equipment have raised compatibility issues with spectacle corrections. Because of these compatibility problems, many military services are considering contact lenses as a possible refractive error correction option. In this paper, the numerous military laboratory-based and field tests of contact lenses are reviewed. Military contact lens research has a history of almost 50 years. In general, the results from these investigations have supported the adoption of positive contact lens policies and several military departments have recently modified their policies to allow use of contact lenses by aviation personnel. Different lens materials and wearing regimens have been recommended, and the data fail to strongly support a particular lens type over all others. Clearly, some lens types are more appropriate for different military requirements and environments.... Contact lenses, Reduced field-of-view, Lens reflections