Vision in the regular forces as an officer (combat arms)

[LordVagabond]

Hey all  ;D

I'm going to apply as DEO in January 2006 for Armored or Infantry, but I have two questions about eyesight that have me concerned.

1) My sight is relatively good, but I have to wear glasses full time. Does that impact my ability to serve in the Armored or Infantry combat arms trades?

2) Glasses in service... do you get "military glasses" or keep your own glasses?

 

[Sapper6]

LordV,

Although I don't have the medical standards at my fingertips for ARMD and INF officer specifications, I would say that those officer classifications are generally more lenient than PILOT let's say.  We have five levels of vision and colour vision in the CF (V1 (Excellent) -> V5 (Very, very poor).  Although, I believe you need a minimum of V3 to join as ARMD or INF, the Recruiting Centre will be more able to tell you once you've had your medical.

What I am sure about is that the CF does provide you with glasses.  In fact, they provide you with two pairs, and if you are in the Army a set of respirator glasses (special glasses that fit under your issued respirator). Until your vision changes, there is no problem with you to continue wearing your civilian glasses once you're in the Forces.  Finally, I wouldn't be too worried if you fear that military glasses will make you look like a US Marine - the CF has a reasonable selection that is quite modern in my opinion (respirator glasses aside).

S6

 

[LordVagabond]

Well, it's just that I have some uber-nice titanium frame featherweight glasses that I spent a fair chunk-a-change on so I don't want to lose them.

My prescription is +1.5 both eyes, and I've aced every color vision test I've ever taken, so I am ASSUMING that makes me a V2 on the scale. I can see without my glasses, but after ~3 hours I get a massive headache from it.

Respirator glasses....  8) sound niftily ugly, but oh well  ^-^ ;D

 

[Sapper6]

Lord V,

If I were you, I would plunk those "uber-nice titanium featherweight glasses" in your barrack box once on your Basic course and only pull them out once you've been granted leave.  Or, at least until they issue you a Service pair.

As for vanity in the Combat Arms....I wouldn't worry about it.  After 30 days straight in the field during your classification training in Gagetown everyone looks and smells the same....bad! 

S6

 

[LordVagabond]

heh... don't remind me of bad smells.... Air Cadet Camp Penhold, early 90's, one cadet didn't shower for 1.5 months, I swear. Smelt so bad the moose came running all the way from the Yukon 'cause they thought it was a mating pheremone...

but back on subject. I was just worried about if the CF would take care of eyesigt for someone going into the combat arms (hopefully  ). I really don't want to get all my paperwork done, clear the medical, clear the physical and then end up having to be an AirNav because I can't see worth a damn. I can see very well, I just need my glasses to see without a headache.

As for my current glasses... well, I just like them so much... FINALLY glasses that don't slip down my (overly large) nose

 

[cpl-cam]

heh... don't remind me of bad smells.... Air Cadet Camp Penhold, early 90's, one cadet didn't shower for 1.5 months, I swear. Smelt so bad the moose came running all the way from the Yukon 'cause they thought it was a mating pheremone...

but back on subject. I was just worried about if the CF would take care of eyesigt for someone going into the combat arms (hopefully  ). I really don't want to get all my paperwork done, clear the medical, clear the physical and then end up having to be an AirNav because I can't see worth a darn. I can see very well, I just need my glasses to see without a headache.

As for my current glasses... well, I just like them so much... FINALLY glasses that don't slip down my (overly large) nose

To continue the thread jacking a little.... when I was in penhold a cadet didn't shower for 1.5 weeks and that was bad enough, a cadet going 1.5 months must be awful! Some kids eh? Anyways... back on topic I'm also not an expert but I'm +/- (can't remember) 3.75 and the CFRC said I would be border line V3/V4 so you're probally safe. And I wouldn't worry about being an AirNav if your vision sucks since they require V3 so they most likely don't dump the blind people there.

Oh, and I forgot to add the first time that being a NCM in the infantry requires V3 so I would assume that it's the same for officers but don't quote me.  Also, if you want to find out for sure what vision catagory you fall under you can ask your local CFRC for a copy of the vision standards, I have a copy somewhere in my stacks of recruiting info and cadet pips, memo and ops orders but I can't find it unfortunatly.

 

[LordVagabond]

Thread wank /on  >

The cadet in question was forced to "wash" a couple of times by the flight 2IC when it was raining because she called us out for "wet pt." We all GLADLY suffered 20 pushups (for a 14 year old kid, that was a lot) so this guy at least got "hosed off" by the rain. I felt SINCERELY sorry for the people in his room. There are some things found and described (like his underwear on the floor) that cannot and will not be uttered in the public domain. And, on top of it all, the guy weighed about 300 lbs for a 16 year old cadet and he was sleeping on a TOP BUNK....

By the way, if you went to Penhold after ~1993, I was on the infamous camp where the guy fell out of his bunk and broke his neck (he lived, full recovery, but that was one HELL of a scary emergency muster into the hallway). To this day, no one knows how he managed to fall off the END of his bunk in the middle of the night, but I assure you, I have never seen base medics move that fast. There were there from medical to the barracks (we were in the ones that were straight down the road from the mess, not the one on the left road from the mess) in about 30 seconds flat, and that's a ~1.2 kilometer sprint.

It was also the camp where a female cadet fell down the mess stairs and dislocated her shoulder. I swear that camp was curse. And I was the cadet that managed to snap a baritone saxophone in half. Dropping them down stairs = big no no  :-[

Thread wank /off