I joined the RN as a helicopter pilot in 1967 having spotted the loophole which allowed HSP with 6/18 vision. The DCI upping the eyesight standards was issued while I was at Dartmouth, closing the loophole!
50 years (first PPL in 1965) and 15,000 hours later it hasn't made a blind bit of difference, so I sympathise with those who miss out on their dreams because of a somewhat unrealistic restriction. Although I do have a set of "plain" glasses to wear instead of multifocals when firebombing; it was embarrassing not to be able to properly see the bucket on the end of a 100' line
