glasses and becoming a pilot

[sam_0_12345]

hi, im a teen from Brisbane and have always wanted to be a pilot since i was a small boy but there is one area i am concerned about - glasses. I have needed them since I was 10 and I my vision is something like -3.25 in both eyes I think. Will this affect my chances? I would like to hear from some pilots with glasses and how they went

thanks in advance

[Jnr380]

Sam

The only time you need to worry about glasses is if your applying for the RAAF, i think Law states (everyone correct me if im wrong) is that two sets are required to be on your person at all time in flight.

As for me i use to wear glasses when i first started training and i waited till i was about 23 and had laser eye surgery (best thing i have done in my life) and now the only glasses i wear flying are my sunnies. Good luck with your career.

A hint of advice. Dive head first into theory and get it out of the way first.

Jnr380

[K3nnyboy]

Glasses aint a problem at all...before I say anything further tho, I am not a Airline Pilot, but do hold a CPL & ME-CIR. Know a friend who is flying for Cathay Pacific and it seems glasses aint a problem to them~~so yea... you're all good mate!

[J430]

Be careful about laser surgery at a young age, your eyes maye change some more and you can only burn your eyes so many times.

For now, go for contact lenses, and cary a pair of specs in case.....(I dont most of the time.....what regs??)

Yes this is the most workable for younger eyes, ask a few opto's.......not selling laser surgery that is!

J:ok:

[Captain Nomad]

Mate, my contact lense prescription is worse than your glasses one and that hasn't stopped me from holding a Class 1 medical. I also ditched the glasses in favour of disposable contact lenses and I think it is well worth it. You can wear decent sunnies and you get your all important peripheal (spelling?) vision back. You use that vision a lot subconsciously - especially when landing. I am required to carry back-up glasses when I fly but that is no trouble - drop them in your headset bag.

I have considered laser but am not yet willing to risk my career for it although I know of some pilots who are happy with it. Some 'halo' effects have been reported though which can show up with night flying.

One other thing - find out if you have an astigmatism or not - they can fix that when they give you a pair of glasses but I don't think anything can be done for it with contacts (which means you might have to stick with glasses).

Good luck! :ok:

[Capn Bloggs]

cary a pair of specs in case.....(I dont most of the time.....what regs??)
CASR 67.200 (3). :ok:

[Ricky Bobby]

I used to think you had to be smart, have good vision and hearing to be a puhlot. All not true, look at me! I'm thick as, need glasses and struggle to hear shouting on my wrong side.

[Aussie]

im pretty sure you no longer need 20/20 vision for RAAF, however needs to be corrected to Perfect!

Good luck

[sam_0_12345]

thanks guys, its sounds like a really exciting career

[HardCorePawn]

One other thing - find out if you have an astigmatism or not - they can fix that when they give you a pair of glasses but I don't think anything can be done for it with contacts (which means you might have to stick with glasses).

You can correct astigmatism with contacts, but you need "Toric" lenses. They cost a bit more and you have to put them in the right way up...

My wife has used them before and she tells me they can be a bit fiddly, but that the vision is definitely better than with normal contacts.

Having said that, and as mentioned previously, they were happy to give her a medical with 'normal' contacts as long as carried a spare pair of glasses while flying.

[J430]

Hey Bloggsy........took it hook line and sinker!!!!!:} Wondered how long it would take someone to react:p

To be fair, the odd time has been a impulsive circuit or two, otherwise they are in my bag within arms reach.

J:ok:

[Capt. Crocodile]

"They are even able to fix some astigmatisms with laser apparently, I'll wait and see on that one I think!:ok:"

Don't forget if you have laser surgery you can't fly for 3 months (as my DAME told me). Also it sems that some airlines may not employ you if you have laser surgery. A friend of mine went for a pilot job with BA back in about 1997 and they told her that they can't employ her because they were going to monitor laser eye surgery over the next 20 years. Things may have changed since then and may be worth calling airlines of your choice to see how they view it.

[Andy_RR]

For information, if you're thinking internationally, a JAR medical requires you to be within correction limits for 6/6 vision with both eyes.

Whilst they don't bar laser corrective surgery, your correction before the surgery must still have been within their prescribed limits.

I think they are +5.00 to -8.00 (or -6.00 for Class 1) including astigmatic correction.

A

[Jnr380]

I had laser eye surgery and so far its good, had to get a letter from the surgeon though......i can tell you guys now that if you're ever going to do it, ask for multiple opinions from Optometrists.

For me it was myopia (gentics) and my eyes were -2.5 and -4.25 now i got better than 20 / 20. and my Optometrist actually said i was a perfect candidate for it.

Laser eye has come along way and nowadays its like cosmetic denistry and airlines now im guess wont really care. as long as you can pass your Class 1 medical.

[Aussie]

Anyone heard of the Hard lense Ortho - K treatment? Are you allowed to use this?

[Like This - Do That]

Aussie I've been on Ortho-K since 1996, just before I started flying. No problems getting a class 1.

Cheers

[Aussie]

Do the docs know your using them, or you just pass ya class 1 and never expose yourself?

[Like This - Do That]

Aussie

For my initial medical I mentioned it to the opthimelig .... opthemollig ..... opthumbil ... eye doctor ... :8 and he didn't bat an eyelid, as they say.

It's been mentioned a couple of times since but no dramas. However I should point out that I've never applied for a major airline so I can't say how they'd react.

For those not au fait with Ortho-K, it's where someone short sighted (-2 in each eye in my case) wears gas permeable rigid lenses to sleep, and the corneas are reshaped by the lense to bring the eyes back to perfect vision.

In my case occasionally one eye will not come back to perfect vision, but still pretty sharp. Most days both eyes are razor sharp. After 8 hrs of lense wear I get about 30-36 hours of perfect or near-perfect vision. The eyes start drifting back to short-sightedness over a period (in my case) from 36 hrs to about 5 days.

[Tankengine]

SAM,
I have about 3.0-3.5 myopia since 15.
I got knocked back from Qantas in 1995 but they contacted me again in 1996 [when they changed from the then RAAF standard although won't tell me or I might have sued!] and got in in 1988.
I still wear glasses and will soon need correction for reading as age is catching up. Can't stand contacts and worried about laser as my licence is worth too much for me to risk[however small]
Go for it if you want to fly!!:ok:
RE other threads about the industry, go in with your eys open!:8

[Aussie]

Yeah right...

Do you think they have a way of detecting an Ortho K user if one doesnt tell the eye doc?

Aussie