The days when military-issued eyewear was known as 'BCGs'--birth control glasses--are in the past.
As proof, the military is rolling out a new array of 10 smart-looking pairs that vision-challenged troops can choose from. The frames, which come in a variety of materials and colors including champagne, black and gray, are intended to reflect styles currently available in the commercial market, according to a release from Naval Medical Logistics Command published Nov. 3.
The eyewear is available through the Frame of Choice Spectacle Program and is available to active-duty service-members, reservists on active duty for 31 days or more, and members of the National Guard who have been called to active federal service for at least 31 days according to the release. Military retirees are not eligible, officials said.
It's not the first time that military eyewear has gotten an upgrade since the coke-bottle, thick-framed classes made famous in the 1960s, during the Vietnam war. In 2012, the military updated the standard-issue frames from the clunky brown S9 design, issued since the 1990s and deserving of the 'BCG' moniker, to the sleeker black 5A design.
The new frames are all now available through military providers, officials said in the release. View all ten styles here.
