Vision requirements for SF?

[pomofo]

What are the vision requirements for SF? Also, I'd read that the APFT score had to be 206 which seems a bit low. Any help y'all could give me would be greatly appreciated.

[Dark Helmet]

POMOFO - love the name.

[BK101484]

correctable to 20/20 i beleive

[pomofo]

But is there some initial standard you have to meet? My guess is it's either 20/40 & 20/70 or 20/70 & 20/100 (SEAL and PJ requirements) but I've never seen it posted anywhere.

[pomofo]

But is there some initial standard you have to meet? My guess is it's either 20/40 & 20/70 or 20/70 & 20/100 (SEAL and PJ requirements) but I've never seen it posted anywhere.

[BK101484]

No, Im pretty sure that it means just correctable to 20/20. I asked a recruiter (if you want to take his word) and he said that it is correctable to 20/20. Although there are additional visual requirements for some of the other schools you might attend like scuba and MFF (at least that is what the recruiter told me). Hope it helps.

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| |BK101484| |

[WS-G]

For the complete, official source of info re: the medical requirements for the Army's programs, go here: http://books.usapa.belvoir.army.mil/cgi-bin/bookmgr/BOOKS/r40_501/CCONTENTS .


The eyesight requirements boil down to this:

For Airborne, Ranger and SF training:
Distant visual acuity: correctable with glasses to at least 20/20 in one eye and 20/100 in the other eye. Refractive error: no more than ±8.00 diopters*.
Normal color perception.
*Note: Refraction simply refers to the strength of whatever lenses you require in order to achieve your best corrected vision. –8.00 is a very high degree of nearsightedness, and +8.00 is extremely farsighted, for example.

For Military Free-Fall training:
Distant visual acuity, uncorrected: No worse than 20/200 in the poorer eye, 20/70 in the better eye.
Distant visual acuity, corrected with glasses: (1) 20/40 in one eye and 20/70 in the other eye, or (2) 20/30 in one eye and 20/100 in the other eye, or (3) at least 20/20 in one eye and 20/100 in the other eye.
Refractive error: Cannot exceed ±8.00 diopters to meet corrected DVA requirements.
Normal color perception.

For the SF Combat Diver Qualification Course:
Distant visual acuity: No worse than 20/200 uncorrected in the poorer eye, 20/70 uncorrected in the better eye. Must be correcteble with glasses to 20/20 or better in each eye.
Refractive error: Cannot exceed ±8.00 diopters to meet corrected DVA requirements. Normal color perception.

Waivers are possible, but there are no guarantees.

BTW... I recall seeing it written that SFOD-D hopefuls had to be able to pass a "modified Class 2 flight physical". The normal vision standard for the Class 2 is simply 20/400 correctable to at least 20/20 in each eye separately, and refraction limited only to the extent that one can still be fitted with standard issue aviation spectacles (HGU-4/P's). Presumably SFOD-D deviates from the normal Class 2 only insofar that they'd require a stricter uncorrected DVA limit, IAW the SFQC and MFF standards (I'm guessing on that one, of course!).
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ex Co. G (-)(Abn/Rgr), 143d INF(LRRP), TXARNG 1981-1985
ex 433MAW (AFRES), 1985-1991
FAA-certificated pilot and Advanced Ground Instructor


[This message has been edited by William M Salter (edited 07-15-2000).]

[pomofo]

Thanks so much for the info, it was a real help. Just curious as to why the Army's standards are so much lower than the SEALs.

[RifleMaster]

Damn! All these years I thought the Army sight requirement was the ability "to identify a taut nipple on a tight sweater at fifty yards". http://www.specialoperations.com/ubboard/confused.gif

[E19]

Yep the "good old days" are gone forever along with the white v-neck teeshirts.