Hello folks, hope everyone is well. I'm glad I discovered this thread. Thought it was just me who was hindered by messed-up eyesight!
Anyway, allow me to provide a bit of background about my predicament.
I had my JAA Class 1 medical at Gatwick, back in September of this year. Everything went perfectly well until...wait for it...the eye test. Passed every single eye test, apart from the reading of the letters from a distance. My right eye, there was no issue at all (could read every line/letter), however, my left eye struggled. To quote what the CAA said when they sent me written clarification about failing the medical:
you were unable to achieve the JAA standard of 6/9 distance visual acuity in each eye separately even with the best possible spectacles prescription. You were easily able to achieve this standard even without spectacles, with your right eye but, regrettably, your left eye could only be corrected to 6/12. This is sufficient for JAA Class 2 medical certification...
Going by the CAA then:
Left eye corrected: 6/12
Now, I went to Optical Express this afternoon (yes, it's taken me 3 months to go for an eye test - busy life and all that). They confirmed that I have a "regular astigmatism" to my left eye, which CAN BE CORRECTED with either glasses or (my preferred option) laser surgery.
According to the CAA, I was told that my left eye wouldn't meet the required standards -
even when corrected. Not so, according to Optical Express. This is what my prescription says:
RIGHT EYE:
Sphere: -0.25
Cyl: 0.00
Corrected VA: 6/5+
LEFT EYE (the weakest):
Sphere: +0.50
Cyl: +2.50
Axis: 117.0
Corrected VA: 6/6 -2
Safe to say, I'm at a loss trying to get my head around it all. One minute I'm unable to fly an aircraft (commercially), the next I can!
Also, I was considering applying to NATS and doing ATC (it was always my back-up plan, should the commercial pilot route stall) however I appreciate NATS have their own strict visual limits. Bearing in mind I currently hold a JAA Class 2, does this mean that I'd satisfy the criteria for the NATS medical?
Sorry for bombarding with all this, but if someone knows, then I'd be eternally grateful!
