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Eye-Sight for UPSC, IAS, IPS, IFS Civil Service Mains Examination

The candidate’s eye-sight will be tested in accordance with the following rules.

(a) The result of each test would be recorded.
(i) General—The candidate’s eyes will be submitted to a general examination directed to the detection of any disease or abnormality. The candidate will be rejected if he suffers from any morbid conditions of eye, eyelids or contiguous structure of such a sort as to render or are likely at future date to render him unfit for service.
(ii) Visual Acuity—The examination for determining the acuteness of vision includes two tests—one for distant the other for near vision. Each eye will be examined separately.
(b) There shall be no limit for maximum naked eye vision but the naked eye vision of the candidates shall however be recorded by the CSMB or other medical authority in every case, as it will furnish the basic information in regard to the condition of the eye.
(c) The following standards are prescribed for distant and near vision with or without glasses for different types of services.
(i) The candidates who have Myopia of more than 6.00 D including spherical & cylindrical error should be referred to Special Ophthalmic Board. The SOB will examine the candidate for degenerative changes in retina (indirect
ophthalmoscopy as well as direct ophthalmoscopy and if the macular area is healthy then the candidate should be declared fit. If the candidate is having only peripheral degenerative changes which can be treated then the
candidate should be declared temporarily unfit till the candidate gets treated. However if degenerative changes are only in periphery and require no treatment then the candidate should be declared fit.
(ii) For cases of myopia up to 6D fundus examination should be done and if the candidate is having only peripheral degenerative changes which can be treated then the candidate should be declared temporarily unfit till the
candidate gets treated. However if degenerative changes are only in periphery and require no treatment then the candidate should be declared fit. This is for both technical services and non-technical services.
(d) Field of Vision: The field of vision shall be tested in respect of all services by the confrontation method. When such test gives unsatisfactory or doubtful result the field of vision should be determined on the perimeter.

Table — Standards for distant and near Vision for Class of Service

		(Technical Services)		(Non-technical Services)
		Better eye (corrected vision)	Worse eye	Better eye (corrected vision)	Worse eye
1.	Distant vision	6/6 or 6/9	6/12 or 6/9	6/6 or 6/9	6/18 to Nil or 6/12
2.	Near vision	J1**	J2**	J1** J2	J3 to Nil** J2
3.	Types of corrections permitted	Spectacles, CL and Refractive surgery* like Lasik, ICL, IOL etc.		Spectacles, CL and Refractive surgery like Lasik, ICL, IOL etc.
4.	Limits of refractive error permitted	No limit However the candidates who have Myopia of more than 6.00 D including spherical & cylindrical error should be referred to special Myopia Board. The board will examine the candidate for degenerative changes in retina (indirect ophthalmoscopy as well as direct ophthalmoscopy) and if the macular area is healthy then the candidate should be declared fit. If the candidate is having only peripheral degenerative changes which can be treated then the candidate should be declared temporarily unfit till the candidate gets treated. However if degenerative changes are only in periphery and require no treatment then the candidate should be declared fit.		No limit However the candidates who have Myopia of more than 6.00 D including spherical & cylindrical error should be referred to special Myopia Board. The board will examine the candidate for degenerative changes in retina (indirect ophthalmoscopy as well as direct ophthalmoscopy) and if the macular area is healthy then the candidate should be declared fit. If the candidate is having only peripheral degenerative changes which can be treated then the candidate should be declared temporarily unfit till the candidate gets treated. However if degenerative changes are only in periphery and require no treatment then the candidate should be declared fit.

		The candidates who have myopia up to 6.00 D without any involvement of macular area of retina then these candidates are fit and those who have macular degenerative changes will be declared unfit.	The candidates who have myopia up to 6.00 D without any involvement of macular area of retina then these candidates are fit and those who have macular degenerative changes will be declared unfit.
5.	Colour vision requirements	High Grade	Low Grade
6.	Binocular vision needed	Yes	No
7.	Squint	Unfit (due to absence of binocular vision)	Fit

* To be referred to a Special Ophthalmic Board.

