Another "glasses" question...

[scottyeH?]

I searched around for this answer but not really answered my question.

I was just wondering if were glasses can effect on what courses may be offered and can it really hurt your performance on the field? I really want to make the CF a career and make the best out of my first 3years and get as many courses as I can get done.

For one, wearing glasses can it make you ineligible for the jump course?

Laser eye surgery is an option, but seen being 18 I'm going have to wait till I'm at least 20-22 before I can even look at it as a option.

It might sound funny, but I want to be hardcore out of the hardcore infantryman, almost finished BMQ I love every instructor I meet that is combat arms and I really look up and I'm inspired by what they do. I just don't want have my performance slightly drop because of "glasses"

Thanks.

 

[jbeach95]

Wearing glasses will not make you ineligible for the jump course. I know guys with glasses who have taken it.
I found the biggest problem was doing patrols because my glasses would easily fog up. Anti-fog spray helped a bit.

 

[Roy Harding]

I have been wearing glasses since I was 12.  I spent 22 years in the military, 4 of them with the AB Regt.  I completed the Jump Course.

I also had a problem with fogging up, especially in winter (wearing balaclava) - JBeach is correct - anti-fog spray helped a bit.

The biggest problem I had was on the ranges in the rain.  You are trying to sight through FOUR surfaces of glass streaming with water (front of sight, rear of sight, front of lens, back of lens) - I eventually learned to just use the battle sights on the top of the optical and accept a slightly lower score on the range that day.

I found those athletic straps you can get for your glasses were great when involved in anything physical - they may LOOK geeky - but by God your glasses stayed in place.

Many, many people in the military wear glasses - I would assume approximately the same percentage as for the population at large.

Stop worrying about it and move on to the next thing, which is probably getting in shape if you want to be a "hardcore infantryman".

Good luck to you.

 

[Armymedic]

Further to above,

Very soon, everyone will be wearing Ballistic eyewear as part of you PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). The new balistic glasses do have a prescription insert, and come with a securing strap which is good for jumping.

I have worn glasses since I was 8. Fogging is the biggest inconvenience. I opened the face of my balaclava so I have one large eye hole.

one athletic strap for your glasses...$4.99
a bottle of antifog and cloth............$9.99
Being able to keep your eyes open as you jab out of the plane and while you're doing your deployment count, you see the tail pass over your toes... priceless.

 

[Munner]

Essentially the people above have summed it up well.

Glasses are a pain in the rear sometimes. Fogging is by far the worst because it can take place at any time really. Even on course this summer when we were doing night patrols, recce or whatever if it was slightly cool and you work up a sweat your glasses fog. At winter with the balaclava they fog. I had them fog really bad during my PWT3 which is never fun!

I don't find that I wear the strap normally, however for things such as assault boats I will put a strap on so I dont' lose my glasses in the water. I have also heard that we will be getting the ballistic glasses like someone mentioned above. I assume the cost of adding a perscription lense would be covered by the individual soldier? Or will the army pay for that? Are the lenses interchangable? or are they permanently fixed to the glasses?

 

[Fishbone Jones]

The Army will provide distance only prescriptions for the ballistic glasses. Reg & Reserve. Go see your Orderly Room or QM.

 

[Armymedic]

The Army will provide distance only prescriptions for the ballistic glasses. Reg & Reserve. Go see your Orderly Room or QM.

"distance only", you mean not bifocals?

 

[Hansol]

i was 18 when i got mine zapped. a year later, and still no problems... food for thought

 

[Fishbone Jones]

"distance only", you mean not bifocals?

