CAA Class 1 Medical - Eyesight

[TJL19]

Hi all,

I'm booked in for my Class 1 Medical in three weeks and I'm equal parts excited and nervous. All should be good, my only worry is I've high myopia (-8.5 and -7.5) but corrected to 1.2 acuity in each eye. I know this high myopia usually results in being "referred to the medical assessor of the licensing authority and may be assessed as fit subject to a satisfactory ophthalmological evaluation" so hopefully all is well as according to my ophthalmologist I've healthy eyes!

Just curious if any other pilots have been through this process of being referred and if there are any issues I should be aware of?

[Miles2Go]

Don't sweat it man, I'm sure it'll be fine! I know a few other pilots who had similar issues with their eyesight and they all ended up getting their medical cert no problem. As long as your optometrist gives you a clean bill of health then I can't see why the assessor wouldn't be satisfied. Just be honest about your prescription and exam results and emphasize that your eyes are healthy otherwise. They're mainly concerned about any underlying conditions or risks, not just your prescription numbers. Trust the doc's assessment.

[DeltaT]

Had my initial UK medical failed based on eyesight, saying I was outside limits, which I challenged. So they said get 3 independent eye tests. So I did.
Then had to have a eye exam with the medical unit at Gatwick.
Turns out they were misreading the loop of the original handwriting and seeing a 6 instead of a 0.
Ironic.
I refused to pay the Gatwick medical fee they gave to me and walked out.

[TJL19]

Don't sweat it man, I'm sure it'll be fine! I know a few other pilots who had similar issues with their eyesight and they all ended up getting their medical cert no problem. As long as your optometrist gives you a clean bill of health then I can't see why the assessor wouldn't be satisfied. Just be honest about your prescription and exam results and emphasize that your eyes are healthy otherwise. They're mainly concerned about any underlying conditions or risks, not just your prescription numbers. Trust the doc's assessment.

Cheers thanks! Yeah that's what I thought too. But you know with these things coming up and just having nerves haha.

[BermudaMan22]

Hi all,

I'm booked in for my Class 1 Medical in three weeks and I'm equal parts excited and nervous. All should be good, my only worry is I've high myopia (-8.5 and -7.5) but corrected to 1.2 acuity in each eye. I know this high myopia usually results in being "referred to the medical assessor of the licensing authority and may be assessed as fit subject to a satisfactory ophthalmological evaluation" so hopefully all is well as according to my ophthalmologist I've healthy eyes!

Just curious if any other pilots have been through this process of being referred and if there are any issues I should be aware of?


If this helps. I and roughly -6.00 in both eyes and passed my class 1 this week without any issue or referral. My distance vision was the only concern I had and I checked with the AME… he said as long as each eye + together can be corrected to the requirement then you should pass (which was true in my case).

[TJL19]

If this helps. I and roughly -6.00 in both eyes and passed my class 1 this week without any issue or referral. My distance vision was the only concern I had and I checked with the AME… he said as long as each eye + together can be corrected to the requirement then you should pass (which was true in my case).

That's great news! I got my Class 1 Medical issued last month but with the restrictions to wear glasses (obviously) and carry a spare set. And also the need for specialist eye exams every two years. I believe it did have to be referred to the Medical Assessor of the AESA (Spanish CAA) for final decision but the eye exam itself was a normal part of the medical. Importantly my eyes had no pathology and my corrected visual acuity was 1.2 (needs to be .7 or better in each eye and 1.0 together).

Hope my experience is of us to others with high myopia :)

[SamBolt]

Hi,

I’m looking in as best as I can into what the fine detail specifications are for eyesight requirements for the CAA Class 1 Medical.
My biggest concern is my astigmatism, and from what I’ve read, the limit is +2 diopters. Mine is +6. However with correction my optician said my eyesight is 20/20, and he thinks it must count for something.
Ultimately I’m here for some clarity regarding if i can still acquire the medical if my eyes are 3x over the limit, but 20/20 with correction.
Hope this made sense, any help or knowledge would be much appreciated!