Minimum vision standards needed to hold a driving license

The table below outlines the minimum vision standards to hold a driver license for a car, motorcycle, light truck or boat, and those required to hold a driver license for a bus or a truck.

Visual condition	License for car, motorcycle, truck license or boat	License for bus or truck
Acuity  (clarity of vision) Visual acuity can be tested by an optometrist or eye specialist	The minimum requirement for holding a private drivers license is visual acuity of6/12 or better (using both eyes). Aided or unaided vision is acceptable.	Corrected (with glasses or contact lenses) or uncorrected visual acuity must be better than 6/9 in the best eye and at least 6/18 in the worst eye.
	Must meet all visual criteria.  Two yearly review required.	At minimum, visual acuity must be met.
	May drive if visual acuity and visual field standards are met.  May be subject to annual review of vision and visual fields.	Standards for visual fields must be met. If considered suitable, a license may be considered, subject to annual review of visual fields.
Loss of vision in one eye	Should not drive for three months after losing vision in one eye.  May then drive if vision in good eye meets visual acuity standards.	May drive if the visual acuity standards are met.
Poor night vision	A conditional license may be issued for daylight driving.	A conditional license may be issued for daylight driving.

 

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CASA REQUIREMENTS FOR PILOTS

 

Dr Ed Hauptman is an authorised CASA examiner

 

Closed Angle Glaucoma

Applicants should not be passed until the condition has been surgically corrected. Once corrected, a pass assessment may be issued after ophthalmological review.

Open Angle Glaucoma

Most open angle glaucoma is controlled by medication. The Aviation Medicine Section may issue a pass assessment only after receipt of a satisfactory ophthalmologist's report,which must include results of perimetry.

 

Colour Vision

An applicant who fails to meet the colour perception standard (i.e. who fails both the Ishihara Plate Test and the Farnsworth Lantern, but who meets all other standards) is eligible for issue of an operationally restricted student pilot, private pilot or commercial pilot license. The holder of such a license is given a dispensation to operate at night in a suitably radio-equipped aircraft. This dispensation applies to Australian airspace only.

Class 1 and class 2 applicants who are unable to pass either the Ishihara Plate Test or Farnsworth Lantern Test may be further assessed by means of Practical Signal Light Test.

Details are available from Aviation Medicine Section.

Monocular Pilots

Monocular pilots may be divided into two categories:

_ The monocular condition—the situation in which an applicant has only one functioning eye.

_ The functionally monocular condition—the situation in which an applicant has two

eyes, but the visual acuity of one cannot be corrected to 6/9 or better.

Provided the visual acuity requirements can be met in the functioning eye, with or without correction, a waiver is granted for Class 2 certification, limited to Australian Airspace, for both the monocular condition and for functionally monocular pilots. Likely Conditions on an applicant’s Medical Certificate are:

_ Not valid for mustering or agricultural flying.

_ Valid in Australian airspace only.

_ Special conditions apply.

Functionally monocular pilots who can meet the visual acuity standard with the remaining eye may obtain Class 1 certification. These applicants are required to show that flight safety is not jeopardised by the reduced visual acuity or absence of the other eye. Only

 

 A person whose visual acuity in either eye is worse than 6/60 must provide a full ophthalmic report to CASA.

Medical standard 1

medical standard 1 applies to holders of, or applicants for, licences of the following kinds:

*       commercial pilot license (aeroplane or helicopter)

*       airline transport pilot license (aeroplane or helicopter)

*       flight navigator

*       flight engineer.

Visual requirements

1.31        Eyes and their adnexae function normally

1.32        Is not suffering from any safety-relevant pathological condition (either acute or chronic), nor any sequelae of surgery or trauma

1.33        Has normal fields of vision

1.34        Has normal binocular vision

1.35        Has a distant visual acuity of 6/9 or better in each eye separately and 6/6 or better binocular (with or without correcting lenses)

1.36        Can read (with or without correcting lenses) an N5 chart (or its equivalent) binocularly at a distance that he or she selects (in the range of 30 to 50 centimetres), and can read an N14 chart binocularly (with or without correcting lenses) at a distance of 1 metre

Note    A person who needs correcting lenses to meet this criterion must have the appropriate lenses available while carrying out duties under a relevant license -- see regulation 67.200.

