The Eyes have it - All things Vision-related

[jbweldon04]

the AFVT, Armed Forces Vision Test. I disapprove of the test, it's not accurate.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

the AFVT, Armed Forces Vision Test. I disapprove of the test, it's not accurate.

I know as an eye doc you see much more but the guys I have had that had issues at MEPS when they would go to a civilian doc to be retested nearly all had the same result as MEPS, not sure if the MEPS they would go thru was a little more attentive or what but that is just from my experience. The guy that did get results overturned by civilian doc got the NAMI whammy for the same issue he had a MEPS.

 

[jbweldon04]

I believe that the AFVT is a very good screening test, but our Hospital does Physicals everyday and a lot of them are done in the Aviation Medicine department. They only use the AFVT and I correct about 10% of their work. The test is good a screening, but when it comes to accurate information it should never be the end result. I can't pass the depth perception test on the AFVT, yet I have perfect depth perception on all other tests. I personally feel like it has a purpose as a screening tool, but not as something that should be taken as an end test.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

I believe that the AFVT is a very good screening test, but our Hospital does Physicals everyday and a lot of them are done in the Aviation Medicine department. They only use the AFVT and I correct about 10% of their work. The test is good a screening, but when it comes to accurate information it should never be the end result. I can't pass the depth perception test on the AFVT, yet I have perfect depth perception on all other tests. I personally feel like it has a purpose as a screening tool, but not as something that should be taken as an end test.

That makes sense, so if they pass the AFVT they should pass any other, but if they fail the AFVT they may still pass another.

 

[jbweldon04]

That is just my personal opinion on the test. It's great for MEPS because you don't need 20 feet to get visual acuities, but it's just not as accurate as a human. I just hope that this single test doesn't make people give up, then again if you want something bad enough you'd never give up right?

Hope all is well for the recruiting duty.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

That is just my personal opinion on the test. It's great for MEPS because you don't need 20 feet to get visual acuities, but it's just not as accurate as a human. I just hope that this single test doesn't make people give up, then again if you want something bad enough you'd never give up right?

Hope all is well for the recruiting duty.

An opinion from an eye doc is better than an opinion from an old OR.

I am now off recruiting duty and have a well paying civilian job, but I talk to my friends at the NRD a few times a week and get just about any info I need, and keep up with my guys waiting to go to OCS.

 

[jbweldon04]

My command just got a new Chief who was on recruiting duty for medical officer applicants. He is going to help me out with my package this coming year as I near that graduation date. I'm feeling fairly confident on my chances as I have a 4.0 GPA and I'm Junior Sailor of the Year at my command.

 

[Cash1234]

I posted this in the "Doctor is in" thread but since it is an eye question, it is obviously more suitable here. Please excuse the repetition in posts.

I've had numerous eye exams as a result of my PRK surgery from 2011 and have come up 20/20 every time and well within all SNA standards. Last year I was selected as a SNFO with the Marines. My OSO submitted a request on my behalf to switch from SNFO to SNA and we're waiting on the approval/denial. My OSO scheduled me to get my class 1 instead of class 2 flight physical, that way if the contract change was approved, I would be ahead of the game. Last Wednesday I had the first half of my class 1 flight physical at Andrews Air Force Base. I saw the eye doctor and went through the standard eye exam and again, my eyes came back as 20/20. They then had me hold a red lens over my left eye while the doctor held a single white light in front of me and asked how many lights I saw. As he moved it around from 3 to 6 to 9 to 12 o'clock, sometimes I saw one light and sometimes I saw two separate lights about a centimeter apart. The doctor then measured my eyes and it turns out that they, in his words, "move very, very slightly." He explained that my one eye compensated a little for the other but expressed that it was nothing to worry about so I believe him. At worst he said that the medical guys at Andrews would send me back to the optometrist again for re-evaluation. Just out of curiosity, how common is this result? The Doc said it was interesting that I sometimes saw 1 light and sometimes saw 2 making me think it wasn't too common. Has this happened to anyone on this forum who still went on to qualify with a class 1? Thanks for your replies.​

 

[TimeBomb]

I posted this in the "Doctor is in" thread but since it is an eye question, it is obviously more suitable here. Please excuse the repetition in posts.

