Denial if not 20/20 Vision

J

jkca22

Well-Known Member
I got my third class medical in January 2008, when I first started flight training, and at the time the AME told me he couldn't give me a first class because I wasn't quite 20/20, but that I should just get my prescription adjusted (which scared me because I had just gotten new lenses). So this spring (now that I’m getting close to starting commercial training) I went to an opthamologist who said he could only get me to 20/25 and he wasn’t very open to working with me to get it better. So I went to an optometrist and he said that my glasses can correct me to the point where I can read most but not all of the letters on the 20/20 line (He called it 20/20-1 for one eye and 20/20-2 for the other). He then fitted me with gas permeable contacts and they seem to give me slightly better vision, where I could consistently read all or only miss one letter occasionally. But I’m also worried his chart may not be as tough as the AME’s.

So if I go in to the AME again asking to upgrade to a first class and my vision doesn’t quite cut it, can he just call it an early renewal of my third class, or will there be an official denial of my medical? I could go back and keep working with my optometrists to try to refine my vision, but I don’t want to keep paying for it if I’m good where I’m at.

Also, what are the FAA standards for how big the letters have to be and how many (if any) letters you can miss in a line and still cut it. Does 20/20-1 or 20/20-2 qualify as 20/20 for the FAA?
 
I don't know what 20/20-1 and 20/20-2 mean. Did you miss 1 or 2 letters on the 20/20 line?

If the optometrist can get you to 20/20, have him complete the Form 8500-7 and take it to the AME who should accept it for the vision test.:)
 
The optometrist said that 20/20-1 means you missed one letter on the 20/20 line. He said that technically if you get the majority of the letters on the line you can read that line. But it seems like maybe that depends on what doctor you ask. I thuoght maybe the FAA had a written standard on that.

Also, if I took an exam with the AME to see if I could get a first class and he said I'm not 20/20, does that show up as an official denial (of first class) on my record, or will he just say he can only renew the third class (several years earlier than the expiration).

Thanks
 
This is not a denial, it has never been recorded with the FAA.
Get the 8500-7 from the optometrist and is not 20/20, apply for a Special Issuance. http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org...m/ame/guide/app_process/exam_tech/item50/amd/

The proper way to test vision is:

  1. Snellen 20-foot eye chart may be used as follows:
    1. The Snellen chart should be illuminated by a 100-watt incandescent lamp placed 4 feet in front of and slightly above the chart.
    2. The chart or screen should be placed 20 feet from the applicant's eyes and the 20/20 line should be placed 5 feet 4 inches above the floor.
    3. A metal, opaque plastic, or cardboard occluder should be used to cover the eye not being examined.
    4. The examining room should be darkened with the exception of the illuminated chart or screen.
    5. If the applicant wears corrective lenses, the uncorrected acuity should be determined first, then corrected acuity.
I hope the AME did it that way.
 
So then do you have to be able to read ALL the letters on the 20/20 line or can you miss one?
 
It depends on which test you do. Usually if there are 6-8 letters you have to read all of them or you are not truely 20/20. Unfortunately, 20/20 is the standard set forth by the FAA. If an alternate vision test is used , such as the Titmus, the manufacturer's instructions are the valid standard the FAA accepts for the test.
 
when i did mine, it wasn't even letters. It was circles and i had to tell which one was open. I found this way harder than the letters, barely passed because of it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top