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CAAC Laser Eye Surgery limitations
I’m at PVG headed home to YVR without a CAAC Class 1 medical. My goal of a Chinese ATPL and employment is over. I had laser surgery 4 years ago and have been better than 20/20 since then, and have held a Class 1 medical for my Canadian ATPL for 25 years. The problem for me was that there are limitations in China (and elsewhere) for pre-surgery eye correction that I was unaware of. The correction in one of my eyes was -6 diopters and the limit for CAAC is -5 diopters. I do not think the surgery would have been discovered in the course of the examination. Being a good Boy Scout, I volunteered the post-operative report, not suspecting there would be an issue. Conduct yourself accordingly. Cheers John |
Hi John,
Sorry to hear that and hope you find a better gig, may I ask you what kind of eye tests they performed? Or were you automatically failed because of the LASIK report? I'd appreciate your help in this matter. Thank you |
Sorry to hear that. Out of curiosity, had you not had the surgery and instead wore glasses, would you have been ok for the medical?
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Hi guys.
First of all, a correction. I think, based on the medical data I posted in the thread on CAAC Medical Standards (and attached here), the pre-operative limits are -4.5 and + 3.0 diopters, versus the 5 I had posted above. At the medical screening in Shanghai, I initially heard the number 5, but then while my agency rep was discussing the matter with the company (not CAAC) doctor, I heard the number 4.5. Mex320, when I took the vision tests from the doctor, I did the distance test (point out orientation of an empty circle with a section removed while it was rotated through various angles) and passed. I next did the close in test, and to my surprise, I passed it without the need for my reading glasses. I then passed the colour blindness test. Finally, I passed an examination of my eyeball while in the chin-rest device and she had me look all different ways while lloking at my eye with the light device that all eye docs use. It is my belief that with the tests performed, and I could be wrong, the surgery would not have been detected. burnable gomi, using the free Google Translator app (whcih uses the camera to scan and instantly translate), section 15.2 of the updated standards shows that the CAAC is using the same limitations for those with glasses (-4.5 to +3.0) as the standards for pre-operative laser surgery applicants. So no, I would not have passed the test. If you exceed the above standard and have had laser surgery and you can stomach the risk, I would suggest NOT revealing your laser surgery history and coming for the screening. I know of several pilots flying in Western airlines who did not tell their regulator of their surgery and have been flying for years undetected. I was simply, and perhaps naively, unaware of a pre-surgery standard. I have had better than 20/20 for 4 years. In discussing this with my agency, they were unaware of a standard as well. That said, this has happened already to applicants at the airline I was applying to, so they immediately recognized I was done. I already have a great job, and was merely looking for a well paid adventure to finish my career. I'm likely going to stay put. Cheers, John |
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