Poor Eyesight and Military Service: Thresholds in Dioptres

The short answer: what decides is not "I see badly" but a specific number of dioptres. Article 34 of the Schedule of Diseases draws the line for myopia at 6.0 dioptres: everything below leaves you fit with minor restrictions, everything above yields category V. And that number must be obtained by the regulation's own method — under cycloplegia.

Which fitness category myopia yields

Note the asymmetry: myopia reaches category V at 6.0 D, while hyperopia only at 8.0 D. Myopia below 3.0 D is not mentioned in the article at all.

What article 34 says verbatim

v) myopia of either eye in one of the meridians above 6.0 D and up to 8.0 D

g) myopia of either eye in one of the meridians above 3.0 D and up to 6.0 D, hyperopia of either eye in one of the meridians above 6.0 D and up to 8.0 D…

The phrase "either eye" means the worse eye is taken: with −3 in one eye and −6.5 in the other, the second decides, and that is already clause «v».

Cycloplegia: why an optician's figure will not do

The regulation prescribes the method directly:

The type and degree of refractive error are determined by retinoscopy or refractometry under cycloplegia.

Cycloplegia is pharmacological relaxation of accommodation. Without it a tense muscle can overstate the minus, or the reverse. This is why a prescription from an optician's shop is not a document for the board: it is measured differently and for a different purpose.

The regulation separately describes accommodation spasm — a state in which "the refraction found under cycloplegia is weaker than the optimal negative corrective lens before cycloplegia". In plain terms, part of the minus turns out to be false. With a persistent spasm after unsuccessful inpatient treatment, the category follows the acuity and degree of ametropia that return to their previous level after repeated cycloplegia.

Visual acuity: article 35

Where vision is reduced for reasons other than refraction, article 35 applies — "Blindness, reduced vision, colour vision anomalies". Its thresholds are set by acuity:

• acuity of one eye 0.09 or below with the other 0.3 or below, or both eyes 0.2 or below — clause «a», category D;
• 0.09 or below with the other 0.4 or above; or 0.3 with the other from 0.3 to 0.1 — clause «b», category V;
• 0.4 with the other from 0.3 to 0.1 — clause «v», category V;
• dichromacy and colour weakness of grades III–II — clause «g», category B-2.

And the key counting rule:

Visual acuity that does not prevent military service for persons assessed under columns I and II of the schedule of diseases must be, for distance with correction, no lower than 0.5 in one eye and 0.1 in the other, or no lower than 0.4 in each eye.

Acuity counts with correction — spectacles, including combined lenses, and contact lenses where tolerance is good for at least 20 hours. The difference in lens power between the two eyes must not exceed 2.0 D.

What your records must contain

• Refractometry or retinoscopy under cycloplegia — with dioptres by meridian for each eye.
• Visual acuity with and without correction for each eye.
• An ophthalmologist's conclusion with the diagnosis and degree.
• Fundus examination — with high myopia, retinal changes matter.
• The chart code is H52.1 for myopia.
• A bearing before the visit can come from an online acuity check — not a document, but it helps frame the conversation.

What is usually missing

• There is an optician's prescription but no measurement under cycloplegia.
• Dioptres are given as a single figure without meridians.
• Corrected acuity is not stated — and that is what article 35 needs.
• Accommodation spasm was not excluded, making the minus look larger than it is.
• No fundus examination despite high myopia.
• Colour vision was not tested, although dichromacy has its own clause; a colour blindness test helps show what is meant.

Questions for your doctor

• What is my refraction in dioptres for each meridian of each eye?
• Was the measurement performed under cycloplegia?
• What is my visual acuity with and without correction?
• Has accommodation spasm been excluded?
• Are there changes in the fundus?

Vision at departmental boards

The above concerns assessment under Government Decree No. 565. The Interior Ministry, National Guard, Federal Security Service and Emergencies Ministry use their own schedules of diseases, with vision requirements that are generally stricter and sometimes post-specific. A review under articles 34 and 35 shows how complete your records are but is not their regulation.

The short version

With vision everything reduces to numbers: myopia above 6.0 D gives category V, 3.0 to 6.0 gives B-3, above 12.0 gives D. Hyperopia is two steps more lenient. But a number carries weight only when obtained correctly — under cycloplegia, broken down by meridian, alongside corrected acuity. An optician's prescription does not meet those requirements. Only the military medical board determines the fitness category.