Manual of the Medical Department (NAVMED P-117): Chapter 15: Medical Examinations: Physical Standards

15-39 Ears

Department of the Navy
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

(1) The causes for rejection are:

(a) Auditory canal

(1) Atresia or severe stenosis of the external
(2) Tumors of the external auditory canal except mild exostoses.
(3) Severe external otitis, acute or chronic.

(b) Auricle. Agenesis, severe; or severe traumatic deformity, unilateral a bilateral.

(c) Mastoids

(1) Mastoiditis, acute a chronic
(2) Residual of mastoid operation with marked external deformity which precludes or interferes with the wearing of a gas mask a helmet.
(3) Mastoid fistula.

(d) Meniere's syndrome

(e) Middle ear

(1) Acute a chronic suppurative otitis media. Individuals with a recent history of acute suppurative otitis media will not be accepted unless the condition is healed and a sufficient interval of time subsequent to treatment has elapsed to ensure that the disease is in fact not chronic.
(2) Adhesive otitis media associated with hearing loss by audiometric test of 30 db or more average for the speech frequencies (500, 1000, and 2000 Hz) in either ear regardless of the hearing level in the other ear.
(3) Acute or chronic serous otitis media.
(4) Presence of attic perforation in which presence of cholesteatoma is suspected.
(5) Repeated attacks of suppurative otitis media.
(6) History of surgery involving middle ear, excluding myringotomy.

(f) Tympanic membrane

(1) Any unhealed perforation of the tympanic membrane.
(2) Surgery to repair perforated tympanic membrane in past 120 days.

(g) Other. Other diseases and defects of the ear which obviously preclude satisfactory performance of duty or which require frequent and prolonged treatment.

(h) Hearing. Hearing acuity level by audiometric testing exceeding the table below:

(Hz)

Both ears (ANSI 1969)

500

Average of the 6 readings (3 per ear) in the speech frequencies not greater than 30 decibels with no level greater than 35.

1000

2000

3000

45 decibels, each ear

4000

55 decibels, each ear