I Have Astigmatism. Can I Still Be A Commercial Pilot ?
February 9, 2010 by admin
Filed under FAQ on advance for astigmatism
hi there, i live in london and im young man with a dream , i want to live as a pilot, recently i read the CAA authorities requirements in medicals and saw the required minimum expectations for the eyes
my left and right eye are 4.75
which my optometrist said is fine for both my class 1 and 2
then came my astigmatism she saw on my left eye its 2.5
my right eye is 1.5
my left exceeded the minimum for my class 1 which is 2
im so scared and worried my dream is all and over and i need to find a way im never gonna give up
i need help from any pilots any eye specialists can my astigmatism be treated???
has anyone done a medical and saw that they aren’t that strict ?
what do i do ?
If your sight can be corrected to normal with glasses or contact lenses then you can be a pilot. There may be some minor restrictions as contacts can move under high G loads so Competition aerobatics is out.
Bear in mind that Lazer eye correction can rule out flying, certainly in the military. From personal experience I know that the RAF has C.130 Hercules pilots who wear glasses without problems.
Ian M
You can be a pilot and have an astigmatism, just not a class 1.
The other part is that your eyesight needs to be ‘correctable’ to 20/20. which is completely do-able as well. Without my glasses my eye sight is 20/600, with them on it’s 20/20.
I know this because I wanted to be a pilot and started the medical process to become one, before I found out how little they get paid and dropped the idea.
Good luck with your dream
i have an astigmatism in my right eye worse than you and i plan on using SODA (demonstrated ability) to get my private license, however it might be harder to do your 1st class medical, but you could do a 2nd class
probably, but check with the FAA medical requirement for eyesight first. start with the FAA website and then find an AME in your area to ask the specific questions.