Hello everyone,

I've received my class 1 medical in May. I should start my integrated training in 30 days. Last month however I noticed I've been blessed with tinnitus out of the blue. 2 weeks after, I went to an airshow and while looking at the strip, I noticed the following thing in my central vision:

youtu.be/wPjHOkSWvRM

Bright sun and lots of heat sound like the trigger. I've experienced the same thing a month later while visiting the same region and under the same conditions. I am a bit baffled on what to do here. I've noticed that I also have the blue field entoptic phenomenon plus a few floaters.
My eyes, according to the two class 1 exams I've taken are fine, but this is a bad state to be in since flying consists mainly of blue sky and bright light all day every day, thus I am unsure if I should drop the idea, since this can be a possible safety issue. Any ideas on how to move forward would be greatly appreciated as I have 20 days before I have to sign my contract.

Dr Google has some information on Visual Snow. It seems to be a neuro ophthalmic disorder and like tinnitus you have to learn how to live with it.

Living with it is fine, but what about working? I can go to the AME and say - I think I have Visual Snow - any idea on what happens next?

For rare conditions, it totally depends on your national CAA - could be anything between allowable and permanent denial.

In the US, pilot unions and associations have expertise to help members work through aeromedical issues. Possibly you could take out a membership in AOPA and then contact their aeromedical people.

Aspiring Pilot - Seeking Class 1 & 2 Medical advise before commencing training.
 

Aspiring Pilot - Seeking Class 1 & 2 Medical advise before commencing training.

Hi, I hope everyone is doing fantastic and awesome.

So, I am currently 22 years of age and I am an undergraduate student. I was hoping to embark on my training throughout the modular route over the next year or so.

However before doing so, I was hoping to get an input from anyone out there who may be able to offer any advise in regards to the following concern I am having. This concern of mine has simply put my pursuit into the aviation industry to a halt for almost a year now.

The concern I am having is with my my vision, as the vision in both of my eyes does not qualify for 20/20 vision. My right eye is 20/20 but not quite 20/15. My left eye is noted to be 20/40. This cannot be corrected. I have been to the local SpecSavers store here in UK for an eye test, and have been advised that my vision condition is called Amblyopia (Lazy Eye) and cannot be corrected. However I am still able to see everything clearly at almost most reasonable distances. I have been to a specialist here in the UK for a consultation and they have confirmed that my vision in my left eye cannot be corrected with any form of aid. However they said there may be a chance with vision therapy NOT surgery, but there is small margin of success. However this is significantly costly and wanted to see if anyone else has ever had to face anything like this.

I have been advised to just go and take the class 1 Medical exam and see what happens but I thought I'd get ahead of any surprises which may come my way.

I will appreciate any advise, experiences or inputs shared.

Thank you for viewing my post, I appreciate it very much.

## Also Please forgive me if this post was slightly extensive.

Austrocontrol Class 1
 

Hi Everyone

I am looking to transfer my medical from a UK CAA class one to an Austrian class 1 under austro control, however before doing so I want to be sure that I meet the eye sight requirements. Does anyone know where I can find the austrocontrol Austrian class one eyesight requirements? or will they be the same as that for the UK CAA

Thanks!

I am not allowed to post URLs, so go on Austrocontrol website in English language, in the pilot section there is an Aeromedical section with guidelines. They all refer to Part-MED.
If you hold already a Class 1 there's nothing to worry about. It's just paperwork.

Eye Surgery for Presbyopia
 

Hello All,

Am getting to that age where I need to wear glasses for my night flying.

This is complicated further by the fact that my job requires me use night vision goggles.

I have heard that presbyopia doesn't really have a long term laser surgery solution, but I love to get just another 5 years of flying without faffing around with glasses.

I'd really appreciate any advice or to hear of anyone's experiences.

Thanks

There is an argument that laser eye surgery increases depth of field in some way. The idea is that you can have one eye adjusted to be slightly shortsighted so you can read without glasses but also have useful distance vision of 20/40 or so, then have the other eye corrected (or left alone) so that it has good distance vision.

I was speaking to a BA pilot in her late 50s who has had this done and has a class one medical with no need for eye correction. Expensive though, about £6k altogether.

Class 1 eye test
 

Hello,

Wondered if anyone could help me, I wish to undertake my Class 1 soon and my concern is with the eye testing, my corrected prescription is well in the requirements, however my problem is the distance vision or how they conduct this.

For example testing with my local Specsavers my corrected vision is

6/6 in the right eye
6/7.5 in the left
6/6 both together

but when at home if I conduct the test using a snellen chart at 6m away I struggle with my left eye to achieve the minium standard of 6/9.

