View Full Version : ATCO eyesight
skinnygav
2nd Jun 2006, 14:32
hi guys,
i have my assesment day in a few days for a trainee ATCO position.
thing is i have never worn glasses but also have never had my eyes tested.
im starting to get paranoid now, if i do need them at some point is this a consideration at all?
thanks for any replies.
foghorn
2nd Jun 2006, 14:41
thing is i have never worn glasses
In this case see it this way, it's less likely than the population at large that you're gonna fail. My eyesight is terrible and they let me in:8
smellysnelly2004
5th Jun 2006, 14:57
Hello,
If you're worried about your eyesight then get them tested. If you require glasses then NATS will want your prescription details and medical staff will look at the results and decide if your eyesight meets their criteria. I wouldn't be too worried though, I can't see a thing without me bins but my eyes 'meet the criteria'.
Hope this helps
niknak
5th Jun 2006, 15:03
Go to a good optician and get your eyes tested, it will save any pain at the medical.
soontobeATCO
5th Jun 2006, 15:13
In this case see it this way, it's less likely than the population at large that you're gonna fail. My eyesight is terrible and they let me in:8
Do you mind me asking what your prescription is?
Mine are -4.0 left and -3.5 right.
NATS told me that I was outside the criteria, and even after further prompting wouldnt tell me how much by.
Eurocontrol didnt have a problem with my eyes (even though their form seemed a lot more complicated!) and I also have a CAT 1 medical.
I would love to know whether NATS were been genuine, or whether I was just dealing with a total numpty!
smellysnelly2004
6th Jun 2006, 09:14
I think mine are -1.75 left and -1.25 right but not sure
foghorn
6th Jun 2006, 10:55
Do you mind me asking what your prescription is?
Mine are -4.0 left and -3.5 right.
NATS told me that I was outside the criteria, and even after further prompting wouldnt tell me how much by.
Eurocontrol didnt have a problem with my eyes (even though their form seemed a lot more complicated!) and I also have a CAT 1 medical.
I would love to know whether NATS were been genuine, or whether I was just dealing with a total numpty!
As far as I know that is outside the NATS criteria. I think the limit when joining is -3. I'm currently -1.25/-3 but was slightly less than this at initial - -0.75/-2.75 I think. Of course once in it's accepted that your eyes get gradually worse with age.
Even if one's not 'worried' about one's eyesight, best get it checked every two years. A friend of mine (with what he thought was perfect eyesight) went on a whim and six months later was in the operating theatre with surgeons stopping him from going blind.
Why would anyone 'not' want to get one's eyes checked? Just like a dental check up. We all still go, even if we don't have toothache.....
crisscar
6th Jun 2006, 13:46
Hello everyone,
I have my selection test in a few weeks. I'm worried about the vision test. I have slight myopia. My contacts say -1.5 R/L and I usually get away with not wearing them. They have stayed at that level for a few years now. How difficult is the medical when it comes to vision. On a side note I was able to pass my driving exam with a little squinting during the vision test.
dbounford
6th Jun 2006, 20:41
Don't worry about it. I am blind as a bat (-3.50 in both eyes) - had my medical last week, and although I'm yet to get my certificate from the CAA, the NATS doc said there'd be no problems. So don't know what your problem was soontobeATCO.
soontobeATCO
7th Jun 2006, 07:44
Don't worry about it. I am blind as a bat (-3.50 in both eyes) - had my medical last week, and although I'm yet to get my certificate from the CAA, the NATS doc said there'd be no problems. So don't know what your problem was soontobeATCO.
I get the impression that NATS were using the eyesight as an excuse. The gits! If they had just given the real reason (whatever that may be!) I wouldnt have a problem - but getting fobbed off really grates :ugh:
Anyway, not to worry!
I'm not sure, but I think the eyesight requirements for NATS are now at +/-3.5 or less, so that would explain why you didn't get in, soontobeATCO....
