NCJ Number
107220
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1987) Pages: 18-23
Date Published
1987
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Survey data gathered from officers in the Columbus Police Department (Ohio) who reported wearing corrective lenses indicate that it is likely that the officer will be required to function at sometime without those corrective lenses and thus support the entry-level requirement of uncorrected visual acuity.
Abstract
Of the 1,200 questionnaires completed by members of the Columbus Police Department, 292 routinely wore prescription glasses while performing police duties. Over half said their glasses had been dislodged while performing police duties, and 56 percent reported their glasses had fogged so badly they had to be removed. The study notes that if these problems occurred in a pursuit or potential shooting situation, the officer may be putting himself, another officer, or the general public at an unnecessarily high risk of injury or death. A survey of 108 police officers who reported wearing contact lenses while performing their duties shows that an applicant cannot insure that contact lenses will be worn every working day. Therefore, contact lenses should not be used to circumvent the uncorrected visual acuity standard. Laboratory testing using friend-or-foe targets indicates that 20/45 visual acuity is required for threshold performance to properly identify these targets. This study supports the Ophthalmic Standards of the American Optometric Association that a 20/40 visual acuity should be required for police recruits. Charts and 12 references.