Eye Sight

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Kevin87

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Kevin87
Eyesight

Hello everyone,

I am new to flying, and I was just going to get my sport pilots license. I have about 20 hours, and realized that I want to start a career in flying. I have been reading through all the medical requirements for a first class medical. The only thing I see that could stop me would be that my right eye is only 20/40 with correction. I see 20/20 with both eyes open with corrective glasses. Do you guys have any advice for me? Is it even possible for me to get a first class medical? Any help would be very appreciated.

Thanks,
Kevin
 
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The eyesight will be fine.

The bigger problem is your desire to start with sport pilot. There's no upgrade path from sport pilot to commercial to airline transport pilot. If you want to fly as a career, start with private pilot. If you get your sport pilot certificate, you'll have to do all the private pilot stuff over again to get a commercial rating.
 
Thanks for the advice. I didn't realize I wanted to fly as a living until I really got into the plane and started flying. That is why I am making the decision to just go straight for my private and skip the whole sport thing.

If I go get a medical do they test both eyes individually?
 
First-Class medical visual acuity is checked in each eye separately, not together. Is your 20/40 eyesight result for near vision, or distant vision? If it's near vision you should be okay. If it's for distant vision, ask an AME.

Following on to Old Geek's point: Is your sport pilot flight instructor a CFI-S (limited to sport pilot instruction) or a full-blown CFI (can instruct private pilots, commercial pilots, etc.)? That matters. Potentially matters a lot. The minimum 20 hours dual for private pilot privileges needs to be provided by a CFI, and while that CFI can also instruct sport pilot students, a CFI-S cannot instruct private students (or anything beyond sport pilot privileges, for that matter).

That's probably about as clear as mud. The pertinent questions are:

1. At what distance is your 20/40 vision acuity detected, near or distant?
2. What qualifications does the instructor have that you are training under? That will, in large part, determine whether your sport pilot instruction time can be applied to the private pilot instruction and time requirements.
 
Here's the standard:

Subpart B - First-Class Airman Medical Certificate

§ 67.103 Eye.

The FAA reports Eye standards for a firstclass airman medical certificate are:

(a) Distant visual acuity of 20/20 or better in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses. If corrective lenses (spectacles or contact lenses) are necessary for 20/20 vision, the person may be eligible only on the condition that corrective lenses are worn while exercising the privileges of an airman certificate.

(b) Near vision of 20/40 or better, Snellen equivalent, at 16 inches in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses. If age 50 or older, near vision of 20/40 or better, Snellen equivalent, at both 16 inches and 32 inches in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses.

(c) Ability to perceive those colors necessary for the safe performance of airman duties.

(d) Normal fields of vision.

(e) No acute or chronic pathological condition of either eye or adnexa that interferes with the proper function of an eye, that may reasonably be expected to progress to that degree, or that may reasonably be expected to be aggravated by flying.

(f) Bifoveal fixation and vergencephoria relationship sufficient to prevent a break in fusion under conditions that may reasonably be expected to occur in performing airman duties. Tests for the factors named in this paragraph are not required except for persons found to have more than 1 prism diopter of hyperphoria, 6 prism diopters of esophoria, or 6 prism diopters of exophoria. If any of these values are exceeded, the Federal Air Surgeon may require the person to be examined by a qualified eye specialist to determine if there is bifoveal fixation and an adequate vergencephoria relationship. However, if otherwise eligible, the person is issued a medical certificate pending the results of the examination.​
 
Thanks for the input my instructor is a full CFI. My vision is 20/40 distant in my right eye. 20/20 with both open.
 
Kevin87 said:
Thanks for the input my instructor is a full CFI. My vision is 20/40 distant in my right eye. 20/20 with both open.
Click to expand...

Get glasses to correct it to 20/20 and you'll be fine.
If it is 20/40 with glasses, then there is a problem.
 
yeah it is 20/40 with glasses. I just don't understand. I see perfect with both eyes open. There isn't any way around this at all?
 
Contact Dr. Bruce Chien. He used to give advice on this forum. PM me for his email or look him up on the FAA database.
 
Re: Eyesight

Both First and Second Class medical certificates require 20/20 vision in each eye separately, either with or without corrective lenses. If you can't get your eyesight corrected to that standard, you would have to go through the Special Issuance (SI) process in order to qualify to fly professionally. Such a Special Issuance will almost certainly involve special Medical Flight Test (SMFT).

Your best source for finding out if that is possible would be Dr. Bruce Chien, an Aviation Medical Examiner who specializes in difficult certifications and can be reached as published on his web site.
http://home.comcast.net/~bbchien/site/
You can also consult an ophthalmologist to discuss surgical options which will allow you to meet the FAA standard.

In the mean time, you can certainly pursue a Private Pilot license, since the Third Class standard is only 20/40 corrected. That will give you the best chance to built the experience needed to pass the SMFT for First/Second. You could go the Sport Pilot route, since corrected vision of 20/40 in one eye with 20/20 in the other is no barrier to obtaining a driver's license, but since that's enough to get the Third Class medical needed for noncommercial flying, there's no reason to limit yourself to Sport Pilot at this time.
 
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