What are my chances?

Do you have to have 20/20 vision or are corrective lenses accepted?

Thanks in advance!

DQ,

You are probably going to get a more accurate answer on the Medical and Health forum, but basically lots of pilots fly with glasses.

I think the limit is +/- 3 dioptres but as I said that is just what I can remember from the class 1.

Good luck

TBL

You may wear corrective lenses as long as the prescription is no stronger than +/- 5 and if applicable, astigmatism requring correction of no greater than +/- 2 dioptres.

Best of luck!

I wear glasses and have a class one. So do many others.

Get your eyes thoroughly checked by your optician/optometrist (whatever they're called these days) against the CAA's standards which are published on their web page

www.caa.co.uk

good luck!
foggy.

You can have up to -5 dioptres and be acceptable for the JAA class 1. In the USA there's no limit as long as it's correctable. I see you're from Dublin, to be honest I'm not sure if the Irish subscribe to the JAA medical standards or not but I doubt that they're any tougher than the JAA anyway.

Don't worry DQ
I have a class 1 med aswell and as far as the AME is concerned I just slightly over limits for not needing glasses so loads room for error however as far as I am concerned I am as blind as a bat.
Go get you medical out of the way and put your mind to rest.

Luke SkyToddler and Number Cruncher,

Where did you hear/read that up to -5 dioptres is accepted for a class one at an initial examination? Would be most interested in finding out.

JARs still state, despite a recent amendment (1.6.2002), that the limit for refractive errors is, regarding myopia, -3 at initial. For renewal and revalidation up to -5 dioptres is allowed, provided certain requirements are met.

As I said, I'm most interested to find out, especially since I spoke to a CAA doctor in a Nordic JAA country who spoke of a Notice of Proposed Amendment being on it's way. The NPA would, according to him, mean that you could still get a class one initial even if you're over -3 dioptres (but not over -5), provided that you satisfy certain additional criteria (stable vision during the past four years, no pathological disorders, optimum vision correction used (i.e contact lenses)). The NPA would no longer contain the requirement of "experienced to the satisfaction of the national authority" which is one of the criteria for renewal and revalidation at present.


Cheers,
Cosmo

Have a look at
http://www.caa.co.uk/default.asp?page=537

Malcolm

Malcolm ,

Thanks for that link. I won't be applying for a class one in the UK and I fear that the CAA to whom I'll be sending my application might interpret the rules in a different way. The fact that the UK, another JAA member country, apply the -5 dioptre limit gives me a strong case in case I would have to appeal the decision.


Thanks again,

Cosmo