Military personnel – both active-duty and Reserve, as well as new recruits – who need to wear prescription glasses may now say goodbye to what has come to be known as BCGs, or “Birth Control Glasses.” BCGs were standard-issue specs called S9s, which have become infamous for being “unattractive.”

The Naval Medical Logistics Command has chosen a new design for standard-issue eyeglasses. The new specs will be offered to all active-duty and Reserve personnel. It will, however, be the only choice for service members at recruit depots. These glasses will soon be sported by recruits in Great Lakes, Ill., Parris Island, S.C., Fort Sill, Okla., and Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, among others.

Recruits who need to wear eyeglasses are provided with standard-issue specs as part of boot camp medical care. Service members, however, who were not issued eyeglasses during boot camp may choose from a wider range of six designs, as part of the “Frames of Choice” program of the U.S. military. The designs come in several color choices, and include wire frames and aviator styles.

Capt. Matt Newton, commander of the Naval Ophthalmic Support and Training Activity, Yorktown, Virginia, shared: “Service members have told us they like the appearance of the new frame. We are confident this frame will increase the likelihood that military personnel will continue to utilize their eyeglasses beyond boot camp.”

The new specs, called 5As, are due to arrive at recruit depots in the next few months. They will be available to active-duty and Reserve personnel in six months.