RMarvin86

I don't understand what your refractive error is, but your visual acuity is satisfactory. What you stated are the initial examination requirements, remember that after, for revalidation and renewal you have no refractive error limits as long as your visual acuity with or without lenses reflects those specified for the initial examination. I would not make worries if I was you!

daria-ox

I had my eye test today !

And there's nothing wrong with my eyes apart from the fact that on both eyes Im a little bit long sighted (+0.75), and the CAA maximum is +5.00 so no problem with that one! apart from the fact i will need glasses when Im over 50 years because it may get worse up to +1.50 or so. But I will still meet the requirements.

You wont have any problems with your Class 1 Medical. You meet the requirements. You are -1/-3 short sighted but this wont cause a problem until you're probably 50 too. The CAA maximum short sight is -6 so no problem with you too! and stop stresssing, before today you can't even imagine how nervous I was.!

JohnRayner

Well, your visual acuity seems fine, so that's not an issue.

What's your actual prescription in dioptres for each eye? With unaided visual acuity like that I suspect it will be fine, but the CAA medical call center people will want to know those numbers when you make the call.

As stated, subsequent revalidation is not based on exactly the same criteria as for the initial medical, I think this is to take into account that everything gets a little worse as you get older

docash1983

As far as I understand it the readings were - 0.75 in the right and - 0.3 in the left, so well within the acceptable range.

thanks for your comments so far

JohnRayner

Given mine are -2.75 and -4.50 and they STILL gave me my little piece of paper when I went to aviation house, I'd have thought your eyes will be fine.

DB777

A very interesting read for me today.

For years I have been looking for either a way to better my eyesight or for the JAA/CAA to change the parametres for the visual standards.

Only a few hours ago I think I may have found the way...

This is my current prescription

Right:
Sph +0.75
Cyl - 6.75
Axis 25

Left:
Sph 0.50
Cyl -4.50
Axis 152.5

I had this test 3 weeks ago, the optician at the time recommended that to save myself a fortune on lenses in the future I should consider LASIK. Pilot ambition aside, I went along today and had the examination. They can do it - they can correct my vision entirely.
With my ambition in mind I have just tried working out the current LASIK limits for a Class 1 Medical.

The way I read it, I need a year under my belt before I will be considered for a medical, although if i've read my prescription correctly, I may be just outside on my pre refractive prescription.

Bottom line is I need the surgery, and will be getting it anyway. The funny thing is on Sat I am starting my first lesson for my NPPL.

Can anyone on here confirm my thoughts on my prescription?

Thanks in advance.

p.s, good luck with your ambition too docash1983

sapperkenno

Greetings all.
My prescription for eyeglasses used to be -5.25 each eye, but my contact lenses were only -4.5 so I might have been able to pass the Class 1 on that.

To cut a long story short, I had the Lasek procedure in January 2007 and after a short recovery period (around 6 weeks) I was, and still am able to read the line below 20/20 (6/6) on the eye charts. Not bad considering I'd previously only been able to manage the top letter (easily-ish) and second line down with an allmighty squint. I had astigmatism, which was also corrected.

At the time I had a PPL and Class 2, so called the CAA to tell them of my surgery and faxed them a report from the laser surgery place in Leeds showing I had no ill effects and wanted to make an appointment for a Class 1. They needed proof that my eyes were stable, and suitable for the class 1 and also so that they could remove the corrective lense requirement from my class 2 medical certificate. They said this wouldn't be a problem so I went for the class 1 in October.

I passed and my eyes were the least of my worries. The Doctor there (German guy) was impressed and said it was very hard to tell I'd actually been operated on, and that if I hadn't mentioned it they probably would never have noticed it! He even called another doctor to come in and have a look. He too said it was very hard to see any signs of surgery.

I'd thoroughly recommend the procedure to anyone. It costs a fair bit, but at 23 years of age I'd probably spend a lot more over my lifetime on lenses/glasses anyway, and it's nice to have perfect eye-sight now. So to anyone considering, I'd say go for it.

I was in the military at the time (British Army - they didn't like me having the surgery one bit) and the CAA seemed to be pretty anal considering that the FAA and US military are ok with it (the US military even have their own laser surgery centers for their personel). Hopefully as lasik/lasek continues to prove itself they'll ease back a little on been so restrictive.

Regards, Lew

David Horn

Docash - it shouldn't be an issue provided you can read the chart at the initial Class 1 unaided. I have virtually the same prescription as you and can achieve 6/6 without glasses, but found the chart at Gatwick very tough to read.

I will be renewing it out in the States and having already been for an FAA Class 3 out here (virtually the eyesight equivalent of "How many fingers am I holding up?"), I know I'm achieving 6/5 in one eye and 6/6 in the other, but Gatwick tested me at 6/9 and 6/6 respectively.

