Sammul

Hey Guys,

My first post here - nice to be here!

I’m 27 and just starting out in aviation. I’m heading to flight school next year and want to heard for the airlines. Went to get my initial Aviation Medical Class 1 and flew through except for the EYES. I have a number of issues with my eyes but the glasses nearly solve them all. My vision score is 6/6 for both eyes, 6/6 for my right eye, BUT 6/9 for left eye (that’s WITH glasses on). This is marginal and right on the borderline. A fail is anything worse than 6/9 in either singular eye. My eyes have generally settled now that I am 27 years old.

Should I go through my flight training (and associated massive student loan) when my eyes are this level now? I will pass this Medical now but I am worried that as the years go by, just a small degeneration could get me a failed medcial anytime in the future. Then I’d be out of a job.

I’d love to hear any opinions, ideas or stories...

Deep and fast

Just a quick post about essilor, I have tried 2 types of essilor and 3 of specsavers varifocals and all were utterly useless. Im trying the last essilor option next week but if this proves to be no good I'll be going back to my trusty Hoya lens.
Problems have all been down to narrow near vision field and difficulty in transitional areas.

xxtoni

Hello everyone,

A few days ago I spoke with an eye doctor I happen to be friends with and he told me that due to some change in regulation in my country I won't be able to renew my medical in a few years due to my strabismus.

I checked with the authorities and sure enough they confirmed it. I went there personally and told them that there was no change in my condition and that I already have been flying and everything but they told me point blank nothing they can do about it.

I have been doing a lot of research and I'd like to know what the situation in other countries is ?

For me Germany would be ideal because I travel there often so it's convenient but if not Germany then pretty much anywhere in Europe works.

I hear it might be easiest to get it done in the UK.

Any advice on this matter, experience with whom I should talk ? I don't wanna make the trip to the UK just to be told that it's not possible.


Thanks in advance!

45 South

In the end its going to be your call:

Will you forever regret not "going for it"?

Will you forever regret the "wasted $" if you go for it and loose your medical after spending $100,000-00 and only earning $5-00 in return?

Also, remember for the span of your flying career: are you going to worry about not passing your next medical or will it not bother you? Even when you have a family to support and a mortgage too perhaps.?

As I said it is your call which largely depends on how you relate to what may happen in several years time.

One final thought, which I can't answer is "do some potential employers prefer to take on pilots with no medical endorsements on their licenses" i.e. "spectacles must be worn" endorsed on your medica, may not help your job prospects?

Good luck with the decision making.

RatherBeFlying

I would consider getting the initial done while you can get it as the standards tend to be more stringent for initials than renewals.

An NZ AME will know better.

bigtete

Hello everybody,

I spend my initial class 1 visit in two weeks at AMS Gatwick (central london).

I have a small question, I do not wear glasses but in case I do not arrive at the required acuity without correction, the CAA optician has different lenses for measured acuity with correction?

thank you in advance

Piper.Classique

How about a quick trip to your favourite opticians first? Prior preparation prevents p poor performance....

Radgirl

The problem with that is many opticians get little or nothing from eye examinations but make their money from selling glasses. If you just need minimal correction for reading you will be sold glasses and have to declare and then have the hassle of the limitation

My understanding was that if you just need correction found out at the AME medical they put the limitation on the certificate and you have to go and buy the glasses.....

421dog

Over here, if you turn up without corrective lenses and it turns out that you need them to meet the standards, we don't generally supply them. My machine does not provide correction capability, and if you need more than 1.75 diopters for near or intermediate vision, (which happens to be the power of my cheaters, which I find myself needing to lend to a surprising number of airmen who turn up without their own), you're gonna need to go and get some poste-haste, or you're gonna get deferred.
That being said, if you show up wearing glasses, and can pass the tests without using them, there's no rule that says I have to put a limitation on your medical.

Krautwald

Hi there, I am sure some of you have had corrective laser surgery. I have no medical indication for this since my myopia is within limits (-2,75). I have thought about it none the less.

One thing that is really under-discussed is how long the correction actually lasts. I have read about people who had 4-5 good years and after that: back to spectacleville. And by that, I do not mean the usual 40+ nosetip-reading-glasses, but back to myopia.

I cannot really understand this because if you, say, have -3 and get it corrected to a perfect 0,0. And after 5 years you are back to, say. -2. Does this mean that without the surgery, you would have been at -5? Or is the process of detoriating eyesight speeded up/altered by the surgery for some? For honestly I do not know merely nearsighted (no other conditions) people whose adult eye has gone several dpt. down in a few years, but I do read about several people with LASIK going from 0,0 to several dpt after inital improvement. And if there is a very real possibility to have only an improvement for some years, and then back to glasses, I don´t think it´s worth the money then, is it?

Second question, if you go back to several dpt, can you still go back to contacts? Or would that be problematic re the "flap"? That scenario would be even worse: spend upwards of 5000 GBP (no, I would never choose the cheapo option!), have 4 good years, then be myopic again but not being able to use contacts = double bugger.

