Looking for guidance from airline pilots..
12-18-2011, 11:06 AM
#1
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Joined APC: Dec 2011
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Looking for guidance from airline pilots..
Hey everyone-
I am looking for advice on a situation I am in regarding my vision. I have wanted to be an airline pilot my entire life. I'm 25 now and there is a University a couple hours from me that has an excellent flight science program that I want to apply for. The only thing that's holding me back is my vision. I am very near sighted and have red/green color blindness. My vision corrects to 20/20, thought I have a slight astigmatism that makes it borderline for me to pass the 20/20 chart at the eye doctor's. Not to mention, my contact prescription in each eye is -10. Would that matter as long as I can correct to 20/20? I have also read it's possible to have an FAA medical doctor accompany you on a light gun display at a tower in order to bypass color testing when going for a class 1 medical certification. A letter of evidence I believe it's called. If anyone can tell me their experience with this and if it's worth it for me to try and go for this I'd really appreciate it.
I am looking for advice on a situation I am in regarding my vision. I have wanted to be an airline pilot my entire life. I'm 25 now and there is a University a couple hours from me that has an excellent flight science program that I want to apply for. The only thing that's holding me back is my vision. I am very near sighted and have red/green color blindness. My vision corrects to 20/20, thought I have a slight astigmatism that makes it borderline for me to pass the 20/20 chart at the eye doctor's. Not to mention, my contact prescription in each eye is -10. Would that matter as long as I can correct to 20/20? I have also read it's possible to have an FAA medical doctor accompany you on a light gun display at a tower in order to bypass color testing when going for a class 1 medical certification. A letter of evidence I believe it's called. If anyone can tell me their experience with this and if it's worth it for me to try and go for this I'd really appreciate it.
12-18-2011, 12:57 PM
#2
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Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: FAA 'Flight Check'
Posts: 13,837
Originally Posted by jtfly
Hey everyone-
I am looking for advice on a situation I am in regarding my vision. I have wanted to be an airline pilot my entire life. I'm 25 now and there is a University a couple hours from me that has an excellent flight science program that I want to apply for. The only thing that's holding me back is my vision. I am very near sighted and have red/green color blindness. My vision corrects to 20/20, thought I have a slight astigmatism that makes it borderline for me to pass the 20/20 chart at the eye doctor's. Not to mention, my contact prescription in each eye is -10. Would that matter as long as I can correct to 20/20? I have also read it's possible to have an FAA medical doctor accompany you on a light gun display at a tower in order to bypass color testing when going for a class 1 medical certification. A letter of evidence I believe it's called. If anyone can tell me their experience with this and if it's worth it for me to try and go for this I'd really appreciate it.
I am looking for advice on a situation I am in regarding my vision. I have wanted to be an airline pilot my entire life. I'm 25 now and there is a University a couple hours from me that has an excellent flight science program that I want to apply for. The only thing that's holding me back is my vision. I am very near sighted and have red/green color blindness. My vision corrects to 20/20, thought I have a slight astigmatism that makes it borderline for me to pass the 20/20 chart at the eye doctor's. Not to mention, my contact prescription in each eye is -10. Would that matter as long as I can correct to 20/20? I have also read it's possible to have an FAA medical doctor accompany you on a light gun display at a tower in order to bypass color testing when going for a class 1 medical certification. A letter of evidence I believe it's called. If anyone can tell me their experience with this and if it's worth it for me to try and go for this I'd really appreciate it.
Practically ALL of the answers that you are looking for can be found in those multiple threads.
USMCFLYR
12-18-2011, 04:54 PM
#3
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Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 39,275
Technically, as long as you correct to 20/20 there is no FAA limit on the prescription. But -10 is HUGE...mine is -1.25
My concern would be long term. With that much refractive error and being borderline to see 20/20 at age 25 you might be challenged to maintain your medical certification as you get older. It's true that you can get a waiver if you can't quite see 20/20 in just one eye, but some employers don't like medical waivers. Also I'm 99% sure that you still have to see 20/20 with both eyes together.
The only pay-off in this career (if there is one) comes after all your hair is either grey or gone. I would not recommend spending time and money and paying years of dues if you know going in that you might get sidelined down the road.
The color vision thing is another challenge entirely. It used to be that you could get a definitive answer one way or another up front, and if you passed that test you would be good for the rest of your career. But things are changing, and you may have to re-certify periodically. Again, it's not going to get better with age and might get worse.
Ultimately it's your call, but we are not just talking about your dream...your financial future is at stake too.
My concern would be long term. With that much refractive error and being borderline to see 20/20 at age 25 you might be challenged to maintain your medical certification as you get older. It's true that you can get a waiver if you can't quite see 20/20 in just one eye, but some employers don't like medical waivers. Also I'm 99% sure that you still have to see 20/20 with both eyes together.
