Odd eye appt shortly before medical

[Unregistered]

My medical expires at the end of this month and have an appointment with a new AME this friday. I'm new to the area so I have not seen this particular doc before.

I wear glasses and recently went to a new optometrist to update my prescription prior to the medical exam. I scheduled the FAA medical as a 2nd class since I plan to do some commercial flying in a few months.

The eye appointment seem to go fine at first. I read the 20/20 line on the machine and thought I did well, but then when I saw the actual optometrist, he said I missed one letter on the 20/20 line for each eye. (mistaking a C for and O, F for a P kind of thing). He was a rather eccentric fellow and did not put me at ease. Then after a few of those "which one is better, one or two..." he said that the right eye was as good as he could get it. It actually looked worse than my current prescription and I was still missing an occasional letter.

He then lets me go and I ask if I should be concerned and he says no, I'm 20/20, but he is just picky.

Anyway, I have not filled the new prescription and I'm feeling concerned about the FAA medical in a couple days. I have a fear that I'll go in there and they will tell me my right eye is only 20/25 which as I understand it will result in an officially failed medical.

Turns out the AME is also an ophthalmologist who has an eye clinic in addition to doing FAA medicals. I am thinking about scrapping the new prescription and making a new eye apportionment with the AME.

Since I don't need the 2nd class right away, should I go ahead and take a chance passing with my old eyeglasses, or submit my Med Express application for 3rd class and then have the AME do the eye appointment separately and then schedule the 2nd class medical closer to when I am ready to go to work?

 

[denverpilot]

After many MANY years of being overcorrected, I went to a family friend Doc who took an extra half hour to show me the difference between "20/20" and the "20/15" I am used to.

You and your Doc may both be right. You may be corrected to 20/20 and used to something else.

My Doc also took a few extra minutes when I said the astigmatism corrections he was doing in the machine weren't really quite right, and pulled a set of old school optics out of a drawer and figured out why.

We then decided to keep me at my usual 20/15 and fire up a pair of reading glasses for computer and desk/workbench use.

I couldn't be happier with the results. I wasn't ready to fight with progressives. My wife went the progressive route and is happy with her choice, too.

You need to find an eye Doc who isn't a five minute wonder at the mall, is basically what I'm saying here. One who will take the time to do it right for YOU.

I haven't decided which pair I will wear on AME Day, but my AME will listen and probably make a recommendation. You need an AME that isn't a five minute wonder, too.

Remember the old joke: What do we call the guy who got straight "C"'s in Med School? Doctor. Same as the guy who got straight "A"'s.

As far as whether to do the 2nd or 3rd Class if you're expecting to need a 2nd, there's volumes of opinions on that. Ask your AME is probably the best advice, as long as they weren't the guy who got straight "C"'s.

 

[Van Johnston]

Is the vision requirement any different for class 2? Unless you've suddenly noticed a difficulty with vision, I'd go in with old prescription and take the class 2.

 

[Fearless Tower]

Is the vision requirement any different for class 2? Unless you've suddenly noticed a difficulty with vision, I'd go in with old prescription and take the class 2.

Third class only requires correctable to 20/40. You need 20/20 for first and second class.

 

[Matthew]

I'm fortunate that my eye guy is a pilot. He takes good care of me.

 

[James331]

My experience is many of the doc in the box "optometrists" are more interested in selling stuff then helping folks out, chances are no matter what if you go see a new eye doc he'll find some sort of thing that you need $$

 

[AggieMike88]

To answer the AME question, you can always call AOPA Pilot Information Center and ask to speak to the medical certification division. They can provide the straight skinny on what the typical AME and the FAA will expect as a result of this visit to a medical professional (hint: Question 19), and what documentation to have in hand as a result of this visit.

Big hint... if documentation is a needed item, do not go into the AME's office until you have the correct documentation ready to hand over to the AME. Seeing the doc first and attempting to get the paper could become very problematic if you are unable to obtain before the very short "submit or deny" deadline elapses. So if needed, postpone the AME visit as appropriate.

If the postponement causes an "out of medical" situation, that is okay and FAA-CAMI has no problem with you as long as you respect that you're grounded until you do get your medical. Lapsed medicals are not a penalty, and a whole lot easier to deal with as opposed to deferral queues and denials.

 

[Unregistered]

To answer the AME question, you can always call AOPA Pilot Information Center and ask to speak to the medical certification division. They can provide the straight skinny on what the typical AME and the FAA will expect as a result of this visit to a medical professional (hint: Question 19), and what documentation to have in hand as a result of this visit.

Big hint... if documentation is a needed item, do not go into the AME's office until you have the correct documentation ready to hand over to the AME. Seeing the doc first and attempting to get the paper could become very problematic if you are unable to obtain before the very short "submit or deny" deadline elapses. So if needed, postpone the AME visit as appropriate.

If the postponement causes an "out of medical" situation, that is okay and FAA-CAMI has no problem with you as long as you respect that you're grounded until you do get your medical. Lapsed medicals are not a penalty, and a whole lot easier to deal with as opposed to deferral queues and denials.

Don't read into this more than there is.

Yes, it is a visit to a health professional that would be documented on the form. It was a routine eye exam/checkup. The optometrist said there was nothing wrong and that I was 20/20 and I have the paperwork (eye glass prescription). However, his bed-side manner so-to-speak and how I felt my vision was with the adjustments (I thought his adjustments were worse than my current glasses), I want another exam with a different doc and don't want to waste the money on filling this prescription if I end up getting a better one.

The simple question here is do I take a chance and go for the 2nd class medical, or just do the 3rd class which I can clearly pass?

 

[Fearless Tower]

Yes, it is a visit to a health professional that would be documented on the form. It was a routine eye exam/checkup.

You don't even need to do that. Aggie Mike's advice is incorrect. Per the 8500-8 fine print for question 19, 'routine eye exams' do not get reported.

 

[Unregistered]

The simple question here is do I take a chance and go for the 2nd class medical, or just do the 3rd class which I can clearly pass?

I called the AME office and explained the situation. They told me to go ahead and submit the online form as a 2nd Class Medical. If I can't read 20/20 in each eye the day of the exam, the Doc can downgrade it to a 3rd Class there at the office and schedule me for a new eye exam.