February 2, 2021
Millions of people around the world have sight problems and are forced to wear glasses. Throughout the years, I have encountered a question that many people ask; “Can I become a pilot if I wear glasses?” In this article, I am going to answer the following question in order to comfort those that have doubts lingering in their thoughts regarding this topic.
First, if you are ambitious to become a pilot but you wear glasses, do not rule out the possibility of achieving your goal because the truth is that you can still become a pilot. You should get rid of all pre-assumptions in your mind, and if you still have doubts, a simple solution would be to get an appointment with an aviation doctor so that they can accurately assess you.
As pilots, we have two medical class certificates:
Class 2 Medical Certificate – For Private Pilot License holders (PPL)
Class 1 Medical Certificate – For Commercial Pilot License holders (CPL)
Regarding the medicals, it depends on where you would like to reach in your aviation career. If you want to become a Private Pilot License holder and fly for personal use, then you will only need a Class 2 Medical Certificate. But, if your dream is to become an airline pilot and fly commercially, then, you will need to acquire a Class 1 Medical Certificate. You can acquire both medical certificates if you wear glasses and still become an airline pilot and operate normally as another pilot who does not wear glasses.
The only difference between a pilot who wears glasses and a pilot who does not is that it is written on their medical license in the limitation section that they must wear glasses during their flights. For pilots who wear glasses, they are obliged to have a set of spare glasses with them every time they want to fly in case of emergencies.
Now that I have answered the question stated above, I will also state some of the reasons a person can or cannot become a pilot. If you are shortsighted, farsighted, have astigmatism, or have any other vision deficiency that can be corrected using eyeglasses, you can become an official pilot if you pass your medical test. You can also pass the medical test if you have vision problems to a certain extent and/or laser surgery or any other type of eye surgery can correct it. However, this depends on the jurisdiction of the member state that you want to fly in. Moreover, if you are color blind (above a certain limit) or if one of your eyes is completely blind, then you cannot pass the medical test and you will not be allowed to become a pilot.
In conclusion, it is possible for a person who wears glasses to become a pilot and fulfill his/her duties completely as his/her colleagues who do not wear glasses. Furthermore, my personal advice for any aviation lover out there is to always take good care of your eyes and get them checked regularly to avoid problems and to take necessary actions to avoid any issues you may encounter.
