UVEX S3300 Genesis XC protective eyewear

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

protective eyewear Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...

tested and approved by the

U.S. Military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except 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 Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a s ...

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 (American English), spectacles (Commonwealth English), or colloquially as specs, are Visual perception, vision eyewear with clear or tinted lens (optics), lenses mounted in a frame that holds them in front ...

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 (PEO Soldier) or Team Soldier is a program executive office of the United States Army that is responsible for rapid prototyping, procurement, and fielding of equipment for the soldiers. History On 7 June 2002, ...

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) or 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 ...

. 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 end of a tube or other surface boundary, producing a hanging drop called a pendant drop. Dro ...

and splash, impact, optical radiation, dust,

fine dust Particulate matter (PM) or particulates are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. An ''aerosol'' is a mixture of particulates and air, as opposed to the particulate matter alone, though it is sometimes defined ...

, 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 (chemistry), dispersion. It is most commonly seen where water vapor in warm, moist air meets ...

. 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 can always withstand a 0.15

caliber In guns, particularly firearms, but not #As a measurement of length, artillery, where a different definition may apply, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel Gauge ( ...

, 5.8 grain, T37 shaped projectile at a

velocity Velocity is a measurement of speed in a certain direction of motion. It is a fundamental concept in kinematics, the branch of classical mechanics that describes the motion of physical objects. Velocity is a vector (geometry), vector Physical q ...

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 hour and minute hands on the main dial to tell the time, a small seconds hand to tell that the watch is running, and ...

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