Medical & HealthNews and debate about medical and health issues as they relate to aircrews and aviation. Any information gleaned from this forum MUST be backed up by consulting your state-registered health professional or AME.
the limits for CAA/JAR is -5 for myopia and -2 for astigmatism:
if an eye is -5 of myopia and -1 of astigmatism, is that eye is considered as -6 diopters (and then out of the limits), or is it inside the limits because the two components separately can reach the requirements?
I believe that they are calculated together. So if both components are minus (-) then they are added to get the total refractive error.
From the JAA website (i.e the generic Jar-FCL 3, your country might have modifications):
JAR–FCL 3.220 Visual requirements
(b) Refractive errors. Refractive error is defined as the deviation from emmetropia measured in dioptres in the most ametropic meridian.
I know that FAA's vision requirements allow for any vision aslong as its correctable to 20/20. Is this the same for a Transport Canada Cat. 1 aslwell?? thanks
Last edited by wannabepilot1531 : 5th October 2006 at 02:28.
Some of you might remember my denial by the IAA due to esotropia. Just wondering if the CAA/IAA might pass a person who has had corrective surgery to bring the esotropia within the required limits? I have heard of succesful corrective surgeries that have brought the esotropia within the limits and improved the person's binocular FOV - I have had corrective surgery as a child but these have been only partly succesful due to growth etc. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge in this area?
Could you please tell me, how much your esotrpia is?
I "suffer" the same and get mine checked within the next two weeks.
The funny thing is, that I was tested for stereovision 2 weeks ago and were able to recognice three out of four pictures at the lang stereo test chart.
I want to discuss my eyes with the eyespecialist in Gatwick to obtain the madical finally.
Regards, DD.
I don't have the letter to hand, but I have an inward and slight upward turn. You're right to get it checked first, I wasn't that smart. My main concern is whether or not corrective surgery will restore an acceptable binocular field of vision.
Bring the eye guidelines with you when you get checked out, and ask your specialist if they feel there are any "significant defects of your binocular vision".
thx for reply.
The thing is, that the jar´s don´t tell anything about the manifest strabism, only for the latent. Thats because it is very unlikely to suffer doublevision when you have a manifest strabism.
So i don´t understand why they can deny your medical just because of your esotropia.
I couldn't understand either but JAR-FCL 3 does state that a person with "significant defects of binocular vision" cannot be certified, and an esotropia will affect binocular vision, and in my case stereopsis etc etc. While both eyes are healthy and my near vision and distance vision are fine (albeit with some correction which is within limits), the two eyes don't work together so there's a problem with fusing the image from the two eyes so I see the world in 2D (by the textbook, in reality apparently my brain has developed other ways to perceive depth but I still can't do those optical illusion things etc).
I'm hoping that if I have corrective surgery again to align the eyes and it's succesful, the fusion will develop and I'll have normal stereo-vision.
I can tell you, you will enver have normal stereovision. That is impossible. Steresovision isn´t a "eye- thing" but a "brain- thing". Your brain takes the images from each of your eyes an puts it together. If it doesn´t fit properly, your brain disables one image. Many people then get a normal functioning eye and a very weak one. in you case, you had an operation (as i had) when you were a child. cause of that, your brain could supress a part wthout supressing the whole eye. usually your brain developes stereovision in the first 2 or 3 years in your life. now its to late. operating now could even worsn your binocular vision.
I was lucky that i coul develop a bit of stereovision.
Ask the guys in gatwick what you can do about your eyes.
sam109
I am in exactly the same boat as you. I have just come back from the opticians and found out I’m the same - am 2.5 dioptres, and from reading the CAA website, I thought that was me ruled out of getting a Class 1 – apart from the line that says “applicants who fail to meet the initial visual examination standards, but who reach the renewal/revalidation standards should contact…”, which is clearly how you have got yours??
Mine has also been the same for the past 6 years (it was caused by gouging in rugby), and I meet all of the other eye standards, but haven’t been for the full initial Class 1 experience yet.
I am going to give the CAA a call this afternoon, but would love to know more about your situation, as if you have been given a Class 1, then there is no reason why I shouldn’t either!
As for your question, just go for it mate, if your prescription hasn’t changed in 3 years (and I’m assuming you are young-ish) then why the hell not? Go and live the dream, and if your sight gets worse, at least you wont regret not going for it!
I understand that I am well beyond the vision requirements for a category 1 medical. And probably a bit too young to have LASIK or PRK done quite yet. So i guess what i'm really asking is should i go for the eye surgery anyway and hope for the best? which surgery do you recommend? if not, are there any other solutions for this problem?
Thanks in advance, and any advice is greatly appreciated.
P.S. If your advice to me is to give up, then please save yourself some time and don't post, i am determined to fly commercially one day and will find a solution no matter what it takes. thanks.
I just took my class 1 medical last Friday and passed on all but one thing:
While my eyesight is fine, the doctor told me that my eyes aren't coordinated enough (e.g. if i focus on a point and bring it in closer and closer to my eyes, there is a point where one eye goes off while the first eye still focuses on the point). Apparently this is to do with the muscles and I need to train them.
The doctor wouldn't give me much more information but booked me in to have this part of the test redone in 6 weeks time.
Does anybody know which exercises I can do to get my eyes working as a team in 6 weeks???
Providing you have a PPL, are over 21 and have stability in your specs prescription for at least three years, the CAA should give you a Class 1 medical with short term deviation. When you obtain your CPL, providing your astigmatism is still within renewal limits, the short-term deviation is lifted from your medical making it a full, unrestricted class 1. I've heard that people have obtained the medical with a deviation without holding a PPL, but don't whether that's true or not. Give Gatwick a call and see if Adrian Chorley will look at your case.
sam109,
I'm in exactly the same position as you - there is a small risk that my astigmatism will get worse before getting the deviation removed, but the risk is small, and I'd much rather have completed the training and lost my medical than do nothing and live with the regret. If you can afford it and are passionate about a career, go for it!
Just one thing that may be of interest: I applied to CTC with my Class 1 medical with short term deviation and passed Stage 3 in June. Unfortunately they didn't fully understand the whole deviation thing at the time I applied, so decided to stop my application before I got to sit stage 4. However, they did say that if I had the deviation lifted after getting my frozen ATPL they would take me onto the ATP scheme; hope that helps anyone else who might be in a similar situation!
Good luck to all with getting (and keeping!) your medical certs - don't forget there's always the FAA if the CAA won't play ball!
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