One eyed Pilots

[kgwilson]

I just thought I'd ask if there are any pilots about there with only one good eye and how it affects their flying capabilities.

 

The reason I ask is that on Sunday morning while taking my dog for a run on the beach, I lost vision within about 10 seconds in my right eye. I had no idea what was happening and started to walk home. By the time I got home I had my sight back but while taking a shower it disappeared again & I was left with a small segment of vision (from about 25 minutes to the hour to 15 minutes to the hour using the eye as a clock) or about 15% of my original vision in the right eye. That is how it stayed and how it is now. Pity it was the right because that was always better than the left.

 

It turns out I have BRAO or Branch Retinal Artery Occlusion commonly called an Eye Stroke and there is no treatment or cure. I have no history of cardio vascular problems, my cholesterol is low, I don't have diabetes, I weigh 71kg, my blood pressure is perfect, I don't smoke, so all the risk factors have been mitigated but these things can still occur.

 

Anyway my Ophthamologist says driving is no problem & I have heard of pilots with a single good eye or with vision from only one but I've never met any of them.

 

Anyway I am back into the finishing stages of building my plane tomorrow & getting on with life. I am just going to have to turn my head a bit more to see everything.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

I know of a guy who lost his eye when he was a kid flying ok

 

 

[flyerme]

um dosn,t Ian have vision in only 1 eye?(admin)

 

 

[facthunter]

A person who has had monocular for most of their lives will be better than if you lose sight of one eye later. You get more used to it with time, and adapt to some extent. Without binary vision depth/distance perception is not as good. If you can catch a ball thrown to you or play tennis or whatever, you should be OK. I did train one pupil who had only one eye and for quite a while the landings were a little unpredictable. (Hard on the nerves for me) There's quite a few pilots with one eye. I don't know whether any ATPL are like that. Your sight is still OK? nev

 

 

[storchy neil]

Ian have vision in only 1 eye:stirrer: never noticed as he does not wear lipstick:oops: but has had a wax job on his chest:groan: :peep wall:neil

 

 

[kgwilson]

A person who has had monocular for most of their lives will be better than if you lose sight of one eye later. You get more used to it with time, and adapt to some extent. Without binary vision depth/distance perception is not as good. If you can catch a ball thrown to you or play tennis or whatever, you should be OK. I did train one pupil who had only one eye and for quite a while the landings were a little unpredictable. (Hard on the nerves for me) There's quite a few pilots with one eye. I don't know whether any ATPL are like that. Your sight is still OK? nev

Still OK and I don't seem to have a depth perception problem. This is only my 3rd day like this though. I'll go flying with a friend & see if I can still judge distances height & master the landing process. I need to do a BFR anyway so I'll do some time with an instructor at some point soon.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

what happens if you lose sight in one eye when you are flying? I have a friend who lost vision on one side due to a stroke. took him a while but he got his car licence back once he had adjusted.

 

 

[facthunter]

KGW if you still have sight in both you are OK. If you lose it, it is like a cover over one eye as far as your depth perception is concerned, and your peripheral vision toward the centre will diminish. (Cause your nose is in the way) Nev

 

 

[turboplanner]

Post merged in from another thread - Mod xox

 

Well I'm very sorry to hear that; what a bastard of a thing to happen, and an immediate loss.

 

Depth perception is the thing most talked about, but I know quite a few one eyed people who perform tasks requiring depth perception, including a number of semi trailer drivers who reverse on mirrors through doors and up to docks, so there will be a way to adjust.

 

I have a friend who lost a right eye and he does have some difficulty judging traffic passing him on a highway and coming from the right at intersections, but he adjusts for that by using his head to scan to the right.

 

The only serious problem he's had was when riding his bike, nearly being cleaned up by a Toyota Prius turning left on its electric motor. In one of the design groups I'm in, I've recommended a sound device for all electric cars, although I might not get the Chev 350 sound I asked for.

 

If when you try out with an instructor you have any difficulty, let us know and I'm sure a few of us can hit the books. One possibility, which I was trained on in the Cherokee was to land looking out the side window (there is a technique to this so I don't want people taking this as how to advice), but it greatly reduces the depth perception requirement.

 

 

[kgwilson]

what happens if you lose sight in one eye when you are flying?

That would be scary. If it is BRAO as I got it affects only one eye usually the right. Mine was partial so I have a bit of vision. Sometimes you lose all vision in one eye. If it is CRAO (central retinal artery occlusion, where the clot is in the artery that supplies both retinas with blood) you could lose sight in both eyes. If you are flying solo & that happened there is no tomorrow.

I am healthy & fit with none of the risk factors specified. I am just in the age bracket (60s) where it is most common so this can happen to anyone.

 

 

[facthunter]

There are plenty of similar things that would worry you. Small clots are always forming in most people and a scan of the brain (MRI), will show them as small white spots. you can always have a haemorrhage sp? in the brain, that will ruin your day too. If you suspect anything like this is happening to you get attention straight away and you limit the damage. Nev