** Near vision for Railway Services viz. IRTS, IRAS, IRPS and RPF is J1 in better eye and J2 in worse eye.

(e) Night Blindness : If Night Blindness is detected on History and Fundus examination in any candidate he/she should be examined by the Special Ophthalmic Board. Condition should be confirmed by Electroretinography (ERG). Night Blindness will be a ground for making a candidate ‘Unfit’ for Technical Services.

(f) Colour Vision : Colour Vision will be examined with the help of following two techniques :—

1. Edrige Green’s Lantern technique:

Colour perception should be graded into higher and lower grade depending upon the size of aperture in the lantern as described in the table below :—

Grade		Higher Grade Colour Perception	Lower Grade Colour Perception
1		2	3
1.	Distance between the lamp and candidate	16 ft	16 ft
2.	Size of aperture	1.3 mm.	13 mm.
3.	Time of exposure	5 seconds	5 seconds

2. Ishihara’s Plates.
High grade Colour Vision is required for IPS, Other Police Services, IRTS and RPF. Low Grade Colour Vision is acceptable for rest of the services under CSE.
(g) Ocular condition other than visual acuity

(i) Any organic disease or a progressive refractive error involving the macular area of the Retina, which is likely to result in lowering visual acuity, should be considered a disqualification.
(ii) Squint: For technical services where the presence of binocular vision is essential squint, even if the visual acuity in each eye is of the prescribed standard should be considered a disqualification.
For other service the presence of squint should not be considered as a disqualification if the visual acuity is of the prescribed standards. For Railways technical services binocular vision is essential.
(iii) If a person has one eye or if he has one eye which has normal vision and the other eye is ambylopic or has subnormal vision the usual effect is that the person is lacking stereoscopic vision for perception of depth. Such vision is not necessary for many civil posts. The medical board may recommend as fit, such persons provided the normal eye has
(a) 6/6 distant vision J1 near vision with or without correction with glasses / contact lens/ Refractive surgery like Lasik, ICL, IOL etc.
(b) Has full field of vision.
(c) Normal colour vision wherever required:
Provided the board is satisfied that the candidate can perform all the functions for the particular job in question.

The above relaxed standard of visual acuity will NOT apply to candidates for posts/services classified as “TECHNICAL” The Ministry/ Department concerned will have to inform the medical board that the candidate is for a “TECHNICAL” service or not.
(iv) Contact Lenses : During the medical examination of candidate, the use of contact lenses is not to be allowed. It is necessary that when conducting eye test the illumination of the typed letters for distant vision should have an illumination of 15 foot-candles.

12. Guidelines for Special Opthalmic Board:-

Special Ophthalmic Board for eye examination shall consist of 3 Ophthalmologists:
(a) Cases where the Medical Board, has recorded visual function within normal prescribed limits but suspects a disease of progressive and organic nature, which is likely to cause damage to the visual function, should refer the candidate to a Special Ophthalmic Board for opinion as part of the CSMB procedure.

(b) All cases of any type of surgery on eyes, IOL, refractive corneal surgery, doubtful cases of colour defect should be referred to Special Ophthalmic Board.
(c) In such cases where a candidate is found to be having high myopia that is more than 6.00D including spherical and cylindrical error the Central Standing Medical Board should immediately refer the candidates for a Special Board of three Ophthalmologists constituted by the Medical Superintendent of the hospital/A.M.O. with the head of the Department of Ophthalmology of the Hospital or the senior most ophthalmologist as the Chairman of the special Board. The Ophthalmologist/Medical Officer who has conducted the preliminary ophthalmic examination cannot be a part of the Special Board.
(d) The examination by the Special Board should preferably be done on the same day. Whenever it is not possible to convene the Special Board of three Ophthalmologists on the day of the medical examination by the Central Standing Medical Board/State Medical Board. the special Board may be convened at an earliest possible date.
(e) The Special Ophthalmic Board may carry out detailed investigations before arriving at their decision.
(f) The Medical Board’s report may not be deemed as complete unless it includes the report of the Special Board for all such cases which are referred to it.
(g) Guideline for reporting on border line unfit cases:
In Border line cases of substandard visual acuity, subnormal colour vision, the test will be repeated after 15 minutes by the Ophthalmologist and in case of any doubt the case may be referred to special ophthalmic board consisting of three ophthalmologists like high myopia board.