Will Fort Rucker accept a candidate with eyesight correctable to 20/20 with contact lenses? If so, how should I be building my packet?

2019-01-31T02:57:49-05:00

Hi,

This is my case, joined army in april 2018, i will be 33 in july 2019.
I have eye sight correctable to 20/20 using correctable lenses but without lenses probably is around 20/100. Will Rucker accept with a high eye sight?
My current MOS is 68W, i have a bachelors degree from a foreign nation.
Currently E4. I am very new to the army. Wanted to know the thoughts of the group whether there is a realistic chance of me making the cut if i go ahead with the packet preparation.
I know this question might have been asked many times in the past, apologies if i have repeated again. As my case is little different from others.
Experts and leaders what do you think about my case, how should i be building my packet?

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 31 at 2019 4:18 AM

2019-01-31T04:18:57-05:00

You have to have a 20/50 uncorrected in your class 1 flight physical

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Jan 31 at 2019 5:51 AM

2019-01-31T05:51:27-05:00

There are no waivers on vision, one can always try. Thank you for your service.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 31 at 2019 6:37 AM

2019-01-31T06:37:59-05:00

You just have to wear your glasses when you fly. Plenty of guys down here who fly with their glasses. Throw your packet in and good luck!

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2019 5:58 AM

2019-02-01T05:58:13-05:00

20/100 uncorrected is not necessarily disqualifying for class 1 (initial pilot)flight, but its close. It depends on your prescription. Get out of the cave of conjecture and get a flight phyical. As a 68W with a bachelor degree, consider commissioning iot command a medivac company. Aviation needs officers. If you do not meet the reg, consider lasik surgery or the flight medic route, which is less stringent. Good luck.
See excerpt from 40-501 ch4:
(1) Distant visual acuity. Uncorrected distant visual acuity worse than 20/50 in each eye. If the distant visual acuity is 20/50 or better in either eye, each eye must be correctable to 20/20 with no more than 1 error per 5 presentations of 20/20 letters, in any combination, on either the Armed Forces Vision Tester (AFVT) or any projected Snellen chart set at 20 feet. (See ATB, Distant Visual Acuity Testing and APL, Decreased Visual Acuity.)
(2) Near visual acuity. Uncorrected near visual acuity worse than 20/20 in each eye; with no more than 1 error per 5 presentations of 20/20 letters, in any combination, on the AFVT or any Snellen near visual acuity card. (See ATB, Near Visual Acuity Testing and APL, Decreased Visual Acuity.)
(3) Cycloplegic refractive error using the method in ATB, Cycloplegic Refraction.
(a) Hyperopiagreaterthan+3.00dioptersofsphereinanymeridianbytranspositionineithereye.(Sphericalequivalent method does not apply.)
(b) Myopia greater than –1.50 diopters of sphere in any meridian by transposition in either eye. (Spherical equivalent method does not apply.)
(c) Astigmatism greater than +/–1.00 diopter of cylinder in either eye.
(4) Ocular motility. (See ATB, Ocular Motility Testing; APL, Excessive Phorias; and APL, Convergence Insuffi- ciency.)
(a) Any degree of tropia detected in ocular motion on the Cover-Uncover Test (Unilateral Cover Test or Tropia Test). (b) Esophoria greater than 8 prism diopters.
(c) Exophoria greater than 8 prism diopters.
(d) Hyperphoria greater than 1 prism diopter.
(e) Near point of convergence (NPC) greater than 100 mm.
(5) Color vision. (See ATB, Color Vision Testing and APL, Color Vision Abnormalities.)
(a) Five or more errors in reading the 14 test plates of the Pseudoisochromatic Plate (PIP) Set; or
(b) AnyerrorinreadingtheninetestlightpairsoftheFarnsworthLantern(FALANT)ortheOPTEC900ColorVision
Tester.
(6) Binoculardepthperception(stereoacuity)worsethan40secondsofarc. (SeeATB,DepthPerceptionTestingand
APL, Defective Depth Perception.)
(a) Any error in Group B of the AFVT (40 seconds of arc); or
(b) Any error in levels 1 through 7 of the 10 levels of three circles each in the Random Dot (RANDOT) Circles Test;
or
(c) Any error in levels 1 through 9 of the 9 levels of four circles each in the Titmus Graded Circles Stereoacuity Test. (7) Field of vision. Any scotoma, other than physiologic blindspot. (See ATB, Field of Vision Testing.)
(8) Nightvision. Asnotedbyhistory.(Thereiscurrentlynodefinitivetestorscore.)Anyocularabnormalitiesresulting
in decreased night vision must be referred to ophthalmology for confirmation. (See ATB, Night Vision.)
b. Classes 2/2F/3/4. Same as Class 1, except as listed below:
(1) Distant and near visual acuity. Uncorrected acuity worse than 20/400 in either eye at distance or near, or vision
not correctable to 20/20 in each eye as outlined in paragraph 4–12a(1) and (2).
(2) Manifest refractive error. Refractive error of such magnitude that the individual cannot be fit with aviation specta-
cles.
(3) NPC of greater than 100 mm. This is not disqualifying but must be referred to Ophthalmology or Optometry for
evaluation. (See ATB, Ocular Motility Testing; APL, Excessive Phorias; and APL, Convergence Insufficiency.)

Response by CW4 Craig Urban made May 17 at 2019 7:25 AM

2019-05-17T07:25:01-04:00

Get it done. I had LASIK done in Belgium because contacts were killing me. That was 20 years ago. I am 20/20. Reading glasses a little bit. Nuts cut. 1978. Perfect no more kids. Two is enough