The only pay-off in this career (if there is one) comes after all your hair is either grey or gone. I would not recommend spending time and money and paying years of dues if you know going in that you might get sidelined down the road.
The color vision thing is another challenge entirely. It used to be that you could get a definitive answer one way or another up front, and if you passed that test you would be good for the rest of your career. But things are changing, and you may have to re-certify periodically. Again, it's not going to get better with age and might get worse.
Ultimately it's your call, but we are not just talking about your dream...your financial future is at stake too.
12-18-2011, 05:31 PM
#4
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: FAA 'Flight Check'
Posts: 13,837
Originally Posted by rickair7777
Technically, as long as you correct to 20/20 there is no FAA limit on the prescription. But -10 is HUGE...mine is -1.25
My concern would be long term. With that much refractive error and being borderline to see 20/20 at age 25 you might be challenged to maintain your medical certification as you get older. It's true that you can get a waiver if you can't quite see 20/20 in just one eye, but some employers don't like medical waivers. Also I'm 99% sure that you still have to see 20/20 with both eyes together.
The only pay-off in this career (if there is one) comes after all your hair is either grey or gone. I would not recommend spending time and money and paying years of dues if you know going in that you might get sidelined down the road.
The color vision thing is another challenge entirely. It used to be that you could get a definitive answer one way or another up front, and if you passed that test you would be good for the rest of your career. But things are changing, and you may have to re-certify periodically. Again, it's not going to get better with age and might get worse.
Ultimately it's your call, but we are not just talking about your dream...your financial future is at stake too.
My concern would be long term. With that much refractive error and being borderline to see 20/20 at age 25 you might be challenged to maintain your medical certification as you get older. It's true that you can get a waiver if you can't quite see 20/20 in just one eye, but some employers don't like medical waivers. Also I'm 99% sure that you still have to see 20/20 with both eyes together.
The only pay-off in this career (if there is one) comes after all your hair is either grey or gone. I would not recommend spending time and money and paying years of dues if you know going in that you might get sidelined down the road.
The color vision thing is another challenge entirely. It used to be that you could get a definitive answer one way or another up front, and if you passed that test you would be good for the rest of your career. But things are changing, and you may have to re-certify periodically. Again, it's not going to get better with age and might get worse.
Ultimately it's your call, but we are not just talking about your dream...your financial future is at stake too.
USMCFLYR
12-19-2011, 02:25 AM
#5
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 39,275
Originally Posted by USMCFLYR
What have you read that involves testing periodically if you pass the flight color vision test? My paperwork states that I don't have to take the color vision test again and it isn't for a limited amount of time like my SIs.
USMCFLYR
USMCFLYR
12-24-2011, 07:22 PM
#6
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Joined APC: Apr 2007
Posts: 456
The docs always say that the red/green issue (no matter how mild or severe) is always congenital, and never changes in ones lifetime. The "acquired" problems are usually the "blue/yellow" issue (chemical exposure or cataracts), and if at that point, you will have had way bigger problems with your eyes long before the color vision became the issue.... The mild deutran type Red/Green deficiency is by far the most common, and doesn't change for life (usually doesn't affect their lives until a sensitive color test is taken either, because they have no problems with most real world color discrimination and didn't even know they had any until meeting the FAA...) Yet most people that get screwed by these tests are of this mild type... It's bad science and bad testing methods. Hopefully they keep the wide variety of options, and come up with a one and done method for R/G people stuck in this limbo someday soon.
12-24-2011, 07:30 PM
#7
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Joined APC: Dec 2009
Position: 127.0.0.1
Posts: 2,115
Not to thread drift too much, but........
My AME did the "paper ink blot" color vision test where you "see" the green number buried in a pink background. All went well until the last slide. I could not see any number at all. After a long pause, being scared sh!tless and a few, ummm, well - "doc, I can't see any number in there", he said "Good, there is no number there".
I guess he was testing memorizing the color test?
Best of luck to the OP. Always good advice on this forum.
ps Depending on the mood of the AME, I'll pull out the Bugs Bunny answer to the 20/20 vision test - "Acme Vision Printing Company, Copyright 1978".
My AME did the "paper ink blot" color vision test where you "see" the green number buried in a pink background. All went well until the last slide. I could not see any number at all. After a long pause, being scared sh!tless and a few, ummm, well - "doc, I can't see any number in there", he said "Good, there is no number there".
I guess he was testing memorizing the color test?
Best of luck to the OP. Always good advice on this forum.
ps Depending on the mood of the AME, I'll pull out the Bugs Bunny answer to the 20/20 vision test - "Acme Vision Printing Company, Copyright 1978".
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