So my question is how do they test for this at the Class 1 conduct the test is it the same as an optician in a chair for the illuminated screen?

many thanks

CLASS 1 Eye requirements and limitations
 

Confusion about CAA GM for eyesight
 

Hi all,

In the next few months I'll be applying for my initial Class One medical. However, one thing that has always concerned me is my eyes. I have myopia and very slight astigmatism: -7.5 and -7.25 myopia, with -0.25 astigmatism in both.

The CAA GM states this in the 'Accetable Means of Compliance' column:
Applicants with the following conditions may be assessed as fit subject to satisfactory ophthalmic evaluation and provided that optimal correction has been considered and no significant pathology is demonstrated:
(ii) myopia not exceeding -6.0 dioptres;
(iii) astigmatism not exceeding 2.0 dioptres;

Therefore, by this, I should fail my medical as my myopia is outside the limits. However, in the 'Guidance Material' column, it states:
Applicants for a class 1 medical certificate with any of the following medical conditions shall be referred to the medical assessor of the licensing authority and may be assessed as fit subject to a satisfactory ophthalmological evaluation:
(i) Myopia exceeding -6.0 dioptres;
(ii) astigmatism exceeding 2.0 dioptres;
Assessment should be conducted by, or under the supervision of, an ophthalmologist and ensure that there is no underlying pathology or other ocular abnormalities. Monocular visual acuities shall be 6/6 or better. Assessment shall include:
1) Dilated, binocular, indirect ophthalmoscopy in cases of myopia exceeding –6.00 dioptres
2) Corneal topography at initial assessment (and at renewal where there is significant change in refraction) in cases of astigmatism exceeding 2.00 dioptres.

The local optician said the myopia should stop when I get to around 22 (I'm 18), and the astigmatism shouldn't get passed the -2.0 limit.

My question is this: has anyone successfully been certified an initial Class One with an exceedance in myopia or astigmatism? I know for myself there is no underlying issue and my eyes are healthy. I'm just concerned given that the CAA GM seems to contradict itself (probably me being paranoid...). Should I be worried about my medical? From what I can tell, I'll just be referred to someone higher up ('the medical assessor of the licensing authority'?), who can then approve it?

There is always the alternative of getting LASIK to bring my eyes within the limits.

Class 1 medical with monocular exception
 

Howdy all, got a bit of a weird question here so I guess I’ll just lay it out. I’m 31 years old, ever since I was a teenager I’ve been wanting to become a commercial pilot how ever my eye sight is not great, essentially I have one eye that is better than 20/20 but my other eye is far worse, and unable to be corrected with glasses to 20/20. Initially when I was 18 I attempted to get a medical but my regular optometrist said quite clearly to me that I would never pass a medical. Silly me took them at their word and didn’t get a second opinion, made piece with my life and found a different career. Obviously 10 years later I’m in a far better position financially and still have that itch to go flying. I’ve since seen yet another casa approved optometrist in the hopes of anything changing and they said basically the same thing, this time I had done some research and found that it was possible to pass a class 1 with an exception, when I asked about that they tried to push me away from aviation with something along the lines of well if an airline had someone with no restriction vs someone with a restriction who would they take. I guess my question is if anyone knows of has experienced something similar. The two problems I have is getting a pass on the medical but even then I don’t want to invest a ton of money into cpl atp ect if airlines are going to see that and dismiss any application. Any guidance or stories of similar situations would be appreciated, I’ve always been flexible where I live so even employment out of Australia is a possibility for me. Thanks in advance.

Depends on the individual case. It may depend on when you first developed the problem. There are monocular pilots out there with class 1 medicals, but I believe, (don’t quote me) that they have not had use of that eye from birth. That may have something to do with the development of the visual pathways from the lens all the way to the visual cortex.

Eyeballs in the sky...

Have a look at CASR 67.150, specifically section 1.31 in the table for Class 1 requirements (page 370). Essentially, it's 6/9 in each eye, but 6/6 with both eyes (plus some requirements for close-in). That'll give you an idea re your first question.

If you’ve got the class 1 medical, a valid licence and pass the recruitment process, you’ll get the job.

You will only have an issue if there’s a restriction on your medical such as copilot only, or day ops, VFR only etc.

Hey guys thanks for the replies, most of what you bought up was how I was thinking it was just a bit worrying to have 2 CASA optometrists tell me not to bother even trying to get the medical. I guess for a little more history, my eyes have been that way since birth. My bad eye is worse than 6/9 but with both eyes my vision is better than 6/6. Most likely I'm just going to go for it regardless of what the 3rd optometrist will say, and see what they come back with once it all gets sent away.

I remember hearing of an eye injury to my teacher's son. He lost vision in that eye, but eventually obtained a Class I medical and CPL in Canada in the 70s. The CAA tends to lag.

how to improve eyesight to 20/20
 

I am hoping to enhance my vision slightly to 20/20 in each eye separately, primarily to start flying commercially again.

· I am 51 years old and have been wearing contacts or glasses for the last 25 years.

