Here are the responses I got from two Navy Eye Doctors regarding concern about the NAMI eye exam at OCS. Just FYI.
----
Indeed the vision standards are no worse than 20/40 uncorrected. One area that must be considered is that we have ten letters on our Goodlite Charts. The Goodlite Chart is the only acceptable chart to use for aviation standards. Normally in a provider's office, you will be tested on a Snellen Chart. These charts can vary in accuracy.
You will usually be tested on the Armed Forces Vision Tester at MEPS. We use this tester for some requirements, but not for vision. In the military, we are tasked with maintaining certain standards. These standards are usually set by a working group. At NAMI, our requirement is to adhere to the standards in a professional manner. If you obviously miss two to three letters on the 20/40 Goodlite Chart, it does not meet the standard of 20/40-0. In comparison, in civilian practices, this may be recorded as 20/40.
At NAMI, two to three eye care professionals will evaluate applicants that may have problems meeting standards. This allows for an unbiased decision to the findings. If one provider finds that your results are 20/40-2, and another provider finds that your findings are 20/40-0, we use the second findings for determining your acceptance. In addition, if you are squinting to see the 20/40 line, then you are definitely not 20/40.
The field of aviation is a strict community. Vision is only one of many different facets of standards aviators have to maintain on a daily basis. Miss one procedure on a emergency procedure checklist, and you may have a mishap. We can not clear you for adequate flight if you can only do 70% of the emergency procedures. The same holds true for vision, hearing, speech, cardiology, etc.
Finally, evals to be accepted at OCS are not evals to be accepted for aviation. You can enter OCS with less than 20/40 vision. You can not enter the SNA program with less than 20/40 uncorrected vision.
I hope that this helps to clear the air of the "horror stories" that you have heard of.
Very Respectfully,
LCDR, MSC USN
Aerospace Optometrist
Naval Aerospace Medical Institute
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 8:51 AM
Cc: 'Cooley, Stephen LCDR'
Subject: RE: NAMI Exam at OCS
You will always hear stories from other personnel but I always caution people to take what they hear in perspective. I have actually performed vision screenings at NOMI and can address my experience and I have included LCDR who is at NAMI right now to further comment if necessary. I can tell you that every individual screener does their best to ensure you meet the standards. If someone "let's you slide" for being "close" to the standard they are doing you no favors because the NAMI personnel screening SNA candidates WILL follow the prescribed guidelines that are quoted directly from the Manual of the Medical Department, Article 15-65, page 15-47, Change 118 dated 20 Aug 2002 and read as follows:
(6) Standards for Aviation Personnel
NOTE: In general, applicants for aviation programs are held to stricter physical standards than trained and designated personnel
and will be less likely to be recommended for waivers. Refer to the Aeromedical Reference and Waiver Guide for specific information.
(a) Disqualifying Conditions for all Aviation Duty.
Personnel must meet the physical standards for general military service in the Navy as a prerequisite before consideration for any
aviation duty. In addition to the disqualifying defects listed in MANMED Chapter 15, Section III (Physical Standards), the following shall
be considered disqualifying for all aviation duty:
(7) Standards for Specific Categories of Aviation Personnel
(a) Class I Personnel
(1) Service Group 1. In addition to the standards in Chapter 15, Section III (Physical Standards) and the general aviation standards,
Service Group I aviators must meet the following standards:
(a) Vision
1. Distant Visual Acuity. 20/100 or better each eye uncorrected, corrected to 20/20 or better each eye. The first time distant visual
acuity of less than 20/20 is noted a manifest refraction (not cycloplegic) shall be performed recording the correction required for
the aviator to see 20/20 in each eye (all letters correct on the 20/20 line). A dilated fundus exam is required if visual acuity
cannot be corrected to 20/20.
You may note that the standard for corrected visual acuity is ALL letters read correctly (20/20 -0) which means you will read a line of 10 letters and cannot miss ANY! Yes this is a strict standard but has been enforced for many years and is not supposed to be higher than screening exams elsewhere. The same applies to uncorrected vision standards.
As I said before, if you were just getting by at the 20/40 uncorrected standard you may have problems at the final qualifying exam. Civilian and/or MEPS physical screeners are not always acutely aware of the military aviation standard and may allow you to pass when you are borderline as a candidate (i.e. may allow you to pass when you miss one letter whereas you cannot miss any letters at Pensacola). I know it is not the brief answer that perhaps you were looking for but you have to understand the background before you understand the answer. I hope this helps.
V/R,
O.D., F.A.A.O.
