Medical not valid when using sunglasses?

[Pace]

This is a continuation from another thread on the use of sunglasses.

I went for a medical a couple of years ago and my AME determined that I had to wear glasses for low light reading and hence for flying.

I trundled off to the eye specialists who determined that I was borderline on needing glasses but if my AME said so they would give me the lowest strength lense to satisfy his requirements.

I didnt like the idea of wearing glasses so had them coloured to appear more like sunglasses and ordered and payed for two sets.

With my new glasses in hand I returned to my AME who ran through the eye tests again.

This time I failed the colour book test. Knowing that I had many colour tests in the past and that colour blindness doesnt change it dawned on me that the change was because I was looking through the book through coloured lenses. ie wear blue glasses and look at yellow and you will see green etc.

I argued this point but was told that the regs required the test to be done with the prescription lenses worn.

Another delay and off to the eye specialists, more expense and a set of clear lenses had to be bought.

This time no probs and the medical was issued.

But this begs the question that any pilot wearing sunglasses is colour blind while wearing them, would fail a colour test wearing sunglasses and following on from that could be liable should an accident occur while wearing sunglasses? mad or what?

Pace

[Arturo Lan]

As far as I know, some color lenses are not recomended for flying due to this color distortion, but some other colors have little or no color distortion as neutral gray or green lenses.
Best,
Arturo

[C172 Hawk XP]

further info, please . . . .

I . . . . . .was told that the regs required the test to be done with the prescription lenses worn

Can you be more specific on this ? Can you (or your AME, who told you) explain just WHICH regulations require that ? This is news to me.

Ishihara plates are best presented for interpretation in "good daylight", and, if at all possible, with nothing else between the eyes and the plates. MOST (not quite all) glasses wearers should be able to identify the numbers without their glasses if the plates are held at the appropriate distance.

It is actually well known that certain types of tinted glasses/lenses can interfere with CV perception and/or testing. Not usually a big problem in practice, since CV critical situations are much less likely in bright daylight, which is when "sunglasses" are most likely to be being used !

[Pace]

It is questionable whether Ishihara plates are a true and practical method of determining colour.
Ie if you are going for a job reading Ishihara plates then yes but for flying the lantern test is more real.
I also believe there is some question over how people read the Ishihara plates ie they concentrate too hard on specific colours or trick their own mind into ignoring what they see and what they think they should see.

Any colour added between your eyes and the plates will distort those colours ie from your old school days mix blue and yellow paint and you get green and so on.

My question is was the AME incorrect in getting me to read the plates through coloured lenses as the cost to me of changing the glasses was around the £200 mark.

My second point is that wearing any coloured lenses will effectively make you colour blind yet many pilots wear them all the time.

Pace

[C172 Hawk XP]

Completely agree with all of that . . . . . ! (with the proviso that the basic Ishihara plates are still the primary test usually used - lantern testing is reserved for those who fail them).

My question is was the AME incorrect in getting me to read the plates through coloured lenses as the cost to me of changing the glasses was around the £200 mark ?

I believe he probably was incorrect in doing so. To repeat my query . . .

Can you (or your AME, who told you) explain just WHICH regulations require that ? This is news to me

[Pace]

All I know is that I had a disagreement with him over using the glasses for a colour test and he stated that the regulations demanded that eye tests are carried out using the prescription lenses you use for flying. I can see the reason for that regarding vision but not colour tests.
The result of that was an expense of £200 for a new set of clear glasses.

Pace

[Loose rivets]

If it were me, I would find out, and if he was wrong, I would expect him to pay all the added expenses. It depends if you want to use that AME again. Don't cut your nose to spite your face.

I get very miffed with people that make my life difficult by making up rules.



I'm always rather perplexed by the number of threads about sunglasses. I'm equally perplexed by the amount said about colour vision/testing. Of course, most of the time colour vision might be critical is at night, when you wouldn't be wearing sunglasses anyway, so it's not too much of an issue, but it would be odd to think that many these poor souls who've failed the test might be no worse than someone decked out in their favorite shades.

[C172 Hawk XP]

this needs resolving . . . . . .

he stated that the regulations demanded that eye tests are carried out using the prescription lenses you use for flying

Sorry, but that is just not so. What "eye tests" anyway ? A lot of the tests on eyes routinely carried out by AME's just cannot be done while wearing glasses, whether tinted or otherwise. Uncorrected Visual Acuity is an eye test, so how do you do that wearing spectacles ? ! ! Similarly, routine ophthalmoscopy (the lens/light instrument which allows the inspection of the retina) is an eye test, but that would not be done wearing glasses either. As I said before, Ishihara plates are normally presented to "naked eyes" (if you'll pardon the expression ! !

Frankly, I think Loose Rivets is right on this one. Challenge the AME to show you the chapter and verse of the regulations he is quoting, or else be prepared to refund the expenses you have unnecessarily incurred.

Good luck !