· With glasses or soft contacts I am approximately 20/30 in each eye separately.

· I have recently started using scleral contact lenses which are filled with sterile water prior to placement and have the effect of giving the eye a smooth uniform shape. These contacts are hard and have improved my vision. I am now able to get close to 20/20 (but missing 1 or 2 letters, and the others very hard to see) with each eye separately. I think these contacts have the effect of “removing” the astigmatism.

· I have recently started to look at surgery again, although 10 years ago a LASIK company said I was not a suitable candidate due to the astigmatism I have. The LASIK company may have had other reasons why I was not a good fit for surgery, but I can’t recall what they were. They also said that the LASIK surgery if successful would not improve my vision over what I was able to achieve with glasses or soft contacts.

· I am curious to know if eye surgery has changed/improved in last 10 years and whether I could now be a viable candidate.

· I would be interested to know if anyone has had any success with the William H Bates type eye exercises, and if yes how much did the eyes improve and how long did it take.

· I am in some ways very close to my 20/20 goal to be able to fly commercially again, and it seems a risk to be even contemplate surgery, even if it would work.

Any thoughts/suggestions are very much appreciated.

Question for those who wear glasses
 

I’m a current ATPL airline Pilot, no restrictions on medical but I am going to have an eye test.

If I need glasses what are the restrictions, is it to carry 2 pairs of sunglasses as well as 2 pairs of normal glasses?

Must the sunglasses be also corrected?

Since if it does happen it won’t be anything dramatic is there a tolerance on the class 1 so it won’t go down as a restriction on my next medical and thus need only 1 pair for distance.

Thanks in advice, much easier than CAA website.

If you need corrective lenses, you need to carry a spare set. That's it. What you actually wear and anything else you carry is up to you.

CAA Class 1 renewal Visual Acuity
 

Hi All!

Hope everyone is keeping well in this tough time. I am currently studying for my ATPL theory and already have a CAA class 1 medial which I am due to renew next month. I am becoming paranoid about losing my medical because of my eyesight. I wear glasses and my corrected vision is 6/6 eyes together 6/6 left eye, but my right eye is 6/9. So far I have managed to pass my medicals without issues, however I am worried about what happens when my right eye gets worse?

The way I understand it the rules are 6/6 eyes together, 6/9 in each eye.

but what happens if in the future my right eye goes below 6/9 assuming I can still see 6/6 eyes together? Is that it I just lose my medical and potentially my job?
Or do they give you a restriction of any type?

Thanks for any advice you may be able to offer!

Eye Sight Requirements
 

Hello, This may be the incorrect thread but I'm somewhat stunned about something I've read about pilot eye-sight requirements on Twitter. On the following thread, it mentions that the Captain of TACA Flight 110 which had a landing mishap in 1988, only had one eye. Now, forgive me, I thought pilots had to have binocular vision in order to judge depth? On the same thread, a BA First Officer has stated you can fly with one eye! I'm terribly confused! I always wanted to be a commercial airline pilot but it was ruled out due to my lack of binocular vision. Could someone please provide me with the cold hard facts?

Here's the link but appreciate a Twitter account may be required.


I will be interested to read the replies.

Laser Eye Surgery
 

I am considering laser eye surgery in the near future but will equally be looking to (re)gain my class 1 in the next 12months. Has anyone had any experiences of laser eye surgery and the CAA? I have had a look at the current regulations and it seems a (surprisingly) very simple and easy process.

There are a wider number of clinics in the UK ranging from the high street clinics like Optical Express or Optimax to independents like London Vision Clinic, if anyone has had any dealings or experiences, I would welcome your feedback.

Think long and hard about having a surgical procedure to your (presumably) otherwise healthy eyes.
It is not a small decision.
Have a clearly defined goal for treatment to achieve. If it is complete freedom from glasses then make sure the surgeon knows this.
If you are happy to need some prescription, but just lower power, then tell him/her.
Examine the complication rate and downsides, as well as the sucess rate of your individual surgeon in achieving your desired outcome.
What will you do if you are the unlucky one?
Will you be able to look back at the decision to go ahead, and say it was still the right decision, even if your vision is harmed (and perhaps can no longer fly)?
What level of risk is acceptable to you as an individual? It's different of everyone.

Avoid reading the adverts and study the published peer reviewed literature instead.

L_ser is used for many different eye surgeries, perhaps tell us what surgery you have your eye on?

Thanks - I have spent a lot of time looking at the different options and well aware of the risks, if I decide to proceed, it will be with one of the higher-rated clinics (and more expensive) as the additional cost will outweigh the difference in risk.

The main aim is so that I do not need to wear glasses, being a wearer for >15years and with my eyesight now settled, its something I have been considering for a long time. Although I have not yet been for a consultation, it will most likely be a LASIK

You might want to contact your national CAA to explore their long-term experience with pilots who have undergone similar surgery.

whistla

Bear in mind that at about 45yo you will develop presbyopia and suddenly being myopic doesn't seem like such a bad idea.