Your the medic, you tell me! ;D I'm only going on what I read in the directive. I would assume it's only to correct for blurred vision at distance. Not for close up and reading. I wear bifocals also and, I think, will have to employ the arm extentions when wearing my prescription ballistic glasses. : I can't really see them grinding these things as bifocals. Then you have the guys with trifocals

 

[old medic]

Just a few links to some reviews:

Product Review: Revision Eyewear Sawfly
http://www.policeone.com/test/police-products/apparel/eyewear/articles/119610

Revision Eyewear Ltd.
http://www.ausa.org/webpub/DeptIndustry.nsf/byid/KGRG-6DEG5E

Cheers

 

[SeanNewman]

Several members in 2 Pl, M (Para) Coy, 3 RCR wear glasses, and are fantastic soldiers.  I always wear sunglasses in the field, especially in the snow when it's double bright, and the biggest problem I've found is the scratches.  They're in and out of the pocket so much that you get blurry scratch clouds dead centre of the lens.

And as per the comment above about jumping with your eyes open, if you're doing a JAB correctly with your chin tucked and waist bent, the only thing you should be looking at after exit for five seconds is your reserve.

 

[Armymedic]

And as per the comment above about jumping with your eyes open, if you're doing a JAB correctly with your chin tucked and waist bent, the only thing you should be looking at after exit for five seconds is your reserve.

Indeed Sir, you may be looking at your reserve, but you can also see down the rucksack and possibly, the toes your boots as well. (some of us are not as flexible as you.  )

 

[SeanNewman]

Medic,

Moi flexible?  Je pense que non.

All one needs to do is take part in a warm up / cool down stretch with 1-9er, and see that my legs will go 90 degrees, TOPS.  I've got the flexibility of brittle iron.

 

[zishka]

as regards to glasses holding you back on anything, the only things I could think of would be SARTEC or JTF2. and even in those 2 cases it would depend on your vision category. but otherwise adapt and overcome and any antifog product would be highly recommended.

 

[Armymedic]

as regards to glasses holding you back on anything, the only things I could think of would be SARTEC or JTF2. and even in those 2 cases it would depend on your vision category. but otherwise adapt and overcome and any antifog product would be highly recommended.

SAR Tech does, as it require a V2.

SOF forces (JTF2, CSOR) in Canada does, not as they have vision requirements of V3 and allow you to wear glasses.

 

[McplWagar]

as a former vision impaired person I can give you all the info I have from my experiances in the infantry with glasses. First off it sucks, rain, fog, dirt, gas training, winter training you will be hampered and at times completely ineffective. When I went up to the arctic I was literally blind as a bat as my glasses froze solid the second we landed and had to follow the black blobs moving around for 10 days. I knew then that I could not do my job with glasses and started looking into the surgery. I found a wonderful doctor/organization who explained everything about the lasik surgery and what I would go through and I was sold. It's going on 2 years now and I thank the good lord every day I walked into the doctors office because I am no longer hampered by glasses anymore went from a being able to see about 3 inches infront of myself to 20/20 vision). This is not to say that people with glasses are bad soldiers as that is far from true they overcome some serious problems to do a great job but if you have the chance to get the surgery and your doctor recommends it go out and do it and don't chince out, getting the cheapest surgery is just stupid because these are your eyes and you have to live with them forever! My surgery cost almost $6000 for both eyes but are guarenteed for life so if 30 years from now I can go in and have another surgery for free. Do your research and make an educated decision and you will never regret it.

 

[MacKenzie1NSH]

My surgery cost almost $6000 for both eyes but are guarenteed for life so if 30 years from now I can go in and have another surgery for free. Do your research and make an educated decision and you will never regret it.

My educated guess, by the time one would need a new surgery, the technology should be greatly inproved and alot safer, and more expensive, so I would do it asap

 

[CplWagner]

you are talking about eye classes of V2 and V3, do you know what the glasses strenght of those classes are? thanks

 

[geo]

My surgery cost almost $6000 for both eyes but are guarenteed for life so if 30 years from now I can go in and have another surgery for free. Do your research and make an educated decision and you will never regret it.

attempting to locate the private clinic in 30 years time might be a bit of fun.....
but... what the H - that's still only 200$ per year (+/- the cost of new lenses every year)

 

[old medic]

you are talking about eye classes of V2 and V3, do you know what the glasses strenght of those classes are? thanks

Try this thread, you should be able to answer your own question.

Vision Category
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/31590.0.html