It can be an intimidating thing that you don’t always have complete control over. Your vision is sometimes born poor, or you can regress over time to have vision challenges, or even perhaps there was a notable even in your life (trauma, illness, etc.) that caused an abrupt change in your quality of vision. For all of those reasons and more some people will fear the vision requirement of becoming a pilot. So it’s a very frequent question: what are the vision requirements for a private and or commercial pilot’s license?
The private pilot’s license (third class medical examination) requires 20/40 vision in each eye separately (both distant and near vision), corrected or uncorrected. The commercial pilot’s license (first and second class medical examination) requires 20/20 distant vision, and 20/40 intermediate and near vision, corrected or uncorrected.
In the rest of this post we’ll break out the requirements for the private and commercial pilot separately, and at the end we’ll cover some other factors such as lasik, color blindness, and more.
Vision Requirements for a Private Pilot’s License
The most common searched phrase on this topic is the vision requirements in regards to the actual pilot’s license. However really what you need to know, and how the FAA will treat the question, is what are the vision requirements for the particular medical exam you will be required to have based upon the pilot privileges you are exercising.
For example, if you’re wondering the vision requirements for the private pilot, really what you are asking is what are the vision requirements for a third class medical exam. As a private pilot you won’t need a higher medical certification than this since you won’t be paid to fly.
Here are the vision requirements for a third class medical (what you’d need for a private pilot’s license). This is all coming from 14 CFR 67.303(a).
Distant Vision
14 CFR 67.303(a) says “Distant visual acuity of 20/40 or better in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses. If corrective lenses (spectacles or contact lenses) are necessary for 20/40 vision, the person may be eligible only on the condition that corrective lenses are worn while exercising the privileges of an airman certificate.”
Note that “distant” vision is generally regarded as 20 feet. This is similar to the eye exam you would have at your optometrist to judge your distant vision. Take note that it says above if you achieve the vision requirement with the use of corrected lenses (eyeglass or contact lenses), you will be required to use those when flying (similar to how your driver’s license would say “must use corrective lenses” on the back, like mine does).
Near Vision
14 CFR 67.303(b) says “Near vision of 20/40 or better, Snellen equivalent, at 16 inches in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses.” The distance of the test is 16 inches, similar to how you might read a book. As with the distant vision, if you use corrective lenses to pass your vision test you’ll need to use those when flying.
Color Requirements
14 CFR 67.303(c) says that the third class medical standard is the “Ability to perceive those colors necessary for the safe performance of airman duties.” That is definitely vague. At the bottom of the post we’ll expand upon what the “colors necessary for the safe performance of airman duties” entails.
Other Requirements
Lastly, 14 CFR 67.303(d) says that the medical standard is “No acute or chronic pathological condition of either eye or adnexa that interferes with the proper function of an eye, that may reasonably be expected to progress to that degree, or that may reasonably be expected to be aggravated by flying.” Basically you can’t have material issues with your eye(s) that will interfere with you to be able to be a safe pilot, nor have conditions that will be worsened by flying.
Vision Requirements for a Commercial Pilot’s License
Vision requirements for a commercial pilot are actually the same for both the first and second class medical exam. If you’re wondering the vision requirements for the commercial pilot, really what you are asking is what are the vision requirements for a second or first class medical exam. As you may already know, you will need at least a second class medical to exercise the privileges of a commercial pilot, and in some instances you will need a first class medical certificate.
Usually jobs like being a flight instructor, skydive pilot, flight-seeing tour guide, or aerial sprayer require just the second class medical exam. Almost all airlines require a first class medical exam. If you are wondering what your medical requirements will be for a particular aviation job, they will usually post on the job description what type of medical exam you will need to hold, and from that you can determine what your vision requirements will be.
Luckily, the eye exam requirements are the same for both the first and second class medical. First class medical vision requirements come from 14 CFR 67.103 and second class medical vision requirements are located in 14 CFR 67.203.
Distant Vision
14 CFR 67.103(a) AND 14 CFR 67.203(a) require the same thing for both first and second class medical exams: “Distant visual acuity of 20/20 or better in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses. If corrective lenses (spectacles or contact lenses) are necessary for 20/20 vision, the person may be eligible only on the condition that corrective lenses are worn while exercising the privileges of an airman certificate.”
