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Who can forget the news of the capturing of Osama Bin Laden by our US Special forces? An interesting fact was that the Navy Seal unit that made the capture attributes much of their military success to NVGs (night vision goggles). The capture of Bin Laden, along with numerous captures of Al-Qaeda members in Desert Storm, came from night vision capabilities that were provided by this ocular technology.

The top of the line NVG has a sophisticated four tube version of an earlier model, and costs upwards of $60,000 to $65,000 per pair. They have superb capabilities to see into enemy lines for our military.

So what exactly are NVGs and what is the technology behind them? What other visual expectations do our military troops use to give us the edge in a battle?

Expertly made night vision goggles can spot a target close to 200 years away. NVG use infrared and thermal detection technology to capture the image in the darkest of circumstances. The electronic information that comes from the NVG has no color. but in order for our eyes to see it, a green picture is emitted from the screen.

What exactly do you have to be able to see to enter the military as a pilot of a plane or helicopter? To understand this, it helps to understand the difference between corrected and uncorrected vision. 20/20 vision is the ability to achieve "Normal" vision.

In other words, the patient sees the same line of letters at 20 feet that a normal person sees at 20 feet. A patient with 20/15 vision can see objects at 20 feet that a person with 20/20 vision can only see at 15 feet. Corrected vision means you can achieve 20/20 vision with glasses or contacts. Uncorrected vision is your vision without glasses or contacts.

Here are the military requirements listed by branches of the military:

Army: 20/50 uncorrected (correctable to 20/20)

Air Force: 20/70 uncorrected (correctable to 20/20)

Navy and Marine Corps: 20/40 uncorrected (correctable to 20/20)

Pilots must pass a color vision test and have normal depth perception or 3-D vision.In regards to Laser Vision Correction (LASIK), since 2007 it has no longer become a deterrent to entering the military as a pilot, as the restriction has been lifted for potential pilots.

With the knowledge of ophthalmic technology, and the requirements to achieve optical clarity for the military, its no wonder they have the cutting edge in most wars and battles. So whether you use NVG for hunting, military use, or just recreational activity, its helpful to know and understand the “why” behind the know how, and be able to appreciate the capabilities of night vision goggles.

Exciting headline news comes understanding the technology behind the capture of Bin Laden! 

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“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” Helen Keller

This quote coming from a woman who accomplished more in a lifetime than ten people with sight did. The purpose of this blog is to open your eyes to the world of NO LIMITS. The only limits that are placed on our dreams and achievements are those we place on ourselves.

We will explore and showcase great achievements of famous blind people. This should serve to inspire us all to go beyond our current limitations whether we have a visual impairment or not. All the people listed here had debilitating, limited or no vision in one or both eyes. Some were born blind, others lost their vision to other causes. Here is the list:

Helen Keller (1880-1968): American author, activist and lecturer. She was the first deaf/blind person to graduate from college.

Judy Heumann (1947-present): American Disabilities Rights Activist

Apl.de.ap (1974-present): Black Eyed Peas Rapper

Andrea Bocelli (1958-present): Musician/Singer.Blind at the age of 12 years old following a football accident in which he was hit in the head. Bocelli has also sung with Pavarotti.

Tom Sullivan (1969-present): Singer,actor, author,and entertainer. Performed on Highway to Heaven and won Helen Keller Achievement Award in 1997.

FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945): 32nd President of the United States of America,Roosevelt had several disabilities including vision impairment.

Harriet Tubman (1820-1913): Brought hundreds of black slaves back to safety throughThe Underground Railroad. She became victim to vision impairment after a beating from a slave owner.

Louis Braille (1809-1852): Became blind after he accidentally stabbed himself in the eye with his father's awl. He was an inventor and designed Braille writing, which enables blind people to read through feeling a series of organized bumps representing letters. If it were not for Louis Braille's blindness he may not have invented this method of reading.

John MIlton (1608-1674): Wrote the epic poem Paradise Lost.John Milton became blind at the age of 43.

James Thurber (1894-1961): A comedian and cartoonist most known for his contributions to New Yorker Magazine. His brother accidentally shot him in the eye with an arrow while playing a game of William Tell.

Claude Monet (1840-1926): Founder of French impressionist painting. He had progressive blindness . However, in his last decade of life Monet, nearly blind, painted a group of large water lily murals (Nympheas) for the Musee de l'Orangerie in Paris

Brian McKeever (1973- present): Canadian Cross Country Skier and Biathlete

Dr. Jacob Bolotin (1888-1924): The first congenitally blind man to receive a medical license.

Marla Runyon (1969-present): Marathon Runner

William Prescott (1726-1795): Revolutionary War Colonel who coined the term “Do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes!”

Kelvin Tan Weilian (1981-present): Famous Singapore professional singer

Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911): Co-established the Pulitzer Prizes

Erik Weihenmayer (1968-present): First blind person to reach the summit of Mt. Everest in 2001

Isaac: Biblical patriarch

Homer: (8th Century BC): Greek poet said to have been blind.

And to top it off, here are the Top Ten Blind Male Musicians:

10. Ronnie Milsap

09. Noboyuk Tsujii

08: Blind Willie Johnson

07: George Shearing

06: MOONDOG

05: Blind Willie McTell

04: Jose Feliciano

03: Art Tatum

02: Stevie Wonder

01: Ray Charles

So, if you are having a bad day, and think you cant quite get up that hill....just remember Erik Weihenmayer, who climbed Mt. Everest blind, and let YOUR vision be set on YOUR unique gifts and talents to share with the world today...........

(Contributing source: www.disabled-world.com)

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