Can pilots wear glasses?

Question

I have a close friend who wants to be a pilot, he's 23. His eye degree is 4 (which is pretty bad I suppose) and he wears glasses. So is their a chance for him?

Answer 1

Yes. I'm a pilot and I have glasses. I am near sighted and my perscription is -0.30 sphere (I think it's 20/30 vision).

Have him get a pilot medical checkup, a flight school should be able to steer him in the right direction for this. This is how I started my flying.

Answer 2

Sure. Plenty of pilots wear glasses. There are some restrictions on entry into some military flying billets for people with glasses -- mostly fighters -- but otherwise it's not a problem as long as vision is correctable within certain limits. It's even possible to get waivers for certain visual defects that don't meet the standards if the candidate can demonstrate an ability to safely operate an aircraft despite the defect.

Answer 3

For a private pilot certificate in the US which requires a third-class medical, a pilot must have vision which can be corrected to 20/40 in each eye for both near and far vision. There is also a category of certification called "Sport Pilot" in which a pilot, with a few limitations, can fly a limited class of aircraft without any specific medical certification at all, so long as he holds a valid driver's license.

If your friend wants to fly for the airlines, the requirements get tougher, and many airlines will not allow pilots to have any vision correction (glasses, contact lenses, etc.) at all, though many will accept a pilot who can meet first-class medical certification. In between private aviation and the airlines is a broad range of aviation occupations for which only a second-class medical is required, with less stringent vision requirements.

The requirements for medical certification for pilots are listed in Part 67 of the 14 CFR, which is the set of federal regulations dealing with civil aviation.

Answer 4

My eyes are 20/60, near sighted, and I fly USAF airplanes and am a licensed airline transport pilot. So long as your eyes are correctable with corrective lenses, you can be licensed. In order to fly for the military, DO NOT get laser corrective surgery as some surgeries will disqualify you. You would be able to fly for the military so long as your eyes are correctable to 20/20 with prescription lenses. The military has a program for both glasses and contact lenses. Consult a flight surgeon at any military base for advice.

Answer 5

In the past, it was required that commercial pilots have 20-20 vision, but in the early nineties,I think, the rules have changed and now pilots may wear glasses provided that they correct vision to 20-20.

Answer 6

You cannot fly for most of the military, because the g's in jet flight cause heavy glasses (not sunglasses, necessarily) to smush uncomfortably on the face, and contacts can be distorted. Besides, who wants a pilot losing one durng a bombing run or dog fight? Commercially, however, I'v never heard of anyone not being able to fly b/c of glasses. Best if he checks with his eyedoctor about that one.

Answer 7

Yes, a close friend is doing his PPL with glasses (he's almost blind without them). As long as he's not aiming for a airforce career, tell him the sky is full of eye-disorder pilots with corrective glasses. So, full throttle and take off!

Answer 8

He can be a professional pilot. The military will not accept him as a pilot, but very few people can become a fighter pilot so it doesn't limit his career options too much.

Answer 9

Depends on the requirements. We had a Chief of the Airforce in Australia who had his Flying helmet made to specifications because he was nieve and didn't want others to know he needed glasses to fly. But I think he had 20/20 vision when he first joined.

Answer 10

Sure I guess. I've never heard that before. I mean, he can wear contacts or glasses. Many pilots wear sunglasses...so I dont see why you can't wear glasses in order for youto see clearly.