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You can’t fight what you can’t see

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Mariah Haddenham
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
For the last decade, military members have been deploying to desert locations. The dry and dusty environment makes using protective eyewear, gas mask inserts, and prescription glasses more important than ever before.

Military protective eyewear was first developed in the 1980s. It is now a critical safety measure for members downrange, providing laser, ballistic fragmentation, sun, wind, dust, shrapnel and free-radical protection.

"With the dangerous possibilities of improvised explosive devices and attacks in the deployed environment, this eyewear plays a major role in sparing an individual's eyesight," said Tech. Sgt. Joshua Karash, 36th Medical Operations Squadron optometry technician.

The use of prescription glasses and prescription protective eyewear will replace the use of contacts in a deployed environment due to the infection risk created by contacts.

"The environment inside of a gas mask, especially when worn for a long period of time, is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and infections that can be harmful to eyesight and easily avoidable by using the gas mask inserts," said Sergeant Karash. "The mask also eliminates the ability of an individual to take contact lenses out in the event that foreign debris would enter the eyes."

The lenses or shields themselves are made from shatter-proof material and can be worn regardless if the individual has a prescription or not.

"The vision of the servicemember decides what protective eyewear they will receive," said Master Sgt. Tamika Thomas, 36th MDOS aerospace medicine flight chief. "Gas mask inserts can be ordered for individuals requiring correction."

Protecting eyesight is a critical part of mission readiness that enhances awareness in an austere environment. Protective eyewear prevents infection and injuries when used correctly, keeping servicemembers' eyesight focused on the mission.