Vision and Landings

timwinters

timwinters

Ejection Handle Pulled
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Feb 23, 2008
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Conway, MO
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LTD
I had lasik a little over 5 weeks ago. I had a follow-up app't today and my eyes are now probably 95% healed and stabilized (i.e. 95% as good as they'll get). My right eye is currently 20/20 and my left is 20/25.

I WAS somewhere between 20/700 and 20/800 but my vision was corrected to 20/20. I'm about to turn 50 and since I was 45 I have needed reading glasses so I wore progressive lenses for the last five years. Progressive lenses are great but you have to be looking right at something for it to be in focus.

So, to the point of my post...

I've been out flying twice in the last 6 days and logged 7 landings on those two flights. They've ALL been greasers. I am amazed as how well I can now determine my height above the runway. When I was wearing glasses it was quite difficult for me to determine my height above the runway and I would typically flare about 3' too high. Why? Because I had NO peripheral vision. Now I do! And the difference is absolutely amazing.

The reason for this post is to make the CFI's aware of the landing challenge for folks with glasses, especially those with more powerful prescriptions and/or progressive lenses (just in case you weren't aware). I certainly didn't realize that my glasses were hindering my landing abilities as much as they were...but now I can clearly see that my glasses really handicapped my ability to land (both puns intended).

I've now had the view from both sides and must say that I like this one much better!

FWIW
 
I once bought a pair of "glacier" glasses. They were mirrored and tinted so heavily that they would have been perfect for landing on Mercury but were a bit optimistic for Wisconsin. They had leather cups like blinders along the outside of each rim.

I thought I looked pretty bush pilot tough in my furry hat and funky glasses till I tried landing with them on. It was the closest I ever came to a ground loop.

I would agree wholeheartedly on the peripheral vision cues. There are even neuroscientists who believe we have a wider field of vision than we are conscious of but that can sense motion. Likely in corrective lenses you may not be entirely deprived of the cues but perhaps the size of the lens and the choice of frames could impact?
 
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