PLEASE be careful. Unless you are qualified you do not know the risks. The only way to determine the risk in your individual case is by a face to face consultation with the surgeon or operator.

I would seek out the individual not put your trust in the most expensive or the flashiest marketing. Sadly many ratings are worthless. I am not casting aspersions on any particular company and some are most professional, but private medicine is famous for slick marketing and ratings written by their own employees......A building or advert doesnt do the procedure, a human being does. Check him or her out carefully.

I am getting close to 55 and despite having a Lasik procedure from -10/-8 25 years ago I am still not in need of correction.
I am definitely on the lucky side but it is possible...

Multiple prescriptions for glasses
 

Since reaching my 50s my vision is slightly deteriorating, and I need corrective lenses. All in all not a problem, but it’s applying it to the aviation world that is the complication.

So, my normal daytime my vision is fine, and I just need reading glasses, (+1.75 I think).
Daytime after a long duty, and my eyes are feeling a bit tired, my long distance vision is fine (i.e looking out for the runway), but my middle distance is a bit blurry (i.e looking at the instruments). I have a slight prescription to correct this, and still need the reading element, so have a pair of Occupational lenses to cover this.
At night it’s similar, but I need to occupational lenses all this time.

The difficulty is that I need 3 focal distances. Long - uncorrected, middle - corrected, near - corrected. At the moment I overcome this by resting my glasses on the end of my nose so that I can look over the top, it works but isn’t the best solution.

Surely I’m not the only pilot to have this issue, so what are the rest of us doing to overcome this?

I have the reverse of your problem.
One pair with full distance correction; fortunately I can just make out the instruments without bifocals. For far sighted people there are lower half lens reading glasses which may help you in the cockpit.

Trifocal lenses ? I wore them for years. I'd expect anyone who can fit you for bifocals can also fit you for trifocals ?

Don't go for vari-focal, although if the middle band is 0 / planar they might work. Any correction in the middle height seems to be reduced to a ridiculously narrow hourglass which needed head turning simply to follow a line on a page.

I was flying a new type in my old age and needed to be quite sure I was identifying the ATR's overhead buttons correctly. Some of my colleagues were spending hundreds of pounds on tri-focals but that was out of my budget.

I got a 5 quid pair of horn-rimmed ready readers and Dremel'd a horizontal slot out of the middle. Perfect.

I did find some reluctance to making me full size split readers. Spec Savers said they don't do those any more and made me the small rounded readers. I was lucky that I rarely ever needed long distance. Just a touch of CYL correction was nice, but a luxury. I've had a lot to say over decades about focusing with the extraocular muscles. I really annoyed a pal/local optician when I was quite young because I'd report a slightly different angle for the cylinder (astigmatism) correction almost every time I had a check up. In old age it cost me dear.

I repeat this tale whenever I can. I had some very distressing weeks of eye ache and I think found the answer. However, a recent comment on Quora shows people are not open to new ideas. There is something published with the proposal that prime focussing is achieved in youth by way of the extra ocular muscles. If it were true, the following would be substantiated.

I spent a lot of a summer holiday back in the UK with aching eyes and slight defocusing. I sought urgent help but no one could find out what was wrong. The Rivetess had to stand on the brakes for some critter that ran out in front of us and at that moment my eyes relaxed and focussed. I knew what was wrong, and an urgent request for Diazipam gave the muscle relaxant needed for diagnostics. 30 minutes after weeks and back to perfect relaxed focus. It's an odd thing, but when spasms like this get found out, they seem to just dissolve away. I have a friend who was rushed to hospital with a neck that was jammed solid. He'd had a history of it, just now and then. Nursie gave him a huge shot of relaxant and he was fine.

Definitely varifocals! Worth every penny.

You need two pairs in the cockpit - I have one pair tinted.

Class 1 CAA with dodgy left eye?
 

Hi everyone.

Going through the stages of trying to get a Class 1 (not hopeful but worth a shot), and had my eye exam today. Right eye is ok, 6/5 but my left eye is 6/7.8 which I understand is approaching the limit for Class 1 certification. I was very shocked as at my last exam at 18 years old I had greater than 6/6 vision in both eyes.
I’m concerned now that my eyesight may deteriorate further resulting in future loss of any Class 1 that I may obtain.

Has anyone who’s flying commercially has similar issues at the tender age of 23? Do visual issues like this tend to get worse, and would my eyesight be considered dangerously close to being out of limits?

Many thanks in advance.

Working from memory here, I seem to recall the first issuance is the most stringent and follow ups over the years are more lenient towards hearing and vision.
Can someone chime in and confirm?
Apologies if I’m completely off base here.