The Authorized Protective Eyewear List (APEL) is a list of

protective eyewear Eye protection is protective gear for the eyes, and sometimes face, designed to reduce the risk of injury. Examples of risks requiring eye protection can include: impact from particles or debris, light or radiation, wind blast, heat, sea spray ...

tested and approved by the

U.S. Military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is th ...

for use by its soldiers. The APEL includes spectacles and goggles optimized for different situations.

History

The APEL was created in 2006 because statistics showed that about 10% of battlefield injuries at that time included eye injuries. The APEL is updated periodically; it usually contains more than a dozen types of non-prescription and prescription

spectacles Glasses, also known as eyeglasses or spectacles, are vision eyewear, with lenses (clear or tinted) mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms (known as temples or ...

and

goggles Goggles, or safety glasses, are forms of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the area surrounding the eye in order to prevent particulates, water or chemicals from striking the eyes. They are used in chemistry laboratories and ...

for different duty situations and soldier preferences. In 2010, the APEL was placed under the oversight of the Military Combat Eyewear Protection (MCEP) program under the office of

PEO Soldier Program Executive Office Soldier is a US Army organization that is responsible for rapid prototyping, procurement, and fielding of equipment for its soldiers. Development areas Project Manager Soldier Protection and Individual Equipment (PM SPIE) d ...

Styles

The APEL also includes different styles to accommodate soldier preferences, with the goal of increasing the use of eye protection. Approved protective eyewear includes both military standard and commercial styles. Soldiers serve in different situations with different types of risk for eye injury, from

ballistic Ballistics may refer to: Science * Ballistics, the science that deals with the motion, behavior, and effects of projectiles ** Forensic ballistics, the science of analyzing firearm usage in crimes ** Internal ballistics, the study of the proce ...

projectiles. Some styles can accommodate

prescription lenses An eyeglass prescription is an order written by an eyewear prescriber, such as an optometrist, that specifies the value of all parameters the prescriber has deemed necessary to construct and/or dispense corrective lenses appropriate for a patie ...

. Several types of goggles are available because they are optimized for certain purposes, such as regular use, use in vehicles, or use with

night vision goggles A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD), night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The de ...

. Some fit over regular eyeglasses, some can accommodate prescription lenses, and others are designed for those who do not wear eyeglasses.

Performance

Eyewear on the APEL must meet the standards established by the Army Vision Conservation and Readiness Program. For ballistic resistance, this program requires that eyewear meet the current ANSI Z87 civilian standard. Then the U.S. military standard (MIL-PRF-31013) must also be met. The U.S. civilian standard for protective eyewear was revised in 2010. The previous version from 2003 was organized by the type of protector. The Z87.1-2010 version is organized by the type of hazard such as

droplet A drop or droplet is a small column of liquid, bounded completely or almost completely by free surfaces. A drop may form when liquid accumulates at the lower end of a tube or other surface boundary, producing a hanging drop called a pendant d ...

and splash, impact, optical radiation, dust,

fine dust Particulates – also known as atmospheric aerosol particles, atmospheric particulate matter, particulate matter (PM) or suspended particulate matter (SPM) – are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. The te ...

, and

mist Mist is a phenomenon caused by small droplets of water suspended in the cold air, usually by condensation. Physically, it is an example of a dispersion. It is most commonly seen where water vapor in warm, moist air meets sudden cooling, such ...

. Also, the 2003 version specified that protective products be marked as providing “Basic” or “High Impact” protection. In the Z87.1-2010 standard, there is no longer a distinction between levels of ballistic protection. Products are either non-impact or impact protectors. Products marked as impact protectors must pass all high-impact testing requirements and are marked as “Z87+”. Non-impact protectors are those which do not pass all high-impact testing requirements and are therefore marked only with “Z87” (no “+” sign). The U.S. military standard (MIL-PRF-31013), requires (at a minimum) that

ballistic eyewear Ballistic eyewear is a form of glasses or goggles that protect from small projectiles and fragments. For the U.S. military, choices are listed on the Authorized Protective Eyewear List (APEL). Ballistic eyewear including examples that meet APEL re ...

can always withstand a 0.15 caliber, 5.8 grain, T37 shaped projectile at a

velocity Velocity is the directional speed of an object in motion as an indication of its rate of change in position as observed from a particular frame of reference and as measured by a particular standard of time (e.g. northbound). Velocity i ...

of 640 to 660 feet per second (approximately 3.8 mm 0.376 g at a velocity of 195 – 201 m/s). Goggles are required to stop a 17-grain fragment simulating projectile moving at a speed of 550 feet per second (approximately twice the energy impact of spectacles). For testing, the velocity of the projectile must be verified using sound or optical

chronograph A chronograph is a specific type of watch that is used as a stopwatch combined with a display watch. A basic chronograph has an independent sweep second hand and a minute sub-dial; it can be started, stopped, and returned to zero by successive ...

methods. The eyewear is put on an Alderson 50th percentile male headform. A 0.002 inch thick aluminum foil “witness sheet” is placed behind the area of impact. This sheet shows whether any small pieces penetrate or come off of the eyewear during the test. The eyewear being tested is hit one time straight on slightly toward the outside of the center of the lens. The eyewear fails the test if the aluminum foil witness sheet is punctured or if the eyewear is cracked. In addition to ballistic performance, the U.S. military standard includes requirements for optical clarity, protection from UV rays, fit, chemical resistance, and environmental stability (properties won’t be changed by exposure to a range of temperatures or levels of humidity).MIL-PRF-31013
Performance Specification: Spectacles, Special Protective Eyewear Cylindrical System (SPECS), 1996 Though soldiers are increasingly exposed to explosive threats, there is currently no testing or performance requirements for blast resistance of approved eyewear.

References

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External links

APEL summary poster 2010
Protective gear