Vision Impairment and Corrective Considerations of Civil Airmen

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Vision Impairment and Corrective Considerations of Civil Airmen

V. B. Nakagawara / K. J. Wood / R. W. Montgomery

Civil aviation is a major commercial and technological industry in the United States. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is responsible for the regulation and promotion of aviation safety in the National Airspace System. The Office of Aviation Medicine oversees investigations on visual disorders and vision corrective devices of airmen and air traffic controllers. A review of the demographics of the civil airman population was performed using FAA publications and databases. Approximately 48% of the civil airman population is > or = 40 years of age (average age = 39.8 years). Many of these aviators are becoming presbyopic and will need corrective devices for near and intermediate vision. In fact, there has been an approximate 12% increase in the number of aviators with near vision restrictions in the last decade. Ophthalmic considerations for eye care practitioners prescribing and dispensing for civil aviators are discussed. This data is useful for the Office of Aviation Medicine to guide policy changes and educational programs for airmen with vision impairment and who use corrective ophthalmic lenses in the aviation environment, particularly the increasing number of presbyopic airmen. Vision, Lenses, Presbyopia, Demography.