Military Vision Readiness

Preserving the Sight to Fight ​

Military personnel rely on their sense of sight to detect hazards to avoid, aim weapons, and maintain situational awareness to ensure unit safety and mission success. 

Despite the continued development of munitions that create new types of blast fragments that can injure eyes, evidence indicates decreasing rates of eye injuries in the military. This is largely due to the Department of Defense’s efforts to ensure that service members wear protective eyewear that meets necessary ballistic-impact criteria through the development and continued updating of the Authorized Protective Eyewear List, commonly referred to as the APEL​. 

Technology can help enhance visual capabilities and reduce risk of in-theatre eye injuries, but each service member, unit leader, and healthcare provider must help ensure individuals maintain “sight to fight.” 

This page provides links to resources to further assist military personnel with preserving healthy eyesight.​

Products by Military Vision Public Health Experts

• *Tri-Service Vision Conservation and Readiness Course (TSVCRC)​: local Vision Conservation team members (e.g., Occupational Health, Industrial Hygiene, Safety, Optometry, Ophthalmology personnel) can take this online course through the Army Training Requirements and Resources System (ATRRS) – graduates receive a certificate. 
  

• Healthy Eyes in the Modern Workplace (2024): lay audience presentation of common age-related vision loss describes ways to reduce eye strain and damage caused by ​computer, TV, phone and other screen activities. 
  

• ​Global Eye Diseases​ (2024): training given by our experts to military ophthalmic specialists describing leading causes of visual impairment and blindness worldwide and conditions with Force Health Protection implications.
  

• Technical Products for Military Healthcare Providers and Public Health Professionals
  

• News articles: 
  
• Save sight to fight: prevent eye injuries when playing sports​ with eye protection (Apr 2025)
  
• Effective Eye Protection Preserves Sight To Fight (Jul 2024)​
  
• Re​duce Body Pains, Eye Strain Caused by Working at Your Computer​ (Feb 2024)
  
• Healthy eyes lead to healthy lives​ (2023) 
• Wear approved safety eye protection, save your vision​ (2022) 
  
• Diabetes leading cause of blindness (2022)
  
• Risks of repeated sun UV damage to eyes during military operations​​ (2022)​
  

Eye Protect​ion

Military Vision Requirements

​Learn about military vision requirements and disqualifiers here​​. 

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Risks of Vision Injury and​ Illness

• Sex-based ​risk. Evidence suggests that 2 out of every 3 people experiencing blindness or vision problems are women​. Women as well as men should talk to their eye doctor about how frequently they should get a dilated eye exam to catch vision problems early when they are easier to treat. 
  

• Diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of preventable blindness among U.S. adults. Vision problems or loss of eyesight sometimes leads people to get checked, only to discover they have diabetes. Diabetes is often associated with excessive weight and/or poor diet, and inadequate physical activity. This article explains more​. 
  

• Hazardous activities. Combat-related eye injuries to military personnel have been reduced over time with improved military eye protection, however the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) notes that most injuries and long-term vision damages occur during personal and recreational activities such as: 
  
• Workplace hazards – Dusts, particles and metal shavings, and chemical splashes should be addressed in occupational safety procedures. See more at National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
  
• Sports – Getting hit or poked in the eye by fingers, hands and elbows is a common sports injury, but getting hit by balls, racquets or other sports equipment also occurs. Wear sports goggles/impact-resistant eye protection during sports like basketball, football, racquet sports, soccer and skiing. 
• Household work, yardwork, and home repairs – Cleaning supplies (splash hazards), rocks/debris thrown by mowers/edgers/weedwhackers, sharp tools/objects (e.g. nails) have caused scratches and severe eye damage. 
• Activities that require substantial exposure to sun rays – Especially certain military deployments and outdoor sports that have an added hazard of sun ray reflection on snow or water, like water sports or skiing. 

Vision Conservation Prevention Strategies

Increase your eyes' resilience to long-term vision loss with lifestyle changes: 

• Get adequate physical activity to reduce risk of diabetes and high blood pressure, conditions that increase odds of eye problems. 
• If you smoke, quit. Talk to your doctor about ways to quit.
• Eat eye-healthy foods. Some nutrients keep the eye healthy overall, and some have been found to reduce the risk of eye diseases. Experts recommend getting nutrients through foods instead of supplements. Suggested foods include those with vitamins A, C, and E; omega-3 fatty acids, lutein and zeaxanthin, and zinc.​
  

Need More Information?

​If you need specific assistance from our DCPH-A experts please Contac​t​ Us​.

In addition to the articles and information on these DCPH-A web​​pages, you may find additional resources at the DoD Vision Center of Excellence (VCE)​. 

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