Navy Getting rid of Birth Control Glasses
WASHINGTON -- Naval Medicine Logistics Command (NMLC) announced Jan. 19, 2012 that all active duty and Reserve personnel, including recruits will soon have a new standard issue eyeglass frame available.

Click image for larger version Name: Navy BCG.jpg Views: 14 Size: 21.0 KB ID: 157


Since 1990, military personnel and recruits have received standard issue S9 eyeglass frames, often jokingly referred to as "birth control glasses" or simply "BCGs." Not any longer.

"We are happy to announce that the New Year brings with it a new frame option for all personnel serving on active duty and in the Reserves," said Capt. Matt Newton, commanding officer of Naval Ophthalmic Support and Training Activity (NOSTRA) in Yorktown, Va. "Service members have told us that they like the appearance of the new frame. We are confident this frame will increase the likelihood that military personnel will continue to utilize their eyeglasses beyond boot camp."


Effective Jan. 1, the current cellulose acetate spectacle frame provided at all Armed Forces initial entry training sites began the transition from male and female, brown "S9" spectacles to a new, unisex, black "5A" frame. The change stems from a study which was directed by the Military Health System's Optical Fabrication Enterprise (OFE) and coordinated by NOSTRA in order to find a suitable frame to add to the standard issue inventory.


Selected samples were submitted to U.S. Army Public Health Command for review, and three frames were identified for user tests. Tests were conducted at Recruit Training Center Great Lakes, Ill.; Advanced Infantry Training, Camp Geiger, N.C.; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Knox, Ky. and U.S. Coast Guard Recruit Training Center,Cape May, N.J. The results of the tests indicate that a reduction of greater than 90% in pregnancies can be expected. The reduced number of pregnancies will result in a cost savings in military medical health expenditures of over $300 million/year.

Maybe the above glasses could be adapted for civilian use to control school age population.