The Ministry of National Defense issued new regulations on health standards and military service examinations.

The Minister of National Defense has just issued Circular No. 106/2025 amending and supplementing a number of articles of Circular No. 105/2023 regulating health standards and health examinations for subjects under the management of the Ministry of National Defense.

Circular No. 106/2025 takes effect from September 30.

Circular amending and supplementing regulations on locations for preliminary health screening for military service. Accordingly, commune-level health stations conduct preliminary health screening for military service under the direction and guidance on expertise and techniques of the Department of Health or hospitals and medical centers under the Department of Health and the supervision of the Commune-level Military Command and the Regional Defense Command. Previously, according to the old regulations, the district level was responsible for providing professional guidance and supervision.

The Circular also amends and supplements regulations on military service medical examination.

Accordingly, the regional health examination council includes: The chairman of the council is the director of the hospital or director of the medical center under the Department of Health, the vice chairman is the deputy director of the hospital or medical center, the standing member and secretary is an officer of the hospital, medical center, or medical agency under the Department of Health; the members are officers and employees of agencies and units.

Members of the regional health examination council must ensure that they have all the required departments and specialties and must have a practice certificate or practice license appropriate to their duties. According to the old regulations, council members belonged to district-level agencies.

Photo: Nguyen Hue

In addition, Circular No. 106/2025 amends and supplements the eye examination process and vision scoring method in health classification standards.

Specifically, visual acuity is the basic standard to assess the vision of each eye. To measure visual acuity accurately, a specialist must directly instruct how to read and perform the test according to the prescribed techniques of the ophthalmology profession. To detect cases where the reader is dishonest or does not know how to read according to the instructions, use an automatic refractometer to check.

How to calculate total vision of both eyes : If vision is higher than 10/10, it is still only counted as 10/10. For example: Right eye 12/10, left eye 5/10, then total vision of both eyes is 15/10.

Requirements for eye chart

+ Black letters, white background, rows 7/10 to 8/10 must be hung at eye level.

+ Sufficient light needed for reading (about 400-700 lux) to avoid any glare, too bright or too dark affecting the reader's vision.

+ The distance between the board and the reader's place is according to regulations.

+ The reader must cover one eye with a piece of cardboard (not with hands) and when reading, both eyes must be open (one eye is open behind the cover).

+ The measurer uses a stick to point under each letter, the reader must read that letter in less than 10 seconds. Rows 8/10, 9/10, 10/10 each row can only read 1 letter wrong to count the result of that row.

The Circular clearly states that when calculating total visual acuity for classification, attention should be paid to the visual acuity of the right eye. The left eye's visual acuity cannot compensate for the right eye's, and the right eye's visual acuity must meet the prescribed standards.

When checking vision without glasses, if the vision of both eyes is not 19/10, the specialist must continue to check the vision after adjusting the glasses. Normally, the maximum vision of both eyes when adjusting the glasses must be 19/10 or higher. In case the maximum vision of both eyes after adjusting the glasses is not 19/10, the ophthalmologist must evaluate and find the cause of the pathology causing the vision loss.

Visual acuity scoring: If visual acuity without glasses for both eyes is 19/10 or higher, score according to visual acuity without glasses. If visual acuity without glasses for both eyes is less than 19/10, score according to visual acuity after maximum correction with glasses.

The Circular also specifically regulates pterygium with pterygium grading according to the level of pterygium crawling into the cornea, diseases of the eyelids and eye sockets, and instructions for measuring color blindness.

The new circular also outlines how to calculate scores for quick mental illness diagnosis.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/bo-quoc-phong-ra-quy-dinh-moi-ve-tieu-chuan-suc-khoe-kham-nghia-vu-quan-su-2449038.html