Contact lenses

[Mike Smith]

I have read that mono-vision contact lenses are not approved by the FAA. My optometrist can prescribe glasses that, in effect, correct my vision back to standard vision and add bi-focals. My question is would this satisfy the FAR's? Or am I going to have to go back to standard contacts and wear readers when I fly? Thanks in advance!

Mike

 

[Jim Logajan]

The real problem is that monovision reduces bifoveal fusion.

I wasn't aware there was any requirements for bifoveal fusion for a third class medical. According to the following document, even pilots with monocular vision are able to get any class medical through special issuance:

http://www.faa.gov/pilots/safety/pilotsafetybrochures/media/pilot_vision.pdf

It gives the following reasoning against monovision contact lenses, which isn't exactly the same as yours, since it seems to be founded entirely on alleged "lack of adaptation" which seems to me to bypass the more important question "But what does it mean operationally; that is, what does such a person actually miss that even a monocular vision person wouldn't?":"Use of contact lenses has been permitted to satisfy the distant visual acuity requirements for a civil airman medical certificate since 1976. However, monovision contact lenses, a technique of fitting older patients who require reading glasses with one contact lens for distant vision and the other lens for near vision, ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE for piloting an aircraft.

The use of a contact lens in one eye for distant visual acuity and a lens in the other eye for near visual acuity is not acceptable because this procedure makes the pilot alternate his/her vision; that is, a person uses one eye at a time, suppressing the other, and consequently impairs binocular vision and depth perception. Since this is not a permanent condition for either eye in such persons, there is no adaptation, such as occurs with permanent monocularity. Monovision lenses, therefore, should NOT be used by pilots while flying an aircraft."