Contact Lense

[Daniel Beurich]

Guys,

you've probably heard this many times before, and i know that you can fly with glasses. A recent checkup to the optometrist, showed that ive gone shortsighted in the last few months, my 6/5 vision in both eyes has reduced to 6/5 in my left eye and 6/24 in my right. apparently if both eyes are like that, i can almost be classifed as blind. I know you can wear glasses but im considering contacts. Ive never heard of contacts in aviation, and my intructor says all the students hes ever had have glasses not contacts. Is it legal, and more importantly SUITABLE, to wear contacts while flying, or can they irritate eyes to much or get in the way. I wear sunnys when i fly and also throughout everyday life, and i think it would be easy if i had contacts because then i dont need to buy a seperate pair of perscripton sunnys.

If i dont get contacts or glasses soon i wont pass my next medical and my flying life will get complicated!!!

Thanks
Daniel

[Dehavillanddriver]

Contacts are fine but you still need a spare set of spectacles accessible in flight.

Consider the following though.

Contacts dry out fairly quickly particularly in a pressurised environment - not sure what you are flying I assume it is unpressurised - but the fact is that the lenses will dry out quicker.

You MUST carry a spare set of spectacles - this will be a requirement put on your medical, so having a set of contacts doesn't help you there - if you go for specs you need 2 sets (ie the ones you are using and the spare)

I reckon on a 3 am start contacts are a pain - I can barely get my eyes open, let alone get them open enough to stick contacts in!

[AerocatS2A]

I wear contacts flying (non-pressurised) with no troubles. I've worn them in pressurised aircraft for 7 hours without troubles as well.

My licence says nothing about a requirement to carry spare glasses. I am required to wear "distance vision correction", nothing more.

Ive never heard of contacts in aviation, and my intructor says all the students hes ever had have glasses not contacts.

If the student was wearing contacts the instructor would most likely have no idea unless the student told him.

I have a CPL by the way, therefore a Class 1 medical.

[Reverseflowkeroburna]

DHdriver is spot on with one of the "potential" probs...I too was advised that the likelihood of the eye drying out in the low humidity environment at altitude (and the associated irritation) meant specs were the better proposition. Note: This was quite a few years ago and contact lens technology has obviously come a long way since!!

While specs are most definately a pain in the proverbial........you may also find that contacts are just as troublesome to look after in some of our beloved flying jobs with their associated dirty, dusty environs........eg. mustering, BDV races type scenarios.

If you decide to go with the contacts, I'd be interested in hearing how you/they fare........PM me if need be once you've given them a try. :8


Thanks Aerocat........your answers alleviate quite a few of my concerns, although your beady little peepers may be particularly more tolerant and tougher than others out there!? :sad:

[Capt Fathom]

AerocatS2A

You need to carry a second pair of lenses.
Sorry, a bit long winded, but see my bold type at the end!

Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR)

67.150
1.36 Can read (with or without correcting lenses) an N5 chart (or its
equivalent) binocularly at a distance that he or she selects (in the range
of 30 to 50 centimetres), and can read an N14 chart binocularly (with or
without correcting lenses) at a distance of 1 metre
Note A person who needs correcting lenses to meet this criterion must have
the appropriate lenses available while carrying out duties under a relevant
licence — see regulation 67.200

67.200
Conditions applicable to certain medical certificates —
correcting lenses
(1) In addition to any other condition imposed by or under this Part, a
medical certificate issued to a person who needs correcting lenses to
satisfy the requirements of item 1.36 of table 67.150, item 2.36 of
table 67.155 or item 3.34 of table 67.160 is subject to the conditions
set out in subregulations (2) and (4).
(2) The person must have those correcting lenses available for use while
exercising the privileges of a licence for which the certificate is
required.
Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR)
CASR – 1st Edition – January 2003 Office of Legal Counsel
New Page – Amdt No. 3 – 3 September 2003 Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Part 67 — 39
(3) If the person is the holder of, or an applicant for, a licence for which
he or she is required to meet medical standard 1 or 2, the correcting
lenses may be a pair of spectacles or a combination of contact lenses
and a pair of spectacles.
(4) A person to whom subregulation (3) applies must have within reach,
while he or she is performing duties essential to the operation of an
Australian aircraft during flight time, a spare pair of spectacles for
each pair of correcting lenses that he or she requires to meet the
relevant medical standard.

[empacher48]

I also wear contacts for flying - hold a Class 1 medical as well. I have had no trouble with eyes drying out while flying in both pressurised and unpressurised aircraft.

It all comes down to your own decision on wearing contacts or glasses. From a Human Factors point of view - contact lenses don't produce blind spots the way frames from glasses do - hence why I prefer wearing them over glasses.

Before all you sceptics out there start telling me what a load of bollocks that is, our cheif pilot is now wearing contact lenses after a Cessna appeared out of no where and almost created "rain showers of metal" The outcome of that was the cessna was hiding in the blindspot created by his glasses frame hiding it until it was so close the eye could not miss it!

But it all comes down to personal preference - most optometrists will give you a set of lenses for a week or so, to give you a chance to see if they suit you, and if possible try them flying!

[LocoDriver]

Daniel,

I have been flying for over thirty years, nearly all the time with contact lens's.

See a good optometrist, tell him or her what your requirements are.
There are several different types of contacts, it depends on what your eye shape is, etc etc.

I wear silicon disposables, expensive, but brilliant.
Remember, you must look after your eyes!
The most important thing with contacts, is oxygen supply to the eye, it is essential you seek professional advice on this.

I have never had any problems with contacts(have to carry a spare pair of spec's) hold a class 1 medical, and fly professionally.
I also swim with the lens's in, have surfed, etc etc, no worries!

Most important, they will need to be approved by your aviation doctor.

Good luck.


:ok:

[AerocatS2A]

Thanks Capt Fathom, my NZ licence had the requirement to carry spare spectacles written on it. The absence of this specific stament on my Aus licence lead me to believe it is not required.

One more thing I have to throw into my flight bag I suppose.

[Daniel Beurich]

Guys

thanks alot, i got my contacts a few days ago and yesterday i did a Navigtion Excersice to Tamworth from Cooly, the contacts were fine the entire flight. i did take a spare set with me, didnt need them though. i did ask ym optometrist about the whole drying out and he said these days contacts will stay moist with your eye, than the older drying out and sometimes irratable type. I use em for most everyday life now, also findgin my co-ordination when playing sports is better, as im not seeing everyting ll blurred through my right eye!

Daniel

[Beer Can Dreaming]

Fly long haul and have been wearing contacts for over 10 years now.
After about 12 hours airborne and after a few naps in the bunk they may tend to get a bit dry, so I carry a small bottle of comfort drops in my navbag specifically for contacts.

Yes, I do carry a small kit with a spare set of lenses as well as a spare pair of specs.

They are the go compared to glasses which rub against the head, especially if you wear headsets of any kind.
As for sunnies, I wear a set of Oakleys with the yellow or pink lenses.Best colour I find as it doesnt dim the instrumentation (especially EFIS/FMC) and is great for cutting out UV.
Lightweight and plastic compared to metal - rocks every time!

[Daniel Beurich]

Beer Can Dreaming,

thanks for the help, i noticed that galssess can get painful when wearing headsets as well, i also wear Oakleys, but non tinted in colour.

Daniel

[Googlewac]

Spent years flying with contacts with no probs until that fatefull day when I got an itchy eye and rubbed the critter out. Got home ok in fact seem to remember it being one of my best landings ever:ooh: .

Anyway moral of the story is - get LASIK best thing ever and no probs after 4 years.