Vision readiness at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base

Ensuring that our forces are vision ready, i.e., they have the appropriate visual acuity, optical devices, and eye health to perform their mission, is essential on today's battlefield. A study was conducted at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base to determine the prevalence of vision readiness in a deploying fighter squadron. Of the 204 personnel screened, 59 wore glasses or contact lenses. Of these 59, 15 individuals (25%) were optically ready and 44 individuals (75%) were not optically ready to deploy. Optical readiness is defined as having the correct type and number of optical devices. Of the 15 individuals (25%) who were optically ready, 13 (87%) had had a professional eye examination within 12 months. Of the 44 individuals (75%) who were not optically ready, 36 (82%) had been examined within 1 year. Pearson's chi 2 test (chi 2 = 1.59, degrees of freedom = 3, significance = 0.66) indicated that there was no significant association between readiness and the date of the last examination. This study reveals that although personnel are having regular periodic professional eye examinations, optometry personnel, commanders, and deploying airmen must take a more active role in ensuring that our forces are vision ready.