1.37        Has a near point of accommodation no further away than 30 centimetres (with or without correcting lenses)

1.38        If using contact lenses to meet the visual standards set out in items 1.31 to 1.37:

   (a)  is able to wear those lenses for twice the projected length of flight time or duty time for the person without deterioration in visual acuity or discomfort; and

  (b)  if the lenses are of the hard or gas-permeable variety, demonstrates the ability, immediately after removing the lenses, to read at least 6/9 with spectacles binocularly

Colour perception

1.39        Can readily distinguish the colours that need to be distinguished for the safe exercise of privileges, or performance of duties, under the relevant license

 

Medical standard 2

 

  medical standard 2 applies to holders of, or applicants for, licences of the following kinds:

*       private pilot licences (aeroplane or helicopter)

*       glider pilot license

*       free balloon pilot license.

Visual requirements

2.31        Eyes and their adnexae function normally

2.32        Is not suffering from any safety-relevant pathological condition (either acute or chronic), nor any sequelae of surgery or trauma

2.33        Has normal fields of vision

2.34        Has normal binocular vision

2.35        Has a distant visual acuity of 6/12 or better in each eye separately and 6/9 or better binocular (with or without correcting lenses)

2.36        Can read (with or without correcting lenses) an N5 chart (or its equivalent) binocularly at a distance that he or she selects (in the range of 30 to 50 centimetres), and can read an N14 chart binocularly (with or without correcting lenses) at a distance of 1 metre

Note    A person who needs correcting lenses to meet this criterion must have the appropriate lenses available while carrying out duties under a relevant license -- see regulation 67.200.

2.37        Has a near point of accommodation no further away than 30 centimetres (with or without correcting lenses)

2.38        If using contact lenses to meet the visual standards set out in items 2.31 to 2.37:

   (a)  is able to wear those lenses for twice the projected length of flight time or duty time for the person without deterioration in visual acuity or discomfort; and

    (b)  if the lenses are of the hard or gas-permeable variety, demonstrates the ability, immediately after removing the lenses, to read at least 6/9 with spectacles binocularly

Colour perception

2.39        Can readily distinguish the colours that need to be distinguished for the safe exercise of privileges, or performance of duties, under the relevant license

 

Medical standard 3

medical standard 3 applies to holders of, or applicants for, air traffic controller licences.

Who meets medical standard 3

         (1)   Subject to subregulation (2) to (7), a person who satisfies the criteria in table 67.160 meets medical standard 3.

         (2)   A person may use contact lenses to meet the criterion in item 3.33 of table 67.160 if the lenses are monofocal and not tinted, and are well tolerated.

         (3)   A person whose visual acuity in either eye is worse than 6/60 must provide a full ophthalmic report to CASA.

         (4)   A person who has undergone surgery affecting the refractive status of either eye is taken not to meet the criterion in item 3.33 of table 67.160 until he or she is free of safety-relevant sequelae of the surgery.

         (5)   A person who requires both near correction and distant correction to meet the criteria in items 3.33 and 3.34 of table 67.160 must demonstrate that 1 pair of spectacles is sufficient to meet both requirements for correction.

         (6)   If a person applies for a class 3 medical certificate, the person must demonstrate that he or she meets the criterion in item 3.37 of table 67.160 by, in daylight, or artificial light of similar luminosity, readily identifying a series of pseudo-isochromatic plates of the Ishihara 24-plate type, making no more than 2 errors.

         (7)   If a change is made to a criterion in an item of table 67.160, a person who held a class 3 medical certificate and satisfied the criterion immediately before the change, but fails to satisfy the criterion as changed, is taken to satisfy the criterion for 2 years after the day when the change is made.

Visual requirements

3.29        Eyes and their adnexae function normally

3.30        Is not suffering from any safety-relevant pathological condition (either acute or chronic), nor any sequelae of surgery or trauma

3.31        Has normal binocular vision

3.32        Has normal fields of vision

3.33        Has a distant visual acuity of 6/9 or better in each eye separately and 6/6 or better binocular (with or without correcting lenses)

3.34        Can read (with or without correcting lenses) an N5 chart (or its equivalent) binocularly at a distance that he or she selects (in the range of 30 to 50 centimetres), and can read an N14 chart binocularly (with or without correcting lenses) at a distance of 1 metre

Note    A person who needs correcting lenses to meet this criterion must have the appropriate lenses available while carrying out duties under a relevant license -- see regulation 67.200.

3.35        Has a near point of accommodation no further away than 30 centimetres (with or without correcting lenses)

3.36        If using contact lenses to meet the visual standards set out in items 3.29 to 3.35:

   (a)  is able to wear those lenses for twice the projected length of duty time for the person without deterioration in visual acuity or discomfort; and

  (b)  if the lenses are of the hard or gas-permeable variety, demonstrates the ability, immediately after removing the lenses, to read at least 6/9 with spectacles binocularly

Colour perception

3.37        Can readily distinguish the colours that need to be distinguished for the safe exercise of privileges, or performance of duties