A study of compatibility in multiple purpose glasses for ametropic soldiers

Abstract

We analyzed the optical and structural characteristics of the three types of glasses supplied to South Korean soldiers with ametropia, which are conventional glasses (CG), ballistic safety insert glasses (BSIG) and gas-mask insert glasses (GMIG), to developed compatible multiple purpose glasses (CMPG). The size of each glasses was structurally analyzed including a lens insert parts, a bridge part, and a front part. In order to confirm the optical condition of each glasses, it was analyzed including vertex distance, face form angle, and pantoscopic angle while wearing each glasses. Based on these analyses, we designed and developed CMPG. Three-dimensional (3-D) scanning and printing techniques were used for CMPG production. In order to verify the feasibility and usefulness of CMPG, we performed comparative experiments with the three types of glasses currently supplied by the military. 37 active soldiers with ametropia participated in the experiment and their high and low contrast corrected visual acuity for far distance, binocular visual fields, and subjective satisfaction was measured after wearing the three types of glasses and CMPG. The CMPG developed in this research will improve the visual satisfaction of soldiers with ametropia and contribute to the improvement on operational capability.