I've had numerous eye exams as a result of my PRK surgery from 2011 and have come up 20/20 every time and well within all SNA standards. Last year I was selected as a SNFO with the Marines. My OSO submitted a request on my behalf to switch from SNFO to SNA and we're waiting on the approval/denial. My OSO scheduled me to get my class 1 instead of class 2 flight physical, that way if the contract change was approved, I would be ahead of the game. Last Wednesday I had the first half of my class 1 flight physical at Andrews Air Force Base. I saw the eye doctor and went through the standard eye exam and again, my eyes came back as 20/20. They then had me hold a red lens over my left eye while the doctor held a single white light in front of me and asked how many lights I saw. As he moved it around from 3 to 6 to 9 to 12 o'clock, sometimes I saw one light and sometimes I saw two separate lights about a centimeter apart. The doctor then measured my eyes and it turns out that they, in his words, "move very, very slightly." He explained that my one eye compensated a little for the other but expressed that it was nothing to worry about so I believe him. At worst he said that the medical guys at Andrews would send me back to the optometrist again for re-evaluation. Just out of curiosity, how common is this result? The Doc said it was interesting that I sometimes saw 1 light and sometimes saw 2 making me think it wasn't too common. Has this happened to anyone on this forum who still went on to qualify with a class 1? Thanks for your replies.​

Cash1234:
The red lens test is a screening test for balance in the muscles that control eye movements. Double vision (diplopia) in one axis suggests an imbalance in the strength of the muscles, resulting in the eyes hitting two slightly different targets. The image seen by one eye is not exactly fused with the image seen by the other eye, resulting in two images. There is a form in the Aeromedical Waiver Guide under "Ophthalmology" (ocular motility worksheet) that must be completed as part of the workup for the abnormal screening test. Can't speak to the prospects of getting a waiver of standards. Your flight surgeon might be able to talk to the ophthalmology department at NAMI for a read on that.
R/

 

[Cash1234]

TimeBomb,

Thanks for responding. I looked at the "Ophthalmology" section in the waiver guide and noticed it said "CD for class 1 aviators" The Doc did a few more manual measurements after the red lens result and wasn't concerned with what he saw. He said that he'd bet noting would come of it. I'm just mostly curious about the result since none of my previous eye exams have shown any diplopia. Either way, it looks like I'd still qualify for SNFO no matter the result which I'm extremely grateful for. I go back next Wednesday for the rest of my physical so hopefully they will have some sort of answer. Thanks again for the info.

V/R

 

[TimeBomb]

Might want to have him do the full workup to complete the form anyway. Might end up as PQ SNA after all is said and done.
R/

 

[Cash1234]

I believe he did. They went through the full exam, eye dilatation and everything. My OSO put SNA class 1 down even though I'm a SNFO, class 2. Thanks for your help.

 

[A$AP]

Now as far as eye exams at OCS and later with the flight physical, you can wear your glasses/ contacts during the exam, correct?

 

[NCHopeful]

I went to MEPS and, though I was so exhausted I couldn't focus my eyes, managed 20/40 correctable to 20/20 vision in both eyes. However, I only got through B in Depth Perception. I've already submitted a package for the next board for SNA/SNFO. Do I need to get a civilian depth perception test done in order to attend OCS as an SNA? If I did get such a test done, what would I do with it afterwards? I'm thinking I would probably ace the test if I took it with glasses or weren't so damn tired after driving all night to MEPS.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

I went to MEPS and, though I was so exhausted I couldn't focus my eyes, managed 20/40 correctable to 20/20 vision in both eyes. However, I only got through B in Depth Perception. I've already submitted a package for the next board for SNA/SNFO. Do I need to get a civilian depth perception test done in order to attend OCS as an SNA? If I did get such a test done, what would I do with it afterwards? I'm thinking I would probably ace the test if I took it with glasses or weren't so damn tired after driving all night to MEPS.

If your medical is sent to N3M they will NPQ you for SNA, then NRC will pull you from the SNA board, so you need to get that civilian eye exam done BEFORE they send you medical info from MEPS to N3M