Minrott wrote:20/70?! Christ you have to have 20/60 to drive uncorrected.
It's mandatory 20/70 uncorrected. However, once you're hired, you can wear glasses. Stupid? Yes, but it's just a holdover from a time long ago, and it stops everyone and their brother from applying. With that said, you can get PRK surgery, even if you have worse than 20/70 vision, and you'll be a pilot. PRK is the only approved vision correction by the Armed Forces, it's more of a surgery than lasik is.
The real stumbling block for the military to hire pilots is the 10 year commitment they require, the college education prior to enlistment, and a relatively high washout rate in training. You have to sign on the dotted line before you get a shot at being a pilot, that's tough, and I know of one guy personally who signed up to be a pilot, then was booted out of a pilot slot due to some very minor defect in one eye. But he was forced to stay in the military for several years because of the contract being signed prior to enlistment as a pilot. Ow fucking wow.