As mentioned above, the “distant” vision is taken at the distance of 20 feet.
Near Vision
14 CFR 67.103(b) and 14 CFR 67.203(b) require the same thing for both first and second class medical exams: “Near vision of 20/40 or better, Snellen equivalent, at 16 inches in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses. If age 50 or older, near vision of 20/40 or better, Snellen equivalent, at both 16 inches and 32 inches in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses.”
Other Requirements
The other requirements are similar to the third class medical but there are two additional sections (d) and (f) below (in 67.103(b) and 67.203(b)):
“(c) Ability to perceive those colors necessary for the safe performance of airman duties. [same as third class medical]
(d) Normal fields of vision.
(e) No acute or chronic pathological condition of either eye or adnexa that interferes with the proper function of an eye, that may reasonably be expected to progress to that degree, or that may reasonably be expected to be aggravated by flying. [same as third class medical]
(f) Bifoveal fixation and vergence-phoria relationship sufficient to prevent a break in fusion under conditions that may reasonably be expected to occur in performing airman duties. Tests for the factors named in this paragraph are not required except for persons found to have more than 1 prism diopter of hyperphoria, 6 prism diopters of esophoria, or 6 prism diopters of exophoria. If any of these values are exceeded, the Federal Air Surgeon may require the person to be examined by a qualified eye specialist to determine if there is bifoveal fixation and an adequate vergence-phoria relationship. However, if otherwise eligible, the person is issued a medical certificate pending the results of the examination.”
Color Vision Requirements for Pilots
Both private and commercial pilots have the same requirement per the regulations and that is the “Ability to perceive those colors necessary for the safe performance of airman duties.” So what does that mean?
Practically what will happen is that at the medical examiner’s office you will need to complete what’s called the pseudoisochromatic color plate test. It basically has a bunch of colored dots on the page with contrasting colors and you are supposed to be able to spot the number that is slightly visible in the contrast. Here is what it looks like:
If you fail this test, you can still fly but you’ll have restrictions. You can’t fly at night or with color signal control. However, if you still want a shot at fully passing your color test and having your limitations lifted, you can take an alternative test (Dvorine second edition 15-plate test or one of the Ishihara tests). Know that if you do take and pass one of these alternative tests, you will be required to take that same test at each visit to the medical examiner. But hey, you passed!
What if you fail the alternate tests?
If you fail these alternate color vision tests, you still a few options at your disposal (if you want the restrictions lifted). The FAA splits this into third class and first/second class medical exam requirements. We’ll take them one at a time.
Third Class Medicals
If you fail the alternative test there is a second alternative test that you can opt in for — it’s called the operational color vision test (OCVT) and it’s managed through your local FSDO (flight standards district office). Instead of staring at a bunch of similarly colored dots on a page, this test is more practical (or operational, hence the name) in nature and involves correctly identifying light gun signals at an airport and also correctly identifying colors on sectional/aeronautical charts.
If you pass this test, you’ll have your medical certificate. While it will have the note “3rd Class Letter of Evidence” on it, I can’t find any practical restrictions that will cause you.
If you fail either portion of the OCVT during the day, you have a chance to re-take the test at night. If you pass during the nighttime, you’ll have a restriction on your medical indicating “not valid for flights requiring color signal control during daylight hours” (basically if light gun signals are needed at an airport due to communication failures or the like). If you don’t pass the night test (and didn’t pass the day test), then you are back to where you started and cannot fly at night or by color signal control.
Know that if you do fail the daytime signal light test you aren’t eligible for the first or second class medical certification, which could definitely prohibit your career as a professional pilot (as you’ll need a first or second class medical in order to be compensated to fly).
If you have questions on any of the above, AOPA is a good resource or you can also call you local FSDO and ask them to walk you through it. Since they administer some of the above mention tests they will be able to help explain everything to you.
First and Second Class Medicals
If you failed the alternate color vision tests but still want a first or second class medical, you’ll first need to pass the above mentioned operational color vision test (OCVT) which consists of the signal light test and identification of certain colors on aeronautical charts. This test is managed at your local FSDO (flight standards district office).