I hope some of you will share what they know about how well such a correction lasts! Thanks

shantanubdas2002

In around 2 years time I plan to do my initial medical exam before I start pilot training.

However, from my recent eye test results, I have -0.5 dioptres myopia, 1.75 dioptres astigmatism at 180 degree angle. Will that stop me from getting a class one medical? Because things may worsen overtime. And yes, I do wear glasses for correction (and I assume they can correct to 6/6 or 20/20). Any advice? Are the results too harsh for a class one medical?

Thanks

abbas786

Hello guys, ive moved recently in uk to do my atpl, but failed my class 1 due to eye issue (Exophoria), 3-4 months ago. Becoming an airline pilot was my dream since childhood and failing the medical and knowing that i cannot become a commercial pilot is the worse thing ever. Evreything with my eyes is fine i have: full field of vision, no astigmatism,no cornea abnormality, Im myopic but whitnin the limits. Than they told me that i have exophoria outside the limits. I have 20 diopters from far and 35 from near but i dont have double vision or eye fatigue, i even dont know all my life that i had this problem and any of my opticians never informed me about this.

The CAA suggested me to visit their specialist wich ive done he was surprised with my fusional reserves he told me that my fusional reserves are too strong that i dind get diplopia even with 30 prism base out (Prism fusion test) but he failed anyways me because he thinks that there is 20% chance that i can get double vision in later years. I was devastated and still iam. ive seen different opthalmologist, optometrist and etc All of them disagree with the decision of the CAA consultant becuase my fusional reserves are too strong and the chance of getting diplopia in future is ZERO.

The JAR says if i exceed the phoria limits but i have enough fusional reserves to prevent diplopia or asthenopia a fitness assesment should be considered for class 1. So than I have appealed to the CAA for secondary review but i dont know if that will be helpful.

I can have a faa class 1 and when i knowed that i can get a FAA class 1 i was very happy but then i found that a FAA class 1 will not be helpfull unless i can work in the USA.

So now i have few question to evreyone in this forum who are very helpful.

1. Is the FAA Atpl and medical valid in other countreys like middle east or etc ?
2. Can i re do the EASA class 1 medical anywhere elese in europe ?
3. is there any possible way to fly as pilot in airlines with this problem Exophoria ?

i dont want to give up on my dream. Sorry for my bad english :P

Hagop

Hey,

Sorry to hear about your condition, such conditions are really heartbreaking. I don't have any idea about Exophoria and how critical it could get in the coming years but I'll answer your other 2 questions.


1) Yes, an FAA ATPL is acceptable in the Middle East but note that you will need at least 1,500 hours of turbo-prop or even turbine time to land an interview with one of the Middle Eastern giants. The FAA CPL/IR won't land you an airline job directly, you have to climb the ladder. As for the medical, you have to double check with the airline you might be applying to as each airline has its own medical standards or follows a specific CAA's standards.


2)If you want a UK issued Class 1 medical, the only option for an "initial" medical is at one of the 4 Aero Medical Centers in the UK if I'm not mistaken. I don't know about other EASA medicals outside the UK.

abbas786

Hagop, Thankyou sir for the answer really helpful

exophoria is occular muscle balance problem you can notice it when fusion is broken the eye tend to diverge and as far as i know 70% of the people in this world have this problem especially if they are myopic. But mine exophoria is outside the limits but i dont have double vision (wich is the risk) because of "strong fusional reserves". The JAR says something like, if the fusional reserves are enough to prevent Double vision a fit assesment may be considered.

the CAA eye consultant didnt considered me fit because he was saying that according to him there is a 20% chance that i will get double vision in the future when i will get old. Then after the faliure went to different opticians, opthalmologist they all disagree that i will get double vision because i have a very strong fusional reserves.

now i dont know which way should i chose, FAA or Appeal to the CAA or etc.

hope ill get some more answers

B2N2

Appeal to the CAA.
You can get your FAA license and certificates however: even if it is accepted you need to do a medical at your future employer.
https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/first-officer/china/
And Chinese Medicals have been nicknamed “astronaut Medicals” for being so intensive.
Do not simply assume you’ll qualify.

RatherBeFlying

I got a Transport Canada Class I some four decades ago with what has recently been diagnosed as a "4th optic nerve palsy" by an orthoptist.

Prisms do the job along with a subconscious head tilt.

Many people with exophoria suppress one eye in the absence of a prismatic correction.

abbas786

Thankyou very much Sir for the information, seems like the canadian class 1 medical is more relaxed in eyesight than EASA ?

421dog

From an FAA standpoint, exceeding lateral phoria limits without diplopia results in an immediate issuance of the certificate (no deferral) with the caveat that the Administrator may contact the airman and request additional testing.
That seems to almost never happen.

abbas786

Thankyouu very much sir for the info. FAA class 1 is my next target because i will move to US for my CPL-ATPL training. I hope EASA will put some regulations like the FAA for Phorias maybe in the future who knows.

Loose rivets

Make sure your visa specifically allows this.