Eyesight after Taking JAR Class 1 Initial Exam
Greetings all,
I am currently 20 years old, at university, and planning on taking flight training in a few years time, my only concern with flying so far has been my eyesight, I am unfortunately very short sighted.
I took my initial JAR Class 1 around 2 years ago, and have not renewed it since (this is because I believe there is a 5 year renewal period, and there is no point in keeping it current if I am at university). I passed, however my eyesight at the time was around -4.00, the limit, as I'm sure many of you know is -6.00. Since then my eyesight has deteriorated further, I am currently -5.50, in other words, worryingly close to the limit. This is why I'm glad I took the initial a couple of years ago. My optician tells me that my eyesight shouldn't get much worse now that I am 20 years old, as my eyes will stop changing. However there is the possibility it could go below -6.00.
My query is can I drop below -6.00 and still be eligible for a renewal, and if so, how far below can I go? I have contacted the CAA and have yet to receive a reply, which is why i'm posting here. I have heard off various sources (some more reliable than others) that you can drop to -8.00 and they will still let you fly, I have also heard off my local CAA optician that once you take the initial exam, they are not concerned how much more short sighted your eyesight gets provided its still correctable, and it is dealt with on a case by case basis.
I hope you can all understand why this is concerning me, as I do not want to fork out the money for flying training only to be told one day that my eyesight is no longer up to scratch.
Sorry for the essay!
Cheers,
Matt