Number2
7th Jun 2006, 11:23
Although I don't have much time for NATS HR, I hardly think they would use medical standards as an 'excuse'. They are limits which have been set and are not flexible. I really can't believe this thread is going on with "I'm worried about the eyesight check" - you'll either pass, or you won't. Not a lot can be done about it!!
I can't believe I just defended HR................I'm doomed!
dbounford
7th Jun 2006, 12:42
According to the NATS doctor, it also depends on your corrected vision. You can actually have uncorrected vision worse than the specified limit (whatever that is, +/-3.50 as Gonzo said), as long as your corrected vision is good enough. When you submit your application, you have to put your eyesight details down. If they're outside the limits, they won't bother putting you through the selection process - its a waste of your time and theirs.
soontobeATCO
8th Jun 2006, 08:16
According to the NATS doctor, it also depends on your corrected vision. You can actually have uncorrected vision worse than the specified limit (whatever that is, +/-3.50 as Gonzo said), as long as your corrected vision is good enough. When you submit your application, you have to put your eyesight details down. If they're outside the limits, they won't bother putting you through the selection process - its a waste of your time and theirs.
Quite right!
The reason I was a little miffed with application, was that when I was 17 I applied to NATS and my eyesight was passed as ok (the prescription was almost exactly the same as it is now, maybe 0.5 diopters difference) - I failed at the 2nd stage.
So on reapplication 4 years later my eyesight was turned down, even though the prescription is hardly different.
My corrected vision is perfect.
I was also slightly miffed that HR ignored various emails and then (eventually) could only muster a one line reply. Yes OK they are busy people, but to keep me in the dark for 4 1/2 months as to why my application wasnt being processed is a :=
I think the requirements changed a few years ago.
Kestrel_909
10th Jun 2006, 11:44
Eeek I was assuming it was still the same as inital Class 1 medical, +-5d? Is this +-3 limit for trainees only?
Mine eyes have settled around -2.25d and I felt rather relieved that I'd have to go blind (-5) before failing initial Class 1.
kirstygolf
10th Jun 2006, 18:49
Hi Gav,
I got my eyes and ears tested anyway.
You need to pay for your eyes being tested unless you can tell them you have a genuine concern such as not seeing out of one eye as well as another.
:ok:
pumuckl
10th Jun 2006, 20:39
I found out about the eyesight requirements a while ago and here is the thread:
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=124642
They still haven't changed the eyesight limits as far as I am aware so they are still as per that thread. Maybe ring the CAA or NATS medical department at Heathrow for confirmation.
Cheers
p. :ok:
nibog
12th Jun 2006, 18:08
I'm not subject to the NATS regulations but we have a more or less equivalent system.
Your "Visual Performance" is not based on your refractive error alone (+/-), but is a combination of refraction, astigmatism, visual acuity, colour vision & the combined balance of those errors..
I think we require between +3/-5, astigmatisim <+/-3(both eyes within 2 of each other), acuity 6/6 combined - corrected if necessary - only 1 pair of glasses may be used, one eye can be 6/9, normal colour, normal fields, normal stereopsis.
In my facility, we have a complicated visual performance test every year, and are sent for an opthalmological examination every 3 yrs (or every year if you wear glasses)
If you can see okay to drive and live a normal life, and you're not prone to walking into doors and tables that you just didn't see, then you'll probably be fine. The testing is as much for your safety as for the aircrew + pax.
fabrifx
12th Jun 2006, 22:13
If you want a complete and detailed document with all the medical requirements for european class 3 medical certification of air traffic controllers, check out this link I found...there's everything you need to know (Cardiovascular System, Respiratory System, Digestive System,Metabolic-nutritional and endocrine diseases, Haematology, Urinary System, Sexually transmitted diseases and other infections, Gynaecology and obstetrics, Musculoskeletal System, Psychiatry and Psychology, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Visual System, Colour perception, Otorhinolaryngological System, Hearing, Dermatology)... and that's about it! :)
http://www.eurocontrol.int/src/gallery/content/public/documents/deliverables/sru_hum/documents/licensing/med_req_g.pdf