GI glasses are eyeglasses issued by the American military to its service members. Dysphemisms for them include the most common birth control glasses and variants. At one time they were officially designated as "Regulation Prescription Glasses", or "RPGs". This was commonly said to mean "Rape Prevention Glasses" due to their unstylish appearance. Prior to the current style, the standard issue were similar to the 1950s eyeglasses worn by Drew Carey or Al Franken.
The glasses are relatively thick frames made of brown translucent plastic, with a thin metal wire extending down the center of each of the earpieces. The shape of the corrective lenses is nearly rectangular, with rounded edges, and a slight diagonal angle adjacent to the integrated nose pieces. This design reflects a specification for durability at the lowest possible cost. There are two designs available for female and male soldiers who require prescription eye wear.
They are large enough to provide a wide field of vision, but can be so large as to interfere with peripheral vision or the sights of a rifle under certain circumstances. As well as being waterproof, they are also impact resistant and satisfy many eye protection requirements.
GI glasses are issued at government expense to new recruits at recruit training or Officer Candidate Schools in the United States military. When entering recruit training, service members may wear civilian glasses until government-issued ones are assigned, including but not limited to the BCG. The BCGs are marked RONCO or U6S.Contact lenses are never permissible for these exercises. After recruit training, service members are permitted to wear Frame of Choice glasses which are conservative in design and color or contact lenses. The military offers annual replacements for those who qualify, and personnel may request the government issued glasses in addition to several varieties of more attractive eyewear, in clear and tinted lenses, as well as prescription gas mask inserts and inserts for government-funded ballistic eyewear.[1]
BCGs (Birth Control Glasses) is a nickname given to the glasses because service members believe that while wearing BCGs, it is impossible to attract the opposite sex because of their unflattering appearance.[1]
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