Mickey Kaye

DB777

I would be very careful about having lasik with the amount of astigmatism you have. The results are not as predictable as with simple myopia.

I would speak to the CAA medical department big time before you go ahead.

Personally I wouldn't have LASIK in the first place I feel LASEK is better. I also regard wavefront technology as a must as in theory it minimizes post surgical drop in visual acuity.

DB777

I am having wavefront technology, with LASIK.

I've got to have it anyway, I sit behind a computer all the time and am having issues in general with my eyes. The added bonus is that I may be able to pursue the license I want. WIll have to see.

The problem is no has a definitive answer. everything seems to contradict everything!
According to the latest Visual standards for both Class 1 and 2 visuals LASIK requires less certification time than LASEK. Would that suggest that the process is deemed more reliable?
I realise my prescription is quite high but surely time tells?

The examiner didn't recommend LASEK, just LASIK. I have know idea which is safer. (They sell it to you by offering a lifetime's insurance of the surgery!)

I will approach a local AME before I decide to have a Medical though. Worst case scenario i'll just haev to make the most of my NPPL (Once I get it!)

NurseToPilot

Hi.... Have a look for my post on LASIK.... search for it near the and of VISION THREAD..... title is LASIK ... SUCCESSFUL.... or search for posts by me...

I've had it done and got my Class 1... but there are LOTS to consider... one being HALOs and GLARE....

You need your Flap to be cut larger than your largest pupil size - what i mean by this is they should measure your maximum pupil dilation in darkness with an infra red reader / measuring device (Mine was 8mm) and cut the flap accordingly and marginally bigger so my flaps were cut 9mm so that even in pitch darkness i WONT get halos as the flap scar is well away from the edge of my pupil

I'm a nurse who worked in Ophthalmology and have done lots of research into Lasik - do not take it lightly is my advice and if you have any specific questions about anything re the above please contact me as i can recommend somewhere you could go get it done...

DONT believe the hype that ULTRALASE do it from £395 per eye as its not true...... my quote was £1889 PER EYE!!

I eventually got another company to do it BOTH eyes for £1900

Hope some of this helps


JON

NurseToPilot

Hi

No pilot flies with one eye closed therefore any deficiency in one eye will be cancelled out by the other as long as your overall acuity is 6/6 with or without correction you will be fine...

You do not mention your prescription here are you able to post it? Your astigmatism can be up to 3.00 diopters in reality. Its 2.00 for initial however if you are higher than 2.00 at initial you may be granted a Class 1 With Deviation until you qualify / renew where the deviation will be removed if the astigmatism falls 3.00 or below.

I've had laser surgery (Lasik) to correct an astigmatism of -3.75 which was well out of any limits set by CAA. Its also corrected my prescription of +2.00 and -1.75.

If I can help with anything else drop me a PM... As I've been through the system in the last year having failed my Class 1 last year and passed it this year..

Hope this helps

JONATHAN

NurseToPilot

Lasik is better as far as results are concerned but riskier as you have an actual flap cut in the front of your eye that is lifted like a door - the laser is applied to the corneal surface then the flap is positioned back....

it sticks in less than 5 mins... however you are at risk of dislodging it for up to 2 weeks if you rub your eyes.

LASEK is more painful as the epithelial surface is effectively lasered directly onto it..... meaning its more sensitive for a lot longer.

There is no evidence that WAVEFRONT is better and it is very much OVER SOLD by the big companies such as ULTRALASE and OPTICAL EXPRESS as they want to sell sell sell....

In fact the complication of WAVEFRONT is that it can make the surface abberations that it claims to smooth out TOO CORRECT and your vision will actually be worse. Your brain over years has become used to slight abberations (bumps and troughs in the surface / imperfections) and has compensated for them.... If you suddenly correct them and get rid of all of them then you might find that its not as effective.

If you want more advice on this please contact me and i could put you in contact with the surgeon that did my lasik.

I found him through a consultant at my hospital - and in my opinion word of mouth recommendations in this type of situation counts a lot more than statistics and marketing.!

JONATHAN

NurseToPilot

-5.00 SPHERE and -0.25 CYL (Astigmatism) does not make you -5.25!
If anything it would make your Spherical Equivalent -5.12 which is such a small number would not change your correction in your glasses.

Sphere is the Near/Far correction and Cylinder is the astigmatism or angle of the refraction / shape of the surface of the cornea....

A -0.25 astigmatism is NOTHING to worry about and the limits are -6.00 as far as i know with regards to correction. Astigmatism measurement limits on class 1 is 2.00 and you are well within this limit. Meaning you could be up to -6.00 AND have an astigmatism of up to -2.00 as well and possibly STILL get through.

