FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
PUBLICATIONS
AVIATION MEDICINE REPORTS

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-90/10

Title and Subtitle: The Use of Contact Lenses in the Civil Airman Population

Report Date: September 1990

Authors: Nakagawara, V.B.

Abstract: Federal Aviation Regulations permit the routine use of contact lenses by civilian pilots to satisfy the distant visual acuity requirements for obtaining medical certificates. Specific information identifying the prevalence of both defective distant vision and contact lenses in the civil airman population is required to guide future medical certification decisions, policy changes, and education safety programs to aviation personnel. A descriptive, retrospective epidemiologic study was performed of active airmen by 5-year intervals for a 20-year period (1967-1987) using FAA databases and publications. The percentage of airmen who use contact lenses quadrupled during the study period. When stratified by class of medical certificate and age, the prevalence rates for airmen with first-class medical certificates and older airmen showed the largest increases. The increasing use of contact lenses and the variety of design, materials, and applications which may be employed by the pilot population mandate ongoing review for adverse changes and safety consequences.

Key Words: Vision, Contact Lens, Epidemiology, Medical Certification

No. of Pages: 15