I did my initial class 3 (PPL) in the UK, the eye exam seem to last for ages with loads of various tests. I then did my initial class 3 and later an initial class 1 in Canada the eye exam seemed quite simple, involving just:
- Reading the numbers off the chart
- Peripheral vision test, where the docs moves his pen around your head and you have to say when you can see it
- Colour blindness, reading the numbers from the book - I got one of them wrong and he prompted me for it again "Are you sure that's a seven?"
- Shine that light thingy in my eyes to have a look.
You could do a class 1 in Canada and then convert to a class 1 in JAA-land. The conversion is much simpler or so I've been told.
Whilst I'm not generally a fan of going to great lengths to skirt the rules, aviation seems to be full of narrow-minded regulations.