ABSTRACT Military academies routinely lose a percentage of their pilot‐qualified students to myopia during the 4‐year academic program. This study investigated the progression of myopia during such a program and evaluated the usefulness of reading glasses to prevent myopia progression and subsequent acuity loss. A group of students at the United States Naval Academy comprised three randomly divided groups: a placebo group (no. 1 pink tint), a plus with prism group (+1.25 D with 2&Dgr; base‐in each eye), and a bifocal group (+1.50 D near addition). All the lens powers were relative to the experimental subject's distance refraction and were for use full‐time when reading. The preand post‐test refractive errors at distance were determined using 1% tropicamide HCI. At the end of 4 years, the tropicamide refraction showed approximately −0.25 D of myopic shift in all groups. There were no significant differences between the myopic shifts in the control and experimental groups.