- Dear friends and followers, welcome back to my channel for
one of the most asked questions out there,
can a pilot wear glasses?
I get this question a lot from young aviation enthusiasts,
"Joe I'm worried I can't become a pilot because
my eyesight isn't the best, and therefore I have to wear glasses.
Can you help me?" So let's clean those lenses
and let's get started.
[Funky electronic music with intro]
Okay before we get started, please be
advised that I'm not an aeronautical
medical doctor, although I pass the medical university everyday,
I've studied to become a pilot
not a doctor, so all the information
I'm giving you today is based on
a very long interview with my doctor in my last check up
and further research I've done on the internet. So please whatever you do, before
you dive into your aviation career, seek the advice
from a professional certified aeronautical medical doctor or an optician
They will be able to give you the information you need for pursuing a career in aviation.
Overall answer is yes you
can wear glasses and become an airline pilot.
I know quite a few colleagues of mine who wear glasses
so these pilots are definitely out there, but
there are limits of course. So that clears the first question.
No you don't need to have perfect vision
However, you are required to have a certain vision standard
to become an airline pilot as you have
to pass the requirements for a Class 1 medical.
Unfortunately these standards can vary from country to country,
but for today we will stick to the FAA
regulations. So the minimum requirement
for a class 1 medical would be 20 over 20 vision.
So what does 20/20 vision mean?
I am sure many of you have seen this chart before,
a so-called Snellen chart.
Now, the idea behind the chart is to measure your distant visual acquity by stepping back
20 feet away from the chart,
then the doctor will want you to close up one eye
with your hand a and start to read out the first line
Now if you could only read out
the first line, well "E", that would
that would mean your vision is
20 over 200, meaning
a person with normal vision
or standard vision which is 20 over 20
can read the top line at a distance of 200 feet.
So your goal is to be able to read the red marked
line from a distance of 20 feet,
to get 20/20 vision. And no,
memorizing the line won't get you through that exam!
Now, my vision for example is
20 over 10,
meaning I can read the lowest line
on the chart where a standard
vision person needs to step 10 feet
forward to be able to read the line.
[smiling] I ate a lot of carrots when I was young!
Now the doctor will do another test
to measure your near vision acquity
with a similar chart. Here the requirements for
a Class 1 medical are 20 over 40
Now sometimes you also get people
saying you need to get 6 to 6 vision.
If you think about it, 20 feet equals
6 meters so that's
the same principle just by using meters instead.
So if you have to wear glasses
wear glasses in order to read the 20/20 or
20/40 vision line, that's fine but
there are limits. So if you are wearing
glasses because you have hypermetrophia, meaning
you have a good far-sightedness,
the correction should not exceed +5
diopter. If you have myopia, meaning
you have a good short-sightedness
the correction should not exceed -6
diopter. Astigmatism not exceeding
2 diopter and anisometropia
meaning both eyes need individual
correction shall not exceed 2 diopter
either plus or minus. Now fun fact if
you have to wear glasses whilst piloting the plane,
it is a legal requirement that you bring
a spare st of glasses, so in case
you are to break or lose your first pair.
Trust me, I have seen that happen! The next test is
the color vision test
Now, most doctors will use the Ishihara plates which is better
known as the color blindness test.
Now this tests consists out of
38 different plates.
Each of them consists out of colored, dotted
plates, and each of them show either
a number or a path. Now based on what
you can see and what you cannot, it is possible to check
if you are suffering from some form
of Red-Green color blindness. And I've
added a link in the description box below, so you can have a
go at the Ishihara test online.
Now the tests I've mentioned are only a few which are frequently
used during your medical examination, but there
are many more, for example to check night vision, or how fast your eyes are able to focus
different objects at various distances.
which
get tested every 5 years
before your 40th birthday
and then every two years
What about refractive eye surgery?
Yes, having your eyes lasered is possible to some extent.
Personally, I would wear glasses first before considering
eye surgery. But for those questions again,
consult a professional aeronautical medical doctor.
Also, if you are wanting to apply to a specific airline,
make sure to check for the medical requirements
because some airlines
set their own requirements which can be above
the standards of the aviation authorities.
My personal experience regarding my first medical
and eye examination, I wanted to be
100% sure before I started my career in aviation.
So, I went to the military medical test center where
they run all sorts of tests on you and if you pass their
requirements, the medical for commercial pilots is
a PIECE OF CAKE. By the way, these boys are just see-through.
I don't wear any glasses [laughter]
And that's it for today, and make sure- seek
a professional doctor regarding your
upcoming medical examination if you have any worries,
doubts or further questions. Thank you very much for your time
and don't forget, a good pilot is always learning.
Wishing you all the best, see you next week, Your Captain Joe!
*Subtitle in English by Bhuvans DIY*