Failed the Class 1 test due to right eye

[Pilot16]

I have been refused a JAA Class 1 recently. I was told that my right eye was below the requirments (by about 1 line on the chart), They told me that lenses did not improve the right eye and hence my life-held dream of ever becoming a commercial pilot was put in the bin at that instance...so they told me anyway.

Aparently, I have the rare case of amblyopia on my right eye.
I can see perfectly well with the left eye and slightly better then the left with both eyes open.

I am doing some extensive research on this eye condition and will also be going for independant eye specialists for check-ups. In what I have found so far during my research, I could not find anywhere which suggests why lenses would not make the image sharper on the right eye (my bad eye)? I understand that the brain learns to 'ignore' images from the not-so-good eye. However, with the good eye closed and lenses over the bad eye, there should be an improvement in what I see through my right eye, I would think so? Then why was i told that lenses will not improve it? Have I missed something?

And also, when the CAA optician was checking my right eye with various lenses, i could not see any improvements in the image i could see, that was true, however when I wear my glasses prescribed by my local optician there is a significant improvement in what I can see on my right eye. Sadly, I did not take my glasses with me to proove that fact.

I have searched pprune to learn about people in my situation but could not find one person who was in my position but had eventually managed tog et a JAA Class 1 Medical certificate.
Is there anyone else in my position, and is there anybody who has made it through after the initial refusal of class 1? What are the steps you took to over come this problem?

Thanks for you time.

P16

(Just to give a bit of background information on me: I have a PPL 70 Hours, fairly young)

[gdnhalley]

Pilot16
I was in a similar position in 1991, refused class one because of a lazy right eye. I continued to fly as a PPL and in 2002 the eyesight rules were relaxed slightly, I managed to obtain a Class one medical, by first getting an FAA commercial licence and then being treated as a renewal, rather than an initial.
So don't give up it took me 11 years, but I am now very close to fulfilling my dream.
Good Luck
gdn

send me a pm if you want more info.

[scrambler]

Pilot 16

Like gdnhalley I have a lazy right eye, a condition also known as dwaynes syndrome. In Australia I was initially refused a class 2 medical for a private licence.

After appeals through our system I finally recieved approval for a private licence. The argument I used was that a Monocular (one eyed pilot) is allowed to fly and that my condition was no worse that there's and that I was being descriminated against for this reason.

I accepted the fact that I would not be issued anything higher than a PPL for several years, until hearing of a monocular pilot being granted a CPL in this country.

A trip back to my approved eye specialist (who was a great asset in aquiring the class 2) and he wrote to the regulator recomending issue of a class 1 Medical.

Now holder of CPL, ME-CIR and a good flying career

The things in my favour at the time was some 350hrs PPL flying and a good eye specialist. My first ever eye specialist examination was probably the biggest barrier as i was basicaly told to leave and be happy being allowed to drive!

See if you can track down a good approved eye specialist in you country and try a re exam there. Probably one who has given evidence in court appeals under similar circumstances. Mine is based in good old Australia or would pass the info to you.

Best of luck

[Pilot16]

Thank you to both of you for the two replies.

I have contacted you gdnhalley via PM.

More replies would be appreciated :)

Can anyone tell me how I can be failed as vision on right eye is 6/9 and left eye 6/5. This is according to prescription my optician gave me before I took the class 1. :confused:

[Global Pilot]

I must admit to being unfamiliar with the condition you describe. Well done on not accepting the findings of your initial medical, as there is many a guy who has been knocked only to be granted a class one on appeal. A word of caution, if you are successful (and it may cost you a few bob) there is still the company medical to take. I don't in any way wish to dampen your enthusiasm for commercial flying but holding a class one alone does not get you past the company physician!!

I am sure you have enough to think about and I hope this helps rather than distracts you further.

rgds,
GP.

[Pilot16]

Thanks very much Global Pilot. Your comments are much appreciated :).

NO, I havent accepted CAA's findings. I can see that my vision 6/9 and 6/5 is WITHIN CAA requirements as stated in their requirenents section of their website. This further prooves to me that the CAA were very quick in dismissing me, and I do not believe that my condition on my right eye cannot be improved.

I am going for an independent eye test this Thursday. Any more input will be appreciated.

-P16

[dsandson]

Pilot16,

check your PMs, and good luck

[Pilot16]

I dont want to start off another thread, so Id be greatful if I can get the answer here.

How long does it usually take to receive the medical reports from the CAA ? I went for my class one on Tuesday 17th yet received no contact...

[Flyin'Dutch']

P16,

Monoculars are allowed to fly in this country but with restrictions (one of which IIRC is that they can not carry passengers) so not sure if the same argument would hold over here as it obviously does in Oz.

Going back to your original posting I will try to explain what happens when people have a lazy eye.

Our eyes try to work together and for that the brain does some work and makes the eyes focus on the same object. If for a reason it can not make that work (usually because there is a lens error) it will stop the information from the lesser picture getting to the brain and we start to ignore it. Otherwise we would have double vision which is a hinderance in getting about.

Due to this suppression the pathway is underdeveloped unless this problem (which sometimes presents as a squint) is diagnosed and treated. (Usually with a patch or sometimes with just underprescribing the lens in glasses for the good eye) This forces the 'lazy' eye to work.

The window of opportunity for this is up to the age of 8. Later than that and it won't work.

The lack of development of the pathway is the reason why youcan not improve the ability to see with lenses, best analogy is to think of a low pixel quality camera; no matter what lens you use the quality of the picture will always be limited by the quality (amount of pixels) of the plate.

HTH and hope you are successful in your quest for the class 1.

FD

[keendog]

Monocular pilots CAN fly with passengers in the UK with an NPPL. They must first obtain a Class 1 NPPL medical (no passenger) but then can upgrade it to a Class 2 (passengers) after the licence is issued - see the CAA notes about the NPPL relating to vision disorders
I also understood that in the US monocular pilots can (and have) been issued Class 1 Medicals if they obtain a Statement of Demonstrated Ability (SODA)