VISION THREAD (other than colour vision)

[S_Reyes_V]

Hiring possibilities with nearsightedness

Good day everyone !


For my first post here at PPRuNe, I am appealing to you from Belgium for your wise experience and knowledge of a subject that really worries me at the highest point : nearsightedness (but rather from the "career" side)

I have a quite important nearsightedness that must be corrected with eye glasses (I have been wearing them for 12 years out of 17 ; their refractive power is now at minus 12D, almost stabilized), still I have been told that I DO have a chance to once get into a cockpit, not in Europe (due to the +/- 3D limit) but in the USA ! I am indeed eligible for a class 1 medical certificate, as far as my vision can get perfectly corrected to 20/20. Moreover, I do not suffer from any other disease, chronic pathology or any other considerable reason that could affect my overall performances while "exercising the privileges of airmen duties".

BUT, here is my question :
Can I expect REAL chances of getting hired at a major or regional US airline with such physical condition after completing the requisite training courses ?

The point is that I have already been told about so many very disappointing rumors concerning today's airlines' discriminative policies towards nearsighted pilots (justifying unfair selection with various explanations, many of them having to do with "safety") that I fail to believe in any successful outcome.

I have also heard about intra-ocular implants (the well-known IOLs) that could get my sight much better (insomuch as I could get an unrestricted Class 1), but again, I am afraid of any negative or reluctant reaction from airlines if they fall upon this surgical intervetion in my medical record.

Subsequently, I wanted to know about a list, a link or anything else that could help me find out which airlines run discriminative policies or refuse to hire nearsighted pilots.

By the way, please feel free to let me know if this representation of "narrow-minded airlines" is inappropriate or inaccurate. (I personally hope it is not a grim reality)


Anyway, even if my expectations are well-founded, I do not plan on moving to the USA from Belgium before having prepared every single part of this dreamed exile (after secondary school, I would like to finish high studies in electronics or airspace engineering as a back-up - we never know, especially in my case ; I also do believe that training English at top-level is crucial - I have already passed the FCE Cambridge Exam with an A grade () anyway, so I think I am on the right track...)
I have no doubt concerning my psychological and mental potential, since I have always been at the edge at school (best student in the whole grade for more than 7 years, A marks EVERYWHERE, really keen on maths and accurate sciences, self-responsible, enthusiastic about Precision with a big P, conscious that Safety with a big S comes first, whatever I do).


Thank you in advance, first for having read this post entirely , and above all, for your answers that will certainly be constructive.


Kind regards,

Sébastien Reyes,
a Belgian pilot aspirant

P.S. : answers from experienced pilots or airmen in similar cases preferred.