Vol. 456 No. 5
183 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Defence the eye-sight requirements for entry to the Army and the Naval Service; the reason spectacles are unacceptable in the Naval Service; and the criteria for spectacles in view of the fact that there is no discrimination in the British Army and Navy against those wearing spectacles. [14256/95]
Defence Force Regulations require recruits for general service in the Army to have unaided vision in both eyes of 6/36 which can be corrected to at least 6/12 in each eye or not less than 6/6 in the right eye and not less than 6/36 in the left eye. Recruits to the Naval Service are required to have unaided vision of not less than 6/6 in one eye and 6/9 in the other. In addition, they must undergo a colour vision test and possess satisfactory night vision.
Vision corrected by spectacles is not considered acceptable for Naval Service recruits because spectacles foul in bad weather and represent an unacceptable risk of eye damage, particularly during boarding duties.
