RAF request

I wonder if I might enlighten readers on the subject of Royal Air Force Ophthalmic Supplements. If incorrect or incomplete details are entered on these forms, the application cannot be processed.

There are three sections that are commonly misinterpreted:

- Current prescription. This section does require a note of the current refractive error, regardless of whether or not spectacles are worn.

- Colour perception. If the Ishihara test is passed, ie if all the plates are correctly read under the correct illumination, then the candidate is classed as CP2. If any plates are incorrectly named, then the candidate is classed as CP3 or 4 and must be referred for further testing to determine which.