The presentation by a candidate of his letter of conditional appointment, or the presentation by a _prospective_ candidate of a letter signed by a Member of Congress stating that the bearer is to be a candidate for cadet appointment and requesting that he be physically examined, will be sufficient authority for an Army surgeon at any military post to make the desired physical examination. Upon completion of this examination, the Army surgeon will inform the candidate of the result, and, in case a disability be found, whether such disability is believed to be permanent and disqualifying for military service or whether it is believed to be of a temporary or curable nature. The examination is to be regarded as preliminary only, and in no manner to affect the decision of the regular medical examining board.
The physical examination is conducted under the following instructions prepared by the Surgeon General of the Army: Candidates who, upon reporting, present evidence that they have been excused from the mental examination under the provisions of the certificate privilege, or as the result of having qualified mentally at a previous examination, are usually examined physically as soon as possible after reporting and are not required to wait until the schedule of mental examinations has been completed. The physical examination of all candidates taking the mental examination begins on the fourth day and is continued daily until completed.
Vision as determined by the official test types must not fall below 20/40 in either eye. If below 20/20, it must be correctable to 20/20 by proper glasses.
In the record of all examinations the acuity of vision without glasses, and also with glasses when the acuity is less than 20/20, will be given for each eye separately; in the latter case the correction will also be noted.
Hyperopia with vision less than 20/20 and myopia or astigmatism, either hyperopic or myopic, with vision less than 20/40, are causes for rejection.
Squint uncorrectable by glasses (not prisms) is a cause for rejection.
Color blindness, red, green, or violet, is cause for rejection.
The foregoing requirements apply to eyes from disease, either acute or chronic. All lesions of the fundus, except those due to simple myopia, lesions not progressive in character, whether old or of recent origin, are causes for rejection.