Stereoscopic Vision

[jstew15]

I fly in Glasgow University Air Squadron and one of my friends failed his RAF pilot medical because he did not have Stereoscopic Vision. He was also wondering if this meant he could not get a JAA Class 1 Med. Hope someone can answer this.

JS

[captchunder]

Hi.

I also failed an RAF aircrew medical for the same reason. I was told I would never be able to correct this condition, therefore never to pass that medical and also that it would preclude me from getting a civil class 1 medical. Quite gutting.

This, I later found out to my relief, is a lie. There is no probs gaining a class 1 medical if this is the only condition affecting the sight, as the civvie exam doesn't test for this. I can vouch for this, as my class one has been running for years now.

If in doubt, I suggest talking it over and having an eye exam with a professional eye-type person (opthmologist? I dunno).

Best of luck,
CC

[BlueDog]

When I was very young I had a severe squint for which I had corrective surgery when I was 5 years old. Apart from this my eyesight is fine although, apparently, I also do not have stereoscopic vision, probably as a result of this operation.

When I went to have my JAA Class 1 medical at Gatwick this was also my primary concern. I was not able to be assessed fully at Gatwick, because my vision is indeed not stereoscopic and had to see a specialist to confirm my eyesight was fit to become a pilot.

After a series of tests (don't ask me what they all were!), the opthalmologist confirmed me as fit to pass the medical - I was overjoyed.

Apparently, not having stereoscopic vision affects your depth perception. This should make it harder to judge distances at short range, however, your eyes will naturally adjust and will use other cues to judge range. Also, at long range sterescopic vision is not as much of a factor.

What I am trying to say is that if your eyes are otherwise healthy this should not necessarily be a bar to a medical. Please, all correct me if I am wrong, but that is the situation as I understand it.

Good luck!:) :)