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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?
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?