Vision Standards For Civil Aviation Authority

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The standards required for professional pilots and air traffic controllers are:

1. There shall be no acute or chronic disease in either eye or adnexa.
2. The visual acuity of at least 6/9 in each eye (with or without glasses). The unaided vision must not be less than 6/60 or the refractive error must not exceed ±3.00 dioptres (equivalent sphere error). The medical certificate shall bear an endorsement noting the requirement to wear correcting lenses.
3. At the initial examination, any degree of heterophoria in excess of 8 prism dioptres esophoria, 6 prism dioptres esophoria or 1.5 prism dioptres hyperphoria will require further evaluation.
4. Candidates should be able to read N5 or its equivalent at a distance between 30-50 cm with each eye (with or without glasses). It is also required that N14 print should be read at 100 cm. The medical certificate should bear an endorsement noting the requirement to have available correcting glasses for near vision purposes.
5. Contact lenses may be worn by professional pilots subject to certain conditions. The main applicants must have worn the contact lenses for several hours a day (the duration of a working day at least) for at least three months. Details of the lenses and a full ophthalmic report should be submitted.
6. The candidate should have normal colour vision perception as tested by Ishihara Pseudo-Isochromatic plates in good daylight or alternatively be able to recognize colors of signal red, signal green and white using the Holmes Wright Lantern as standard at a distance of 20 feet.
7. The visual fields must be normal.

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The standards for student and private pilots are:

1. There shall be no acute or chronic disease in either eye or adnexa.
2. The visual fields must be normal.
3. A visual acuity of at least 6/12 in each eye (with or without glasses). The unaided vision must be at least 6/60 and the refractive error must not exceed ±5.00 dioptres (equivalent spherical error). Errors in excess of 5.00 but not exceeding 8.00 dioptres may be accepted provided that an ophthalmologist's assessment confirms that the retnae and fundi are healthy.
4. Any degree of heterophoria found in the test should be noted in the candidate,s medical record.
5. The candidate shall be require to have accommodation that permits the reading of N5 or its equivalent at a distance between 30 and 50 cm with each eye with or without glasses.
6. The wearing of contact lenses is permitted subject to certain conditions.
7. Monocular cases should be referred directly to the Civil Aviation Authority Medical Department.
8. The candidate should have normal colour vision perception as tested by Ishihara Pseudo-Isochromatic plates in good daylight or alternatively, should be able to recognize accurately the colours of red, green and white using Giles Archer or Holmes Wright Lanterns at a distance of 20 feet.

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