The Nation - News from July 11, 1989

The Air Force has approved the use of soft contact lenses by pilots and air crew members, acknowledging eyeglasses have some drawbacks when worn in today’s high-technology fighter cockpits. Soft contacts have been “proven to provide an operational advantage over the wear of spectacles in missions which require maneuvering flight, the use of night vision goggles, the constant wear of an oxygen mask, and the ability to quickly look to the far limits of lateral gaze,” the Air Force surgeon general’s office said. As before, new pilots are required to prove that they have perfect, or 20-20, vision, said Patti Turner, a spokeswoman for the Air Force surgeon general. But if a pilot or crew member’s vision worsens after completion of training, and it can be corrected to 20-20, he or she will be allowed to use either spectacles or the soft contact lenses, Turner said. Up to now spectacles have been permitted.