Obviously there are factors other than JUST the prescription that they test for but im almost certain you could get through on this prescription as long as with correction you can achieve 6/6 (20/20) on the vision chart.

Hope this helps

JONATHAN

katsogr

Personally I find that re-testing thing very intimidating. We have heard stories in this forum from people that had been re-tested.
In my opinion, if you simply want to renew your medical ( let's say your an instructor for example) and the AME asks you to do the test again ,simply leave the room and try going to another AME.

BUT, let's say that you wan't to fly for a major airline, like Lufthansa( just an example). They have their own medical facilities and their own doctors and it's almost certain that they'll ask you to take the test again...

I certainly wouldn't wan to go through the same stress again and probably fail. I think it's to much.

DB777

Thanks Jon

I would like to get a second opinion and learn more before I commit to anything.

I know there are alot of cowboys that do Laser Surgery and don't want to end up going down the wrong path.

I need to do it and would rather do it right initially so if I can/do decide to follow my license then my eyesight won't become an obstacle.

Can you recommend a company/optician that would give a more accurate service, or even confirmation right now that this is an option for me?

Knowledge is power and at the moment my knowledge on the subject is limited.

This is my current prescription

Right:
Sph +0.75
Cyl - 6.75
Axis 25

Left:
Sph 0.50
Cyl -4.50
Axis 152.5

I have no idea what each value means relative to the JAA/CAA standards. I would be grateful for any guidance.

The truth is even though i'm not solely considering LASIK so I can pursue my license, it is a large factor. If through some weird unconsidered twist that my current prescription is within the parameters and I would pass the Class 1 then I would probably not have it. Even then though I suspect as my eyes deteriorate further it would then become a problem once I had a license!

Any guidance/resources/recommendations greatly received by people in the know.

DB

NurseToPilot

DB...

I would never recommend going for the FIRST company to offer you the treatment without having second opinion.

I had 3 consultations in all before deciding on which one to go with - dont forget just because one is cheaper it does not make the more expensive one BETTER at what they do - I use ULTRALASE here as an example of a company who has millions of pounds to spend on marketing and good marketing does not always mean good service - for example you don't meet the person doing the laser treatment until the day of the treatment. NOW if you were having elective surgery at hospital you would most certainly be seeing the consultant before your operation therefore why shouldn't you meet him/her before your eye surgery?

The company i chose (and i will tell you if private message me... had the consultant himself doing most of the testing and advice before the surgery took place - this filled me with confidence from day one!

By looking at your prescription i can see that you have an astigmatism that the CAA would never allowed through a medical as their initial limit is ±2.00 and renewal is ±3.00.

Google "What is Astigmatism" and you will get some decent information that explains what it is and what you have!

You say in your post that you feel your eyes might deteriorate further? There are two ways that this can happen and you're probably confusing the two.... 2/3 of your refraction comes from the cornea (clear bit at front of eye) and the other 1/3 comes from the lens inside. Your ability to focus distance vs far comes solely from the lens and its ability to accomodate by stretching and contracting... as we get older this flexibility diminishes, hence why people over 40 need glasses for reading (called presbyobia)

If you have lasik done - the laser re shapes the cornea surface by sort of chiseling away the surface tissue to shape it correctly to focus light to where it should be (basically taking the prescription from your glasses and eliminating that much tissue from the eye surface) - you will still need reading glasses in future!

There are certain considerations here - the more of a prescription you have (ie the higher the number) the more laser that will need to be applied and thus more tissue that will have to be ablated..... your corneal thickness will be measured to see that it is thick enough to allow for lasik, and if it is then you can go ahead.... There may not be enough tissue there to take your prescription down to 0 however you may be able to reduce it and bring it within limits.......

So many considerations but i recommend you see consultants at these companies and find out as much as you can for yourself.

Sorry for the long winded answer but as i mentioned at the beginning I have researched it for 13 months before going ahead!!

TA - good luck

JONATHAN

kewin444

I would like to say you thank you very much for your reply....it was very complete!!!
I hope only onething...........the limit for UK are really the same in Switzerland.........
Thank you again..............!!!!

pplstudent12345

I'm a ppl considering doing my cpl - i wear fairly strong glasses - does anyone know if this will prevent me from gaining a class 1 medical?

RMarvin86

I see it's your first post here so welcome on this forum.
Not to be rude, but there are plenty of post in this section dealing with class 1 vision requirements that you will have difficult in reading them all. There are many restriction applying on vision, so the best for you is to take a look at the CAA medical dept. website where you will easily find all the info you need.
Medical | Safety Regulation
But of course, if you have some specific question, then this is the best place to ask