Just like the third class medical, if you fail the the day portion of the OCVT for your first or second class medical, you will be able to retake this at night. If you pass at night, you’ll have a restriction on your medical that you are prohibited from flights that require signal control during daylight hours. If you fail the night OCVT (which you would take only if you failed the daytime OCVT as well), you will be back to where you started and be prohibited from flying at night or by color signal control.
For the third class medical, passing the OCVT is enough to get your medical, but there is another test if you want your first or second class medical, and that is passing a color vision medical flight test (MFT). It’s a little similar to the OCVT in that it is practical in nature and not some funny test in a flight surgeon’s office. The test occurs during an actual flight and you will be required to demonstrate the following:
- Read and correctly interpret instruments (particularly ones with color coding)
- Recognize terrain and be able to select emergency landing locations, as well as describe the condition and any obstacles of said location
- Correctly identify certain aeronautical lights including
- Aircraft lights
- Runway and approach lighting
- Taxiway lights
- Obstacle lights (such as towers, buildings, etc.)
- Airport rotation beacon lights
If you pass this test, you’ll have your medical certificate with no restrictions.
How Long Do Medical Certificates Last?
Now that you’ve gone through all of the above steps to get your medical exam completed (at least for the vision part of it), how long are your medical exams good for? Well, it depends on what class medical certificate you get.
All medical exams have different durations, and they are further split by how old you are when you take the exam (40 years old is the line in the sand). We’ll go through scenarios for each medical certificate below.
Third Class Medical Duration
If you are under the age of 40, the third class medical is good for 5 years (60 calendar months). After the age of 40, it lasts for 24 calendar months. As you can see that’s a pretty dramatic reduction in duration once you hit the 40 mark.
We mention calendar months above. It’s an important distinction to know that it isn’t to the exact day, but rather the end of the month. For example, if you’re under 40 and have a third class medical date of 4/25/2017, it wouldn’t expire until the end of April 2022 (not the 25th).
What happens if you turn 40 years old in the middle of your 60-month duration? It only matters how old you were when you took the medical exam, not how old you will be during the duration of the medical certificate. In other words you’ll still get all 60 calendar months. If you get your third class medical when you’re 38, it’s still good for 60 months until you’re 43. After that, it switches to every 24 calendar months.
Second Class Medical Duration
The second class medical is valid for 12 calendar months after the date of issue, but then if not renewed it will default to a third class medical for the remaining duration of the medical.
If you were under 40 when the exam took place, then the second class medical would be good for 12 calendar months, followed by 48 more months of it being a third class medical.
If you were 40 or older at the time of the exam, the second class medical would be good for 12 calendar months, followed by 12 more calendar months of it being a third class medical. Said another way, here’s the breakdown:
If you’re under 40 when you get your second class medical:
- Second class medical privileges last for 12 calendar months; plus
- Third class medical privileges last for 48 more calendar months thereafter
If you’re over 40 when you get your second class medical:
- Second class medical privileges last for 12 calendar months; plus
- Third class medical privileges last for 12 more months thereafter
First Class Medical Duration
The first class medical is valid for 12 months if you are under the age of 40 when you take the exam or 6 calendar months if you are over the age of 40 when you take the exam. If you do not renew your first class medical certificate at the end of this timeline, your medical privileges “step down” in intervals according to your age at the time of your first class medical exam.
If you’re under 40 when you get your first class medical:
- First class medical privileges last for 12 calendar months; plus
- Third class medical privileges last for 48 more months thereafter
If you’re over 40 when you get your first class medical:
- First class medical privileges last for 6 calendar months; plus
- Second class medical privileges last for 6 more calendar months thereafter; plus
- Third class medical privileges last for 12 more calendar months thereafter
Medical Certification – Class Hierarchy
It’s important to remember that medical certifications have a hierachy to where the higher medicals satisfy all requirements of those below it. For example, a first class medical certificate meets (and exceeds) all requirements of second and third class exams. On the other hand, a third class medical does not satisfy the requirements of either the second or first class medical.
