mothminor

Hi,
I hold ATPL and class 1 medical
I`m considering Lasik eye surgery to correct -4.75/-3.5 myopia.
I`m currently employed, so according to the CAA I will have to stop working for 3 months before I can regain my medical.
Has anyone else done this, or is it the caa`s way of stopping Airline pilots following the rest of the population?

Baggers

If I were you I would just go to the optician before, it will save you being messed around at your medical and having to come back to be retested or anything.

sluggums

I have held a UK Class 1 medical for the last 20 years, but have suffered a trauma in my left eye that may result in total blindness at worst, or poor vision at best (Poss worse than 6/9 corrected)

A few of my friends have said that there are pilots flying commecially in the UK, with 2 crew only restrictions etc., with only 1 eye. Can anyone comment on this??

Thx.

Loose rivets

I flew with the 9th UK pilot to be licensed with one eye. He'd flown 'Over the Hump' in Burma with half the airplane missing, so I imagine he'd probably have flown with half an eye if they'd have let him.


Forty years later, I was checked out on a new type by a lovely guy with one operational eye. Don't suppose things have changed that much in the last ten years.

Fly380

A management pilot on the A320 (BA) in the late 80's was struck in the eye by a falling firework. The eye was badly damaged but he was allowed to keep his licence as long as he flew with a pilot with 2 good eyes. I think it said that in his licence.

Jerry Lee

I'm talking about this: http://easa.europa.eu/ws_prod/r/doc/...20Part-MED.pdf
These new normatives will allow me to obtain an initial JAA class 1; with the actual normatives I can't do it because of my astigmatism more than -2.0 dioptres: I have -3.0 in my left eye.

If they implement them at summer 2012 it will be great for me!

lezah20

I agree with you

Farrell

If this is the case.......why can't I get a Class 1 medical with amblyopia?

Frustrating!

Loose rivets

EDIT: A bit of a rant, and not for the first time, but so much can be gained by quick action in a young patient.


It was one of the times I left Colchester hospital in a serious rage. My son, aged about 18 monts, maybe two years, had a buildup of messy stuff in one eye. Various doctors prescribed antibiotics, one even taking a culture. None of it did any good.

I was really worried his visual circuits were not being developed at a critical age. He certainly couldn't see much out of that eye. We then went to see the main man. (read pompous git.)

What a display of look at me. Nurses, cleaners, anyone that happened to be passing. I've never seen anything like it. "I'm not probing bla bla bla...)


I took the kid home and put him on our bed. Got an Anglepoise lamp and good magnifying glass. There was a membrane of skin over the tear duct/drain. I made a tiny scalpel on the wrong end of a huge needle, and opened the duct up. Squished out fatty stuff just as one used to do a stye. I already had the antibiotic.

He was as right as rain in a couple of days after months.


The surgeon got his own back. He managed to blind my mother some time later during a routine cataract operation, by not acting on her warning about reacting to anesthetic. He took 'copious notes' my mother said, but did nothing. Her retina was pushed from the back of her eye during the reaction period.

danieljdavies1

Hi all,

Im new to this forum. Im 28 and was officially diagnosed with the disease in both eyes last year (even though i have suspected it for about 7/8 years). (just the people at vision express and specsavers didnt notice it until last year.

I was turned down for the RAF last year due to this

I have seen many specialists at the NHS and am now dealing with an optician recommended by the NHS. He has trialed about 3 different types of lenses with me but for some reason they either dont fit properly or the if they they do fit, the vision is poor.

I have recently had GPL's of which one eye is ok with them however the right eye isnt. Basically the GPL corrects the Kerocotonus , however is doesnt correct my poor vision. Since then i have been given another soft lense to try , which is rubbish! I am possibly going to mention piggy backing to him, as am guessing this will correct not only the KT but also my normal vision too? correct me if im wrong as im pretty new to all this,

This is affecting my life as I work on computers and constantly get headaches. I can not also drive after dark as the lights blast my head lol.

any feedback would be great from someone who knows or might have shared my experience,

cheers
Dan

Fart Master

What on earth has your post got to do with this thread?

While I accept that there are many incompetent doctors out there, your post is irrelevant

22/04

"If this is the case.......why can't I get a Class 1 medical with amblyopia?

Frustrating!"

I think they distinguish between having had two and losing one rather than not initally stating off with that condition

Always semed illlogical to me a too another amblyoptic!

Fart Master

I had a look at amblyopia, and granted it was only one website, but it said that it was possibly a neurological condition rather than an ocular complaint

niknak

Sluggums

As with many posts requiring a definitive answer, I would suggest that you telephone the CAA Medical Branch.

I suspect that you may be told something you don't really want to hear but the best of luck to you anyway.

mlu032

Hi,

I'm from England and have recently applied to Skyguide in Switzerland to be an ATC. They sent me a visual performance form to be filled out.
Here in the UK for Distance Vision I am 6/5 in both eyes and 6/4 for binocular vision however these values don't fit on the Swiss form as it requires minimum values of 0.7.

Does anyone know what system is used in Switzerland to measure visual acuity/does anyone have a formula to work the values out from the UK ones?

I did ask my optician but the values she worked out were incorrect and would put me under the minimum threshold which I'm not (I don't wear glasses and have no prescription).

Any answers are v. much appreciated!! Thankyou!!

Helen

ramseyoptom

Your V.A.s are 1.2 for each eye and 1.5 binocularly. So you are well within the requirements.

To change snellen fractions to snellen decimal it is just a standard arithmetical function.

Snellen 6/6 = 1.0: so 6/9 = 0.7 6/12 = 0.5 and 6/5 = 1.2

I hope this helps

mlu032

@ramseyoptom

Thank you so much that is great! Appears my optician has done the wrong calculations - phew was getting worried for a minute!


Helen

THE FLYING MONKEY

I have a JAA Class 1 medical and have myopia of -8 approx with some astigmatism but is stable. I have been told by the CAA that renewing my medical in the future will not be a problem as there is no renewal dioptre limit.
I was wondering however if this level of myopia would be a problem when applying to an airline? Does anyone know whether this would create a problem for me or do they generally accept the class 1

Thanks in advance.

norton2005

I shouldnt imagine so, as you either have a class 1 or you don't, and you do have a class 1 so you have met the medical standards prescribed by our country's aviation authority!! Just to let you know I too have a high prescription of myopia, and am flying happily with no problems at all. Everone that I've ever dealt with wanted to know simply if I had a class 1, end of story after that!

SAS-A321

I only know of a few airlines having a stricter requirement then the CAA: Luftwaffe, Luftwaffe Cityline, Luftwaffe Italia and some Asian airlines. Though I think the Asians are removing it slowly.
According to a doctor, Germany is one of the countries still wanting a limit on eyesight.