wanttaja@ssc-vax.UUCP (Ronald J Wanttaja) (05/15/85)
Back when got my first medical, I had to get a waiver for "eye muscle imbalance." This is due to my left eye being 20/15 and my right blinking along at 20/400. I normally didn't wear glasses, but the regs said that the eye must be corrected, so my medical said "Glasses must be worn" and "Subject to Waiver XXXXXXX." I had to take a special flight test for the waiver. Basically, the regulations made me wear glasses, and what the glasses did was make the objects, as seen by my right eye, 10% smaller than they seemed with my left eye. Now, one might think this would cause problems while flying. Not at all! Since, in effect, I "turned off" my right eye (my opthamologist's explaination) during normal life, putting on the glasses made no difference. When my first medical expired, (I had my private license by then), the clinic did a boo-boo. They forgot to include ANY restrictions on my medical! No mention of the waiver, no "Glasses must be worn." I threw my glasses in the corner and flew like crazy for the next two years. No problems. I was flying Citabrias, Super Cubs, Bird Dogs, Aeroncas, Warriors, T-41s, C-150s (shudder), and a little T-38 time. I flew out of controlled A/Ps, grass strips, Fly-Ins, practice SAR missions, formation flying, Dogfighting (whoops.... I hope CAP has a statute of limitations). Mind you, walk me up to an eye chart, and I tested out 20/20 every time- with both eyes open. Next medical, they caught it (rats). I checked on the possibility of a medical flight check to prove my (without glasses) vision, but no dice. I was wearing glasses again, for flying. The point? None, I guess. Just an indication of the old maxim, "It don't mean didley-shit." Keep your glasses off to pass the medical, if necessary, and don't worry about about those who might call it "cheating," or question the safety aspects. I'm old and grey now (well, thirty anyway), and wear my glasses for reading (my left eye dropped to 20/25), as well as flying. I find now that the glasses help when flying, everything's more distinct. Just don't come at me from the right, or I'll thing you're 10% farther away than you really are... Ron Wanttaja (ssc-vax!wanttaja) I'll say this for the FAA, though- those fellers were very helpful for getting my waiver, and responded with unbelievable speed!