@article{ref1,
title="Military aircrew eyewear survey: operational issues",
journal="Aviation, space, and environmental medicine",
year="2013",
author="Capó-Aponte, José E. and Hilber, David J. and Urosevich, Thomas G. and Lattimore, Morris R. and Weaver, Jeffrey L.",
volume="84",
number="8",
pages="814-822",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Army aircrew are required to operate under stressful conditions within a degraded visual environment. To gain an understanding of current eyewear mission needs, we surveyed aircrew regarding operational issues associated with the current U.S. Army-issue aircrew eyewear. METHODS: An anonymous online survey was completed by 976 U.S. Army aircrew personnel recruited through an invitational e-mail. RESULTS: Of the respondents, 34% reported wearing corrective lenses. Nearly 50% of them reported dissatisfaction with the HGU-4/P Aviator spectacles. The leading problems reported were discomfort (15%), &quot;hot spots&quot; around the ears (13%), and break of the earcup seal (11%). Nearly 41% of the respondents wore multifocal lenses and, of those, 16% reported that the HGU-4/P's restricted field of view (FOV) adversely affected duty performance. Of those who wore Modified HGU-4/P Apache spectacles, 79% had an unacceptable FOV with the helmet display unit. A similar number of aircrew modified the Apache eyewear to increase the FOV. In addition, wind and dust created eye discomfort or affected the vision of 46% of all respondents when performing flight duties. Over 82% expressed the need for an improved aircrew spectacles and 73% desired aviation-compatible protective eyewear. DISCUSSION: The current Army HGU-4/P Aviator and the Modified HGU-4/P Apache spectacles have significant operational deficiencies and compatibility issues. Such deficiencies have led to poor wear compliance and unauthorized modification of the Army-issue Aviator eyewear, posing readiness and safety issues. The results of this survey formally identify the need for military combat eye protection that is compatible with flight systems.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0095-6562",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}