CDR, MSC, USN
Assistant Specialty Leader for Navy Optometry
----
Indeed the vision standards are no worse than 20/40 uncorrected. One area that must be considered is that we have ten letters on our Goodlite Charts. The Goodlite Chart is the only acceptable chart to use for aviation standards. Normally in a provider's office, you will be tested on a Snellen Chart. These charts can vary in accuracy.
You will usually be tested on the Armed Forces Vision Tester at MEPS. We use this tester for some requirements, but not for vision. In the military, we are tasked with maintaining certain standards. These standards are usually set by a working group. At NAMI, our requirement is to adhere to the standards in a professional manner. If you obviously miss two to three letters on the 20/40 Goodlite Chart, it does not meet the standard of 20/40-0. In comparison, in civilian practices, this may be recorded as 20/40.
At NAMI, two to three eye care professionals will evaluate applicants that may have problems meeting standards. This allows for an unbiased decision to the findings. If one provider finds that your results are 20/40-2, and another provider finds that your findings are 20/40-0, we use the second findings for determining your acceptance. In addition, if you are squinting to see the 20/40 line, then you are definitely not 20/40.
The field of aviation is a strict community. Vision is only one of many different facets of standards aviators have to maintain on a daily basis. Miss one procedure on a emergency procedure checklist, and you may have a mishap. We can not clear you for adequate flight if you can only do 70% of the emergency procedures. The same holds true for vision, hearing, speech, cardiology, etc.
Finally, evals to be accepted at OCS are not evals to be accepted for aviation. You can enter OCS with less than 20/40 vision. You can not enter the SNA program with less than 20/40 uncorrected vision.
I hope that this helps to clear the air of the "horror stories" that you have heard of.
Very Respectfully,
LCDR, MSC USN
Aerospace Optometrist
Naval Aerospace Medical Institute
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 8:51 AM
Cc: 'Cooley, Stephen LCDR'
Subject: RE: NAMI Exam at OCS
You will always hear stories from other personnel but I always caution people to take what they hear in perspective. I have actually performed vision screenings at NOMI and can address my experience and I have included LCDR who is at NAMI right now to further comment if necessary. I can tell you that every individual screener does their best to ensure you meet the standards. If someone "let's you slide" for being "close" to the standard they are doing you no favors because the NAMI personnel screening SNA candidates WILL follow the prescribed guidelines that are quoted directly from the Manual of the Medical Department, Article 15-65, page 15-47, Change 118 dated 20 Aug 2002 and read as follows:
(6) Standards for Aviation Personnel
NOTE: In general, applicants for aviation programs are held to stricter physical standards than trained and designated personnel
and will be less likely to be recommended for waivers. Refer to the Aeromedical Reference and Waiver Guide for specific information.
(a) Disqualifying Conditions for all Aviation Duty.
Personnel must meet the physical standards for general military service in the Navy as a prerequisite before consideration for any
aviation duty. In addition to the disqualifying defects listed in MANMED Chapter 15, Section III (Physical Standards), the following shall
be considered disqualifying for all aviation duty:
(7) Standards for Specific Categories of Aviation Personnel
(a) Class I Personnel
(1) Service Group 1. In addition to the standards in Chapter 15, Section III (Physical Standards) and the general aviation standards,
Service Group I aviators must meet the following standards:
(a) Vision
1. Distant Visual Acuity. 20/100 or better each eye uncorrected, corrected to 20/20 or better each eye. The first time distant visual
acuity of less than 20/20 is noted a manifest refraction (not cycloplegic) shall be performed recording the correction required for
the aviator to see 20/20 in each eye (all letters correct on the 20/20 line). A dilated fundus exam is required if visual acuity
cannot be corrected to 20/20.
You may note that the standard for corrected visual acuity is ALL letters read correctly (20/20 -0) which means you will read a line of 10 letters and cannot miss ANY! Yes this is a strict standard but has been enforced for many years and is not supposed to be higher than screening exams elsewhere. The same applies to uncorrected vision standards.
As I said before, if you were just getting by at the 20/40 uncorrected standard you may have problems at the final qualifying exam. Civilian and/or MEPS physical screeners are not always acutely aware of the military aviation standard and may allow you to pass when you are borderline as a candidate (i.e. may allow you to pass when you miss one letter whereas you cannot miss any letters at Pensacola). I know it is not the brief answer that perhaps you were looking for but you have to understand the background before you understand the answer. I hope this helps.
V/R,
O.D., F.A.A.O.
CDR, MSC, USN
Assistant Specialty Leader for Navy Optometry