Colour defiency prevents dream of becoming a commercial pilot

mad al

I would be interested in hearing from other people who cannot pursue their dream of becoming a commercial pilot because they cannot gain a class I medical. I personally am colour deficient and so could only ever get a class II medical. I have done a bit of research into this and I believe that a lot could be done to allow us to pursue our dream.

Discodog

I was diagnosed colour blind many years ago using one of those tests with hidden images & lots of coloured dots. Over time I learnt to recognise colours to the point where I can now pass the test. Find out what colours are affected & try practising recognising then.

mad al

Oh really that's very interesting. Were you colour blind or colour deficient? I've have done the ishihara test at my opticians and she just said that I was colour deficient which I have suspected since I was a child. I have heard that during the medical exam if you fail the ishihara test you can do the lantern test but that not all examiners allow you which seems strange but it is supposed to be more specific. Eye experts in the Uk have said that the current tests are outdated and new more specific tests should be developed to measure e level of ones flulike defiency as current tests are very general and do not measure the degree of defiency. They are now developing these tests and have notified the aviation authority and the EASA of their findings. Would you be will to explain how you managed to learn them. I mainly struggle reds and greens but also various shades of blues purples and pinks are different.

mad al

mad al wrote: »

Oh really that's very interesting. Were you colour blind or colour deficient? I've have done the ishihara test at my opticians and she just said that I was colour deficient which I have suspected since I was a child. I have heard that during the medical exam if you fail the ishihara test you can do the lantern test but that not all examiners allow you which seems strange but it is supposed to be more specific. Eye experts in the Uk have said that the current tests are outdated and new more specific tests should be developed to measure e level of ones flulike defiency as current tests are very general and do not measure the degree of defiency. They are now developing these tests and have notified the aviation authority and the EASA of their findings. Would you be will to explain how you managed to learn them. I mainly struggle reds and greens but also various shades of blues purples and pinks are different.

I apoligise for the spelling errors I'm not blind also, well not very much

Skuxx

Yeah I suffer from that too, I'm colour deficient (sp?) with reds and greens. Its not just us though, apparently 1 in 10 males suffer but only 1 in 1200 females! I only found out when I went for a medical to start my aprentership as an AMT. I failed the hidden numbers test with all the different dots miserably so I was made do another test which I passed so they then gave me another test which was basically a big jumble of electrical cables of different colours and told to sort them and match all the ones of the same colour!! Passed that to so I got my aprentership but was shocking to know I had this deficiency and never knew it!!!

mad al

alan1990 wrote: »

Yeah I suffer from that too, I'm colour deficient (sp?) with reds and greens. Its not just us though, apparently 1 in 10 males suffer but only 1 in 1200 females! I only found out when I went for a medical to start my aprentership as an AMT. I failed the hidden numbers test with all the different dots miserably so I was made do another test which I passed so they then gave me another test which was basically a big jumble of electrical cables of different colours and told to sort them and match all the ones of the same colour!! Passed that to so I got my aprentership but was shocking to know I had this deficiency and never knew it!!!

Ah another Alan. Oh really what exactly is an AMT? Im just wondering if your had to undergo the same medical exam that pilots must undergo. Thats very encouraging though!

Jammyc

Currently in the process of being diagnosed with either epilepsy or something else, either way it caused a 'disturbance of consciousness'.

(a) No established medical history or clinical diagnosis of any of the following:
(1) Epilepsy;
(2) A disturbance of consciousness without satisfactory medical explanation of the cause

So that's me done.

mad al

Jammyc wrote: »

Currently in the process of being diagnosed with either epilepsy or something else, either way it caused a 'disturbance of consciousness'.



So that's me done.

Oh really well considering that I guess colour deficiency is the last thing I should be worrying about.

There have been some major advances in the treatment of epilepsy and a huge amount of research is on going.

I understand though how annoying it is for you not to be able to pursue a career as a comercial pilot.

Best of luck in the future and I hope everything turns out ok!

Jammyc

mad al wrote: »

Oh really well considering that I guess colour deficiency is the last thing I should be worrying about.

There have been some major advances in the treatment of epilepsy and a huge amount of research is on going.

I understand though how annoying it is for you not to be able to pursue a career as a comercial pilot.

Best of luck in the future and I hope everything turns out ok!

Thanks! I'm not exactly worryingly ill to be honest, it seems to be an outright stoppage to the career on official terms rather than me being actually debilitated. Much like in your case, where being colour deficient doesnt impact massively on your daily life, it still makes the difference between pass/fail. Makes it all the more irritating I think!:D

Milan Cobian

You can have perfectly normal colour vision and still fail the class 1 isihara test. In the past the solution was a referral by the Aeromedical unit to the Eye and Ear hospital for another type of test, which involved IIRC, coloured counters. A pass on this was deemed sufficient proof of normal colour vision.

mad al

Milan Cobian wrote: »

You can have perfectly normal colour vision and still fail the class 1 isihara test. In the past the solution was a referral by the Aeromedical unit to the Eye and Ear hospital for another type of test, which involved IIRC, coloured counters. A pass on this was deemed sufficient proof of normal colour vision.

Cool thanks a million for that info it is really helpful. It will be a few years yet before a sit the actual medical though as I'm in college and broke. I think I'll be working for a few years before I raise the cash for even my PPL never mind my CPL, ATPL, instrument and night ratings Etc. I hear job prospects for pilots at the minute are not great anyway do maybe a few years workin wouldn't go astray.

Skuxx

mad al wrote: »

Ah another Alan. Oh really what exactly is an AMT? Im just wondering if your had to undergo the same medical exam that pilots must undergo. Thats very encouraging though!

Sorry, AMT is Aircraft Maintenance Technition, an aircraft mechanic basically!

mad al

alan1990 wrote: »

Sorry, AMT is Aircraft Maintenance Technition, an aircraft mechanic basically!

Ah ok. I actually did 2 weeks work placement with executive helicopters in Galway when I was in transition year. I was working alongside the maintenace technicians for the 2 weeks. I helped take apart an engine for reconditioning. There was a fire in the hangar only weeks before I arrived and some of the helicopters were seriously damaged. It was very interesting, however it wasnt for me as a career. The job prospects seemed to be great at that time though.