Now this is going to sound like a silly question
How can I find out if my eyesight is up to Commercial aviation standards in the UK? I got my optician to look at the figures about this time last year and he could not see a problem (but said that he didn't understand much of the requirements).
The thing is I wear glasses and in the past I had an eye infection that lead to slight damage to my left retina. My vision is absolutely fine if I don't go looking for the defect using a grid pattern or something, but then I have no frame of reference to judge what vision SHOULD be like. I didn't realise I had a problem at all until I was 14 and could not read the blackboard at school any more. I wear spex now, after many years of Contact Lenses (awful things!)
Is there a "Rule of thumb" like the distance you need to be able to read a car number plate at that might give me some clue to whether it is worth spending hundreds on a JAR eye test?
The other thing that puzzles me is Cat 1,2,3 etc. Are the requirements for a CPL less than an ATPL? What about Rotary licence vision requirements?
Thanks in advance! I've been convinced by this site to give it a go and join the party. But can I get past the first base?