Military Combat Eye Protection Program (MCEPP) Update March 2010

This page has been prepared by Guest Editor MAJ Joy A. Schmalzle, O.D., F.A.A.O., a Student at the Command and General Staff College, Fort Lee, VA (March 2010). MAJ Schmalzle was previously Chief of Optical Fabrication in the 32d Multifunctional Medical Battalion at Fort Bragg, NC and has been stationed at Camp Anaconda in Iraq.

The Military Combat Eye Protection Program (MCEPP) is a program that was established to validate and authorize protective eyewear devices for use by all military personnel. The program is managed by the Program Executive Officer Soldier (PEO Soldier) and is executed under Product Manager Soldier Survivability (PM-SSV). The advisory board to PEO Soldier is the Military Combat Eye Protection Program Integrated Product Team (MCEPP-IPT), which contains members from the PM-SSV, ophthalmic clinical community, ophthalmic fabrication community, military logistics community and military end users. The IPT validates safety standards and testing protocols, determines approval of new products for placement on the Authorized Protective Eyewear List (APEL) and recertifies current products on the APEL. Products that are placed on the APEL meet performance requirements that include system configuration, system weight, system interfaces, environmental factors, chemical resistance, ballistic protection, optical characteristics, flammability and durability and are retested a minimum of every two years.

Several protective eyewear systems currently are approved for military use. Some of these systems can be worn only by individuals who do not require pre­scription lenses, while others can be worn by both prescription and non-prescription eyewear users.

For Soldiers who require a prescription, the UVEX XC, UVEX Genesis, ESS ICE II, ESS ICE NARO and Revision Sawfly (regular and large) eyewear are authorized options. For non-prescription wearers, the Wiley X SG–1 and PT–1 and the Oakley SI M 2.0 frame are additional options. All Soldiers also are authorized to wear the ESS Land Operations goggle, the ESS Vehicle Operations goggle, the ESS Profile NVG goggle and the Revision Desert Locust goggle. The Arena Flakjak goggle is only for Soldiers who do not re­quire optical correction.

For Soldiers who require LASER Protection, the Spectacle Protective Eyewear Cylindrical System (SPECS), Ballistic Laser Protective Spectacles (BLPS) and Sand, Wind and Dust Goggle (SWDG) are available. The SPECS does not have prescription capability, the BLPS utilizes the M-40 (gas mask) optical insert and the SWDG may be worn over spectacles.

MCEP is issued to all Initial Entry Training (IET Soldiers) and upon deployment through the Rapid Fielding Initiative (RFI). MCEP can also be ordered through the Soldiers unit through common logistics channels or be purchased commercially through Military Clothing and Sales, Post exchanges or directly from the manufacturer. Prescriptions lens carriers for those requiring optical correction are a Class VIII medical item and may be ordered through the local military optometry clinic. Do not order prescription lens carriers from sources other than the military as they have not been validated to meet the ballistic standard. Also, please be aware that optometry clinics only provide the prescription lens carrier and do not provide the MCEP spectacle and goggle systems.

There are slight authorization differences between military services. Army and Air Force units may purchase all items on the APEL, while Marines are limited to the ESS ICE II, ESS NARO and ESS Profile NVG and only medical personnel are authorized items in the Navy. The information on this page is current for March 2010. The APEL is updated twice yearly and photos and more information can be found on the following websites – please check regularly as new items are added and occasionally some items are removed:

See also: