aeromedical optometrist (if there is such a thing)

I met w/ an optometrist yesterday who stated that progressive lenses aren't
recommended for pilots cuz they blur peripheral vision. She pointed me to
either readers, classic "lined" bifocals, or bifocal contact lenses (a
couple of varieties) to solve my problem of arms being too short to read
charts.

Bob


"Barry" wrote in message news
Thanks for offering. The instruments seem slightly out of focus but
distance
out to horizon is ok. Reading glasses help but not well. Transition is
a
slight problem when going from horizon sight picture to instruments.
Also, a
1.0 or 1.25 reader solves the problem with focus on instruments but I
need a
1.5 or higher to set the altimeter or to read the compass card (and
probably
the flight computer when I get to use it. Last week I took a lesson that
started just before sundown because the tower held us short for nearly
15
minutes. I wore 1.0 readers. Forty-five minutes later during civil
twilight, reading the instruments was difficult. Forget about reading my
checklist.

You might try progressive lenses. I'm near-sighted, and after a few years
of
having more and more trouble with near vision (though always meeting the
FAA
standard) finally gave in and got progressive bifocals. It felt a little
strange for the first couple of weeks, but now I automatically tilt my
head as
needed to see clearly.

On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 18:40:26 GMT, "Bob Clough"
wrote:

I met w/ an optometrist yesterday who stated that progressive lenses aren't
recommended for pilots cuz they blur peripheral vision.

Then "Smart Seg" is the way to go. You get a line, like any
oldfashioned bifocal, but the side vision remains unchanged.

I don't think she meant peripheral vision, though! Peripheral vision
is always blurred! Perhaps she meant shooting a side glance out of the
edge of the lens. It's true that with a conventional bifocal, the
glass to the outside is the distance Rx. This is useful when you're
looking down at something on the floor.

Remember this: any change you make to your vision, whether it's
glasses for the first time, or bifocals or progressive lenses, will
become second nature in a very short time.

(Just don't do what my father did, when he mounted onto a scafolding
his first day at work after getting bifocals. He glanced down, stepped
between two planks, and got a hernia recovering.)

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
Viva Bush! www.vivabush.org

"H.P." wrote:

Thanks for offering. The instruments seem slightly out of focus but distance
out to horizon is ok.

Ok. There's an AME named Kincade in the New Brunswick area who's an opthamalogist and
pilot. He can definitely take care of this for you. I can recommend him as an eye
doctor, but I would not recommend him as an AME. He has moved from his old office, or
I would give you better location information.

George Patterson
If a man gets into a fight 3,000 miles away from home, he *had* to have
been looking for it.

Will check him out, thanks.


"G.R. Patterson III" wrote in message
...


"H.P." wrote:

Thanks for offering. The instruments seem slightly out of focus but
distance
out to horizon is ok.

Ok. There's an AME named Kincade in the New Brunswick area who's an
opthamalogist and
pilot. He can definitely take care of this for you. I can recommend him as
an eye
doctor, but I would not recommend him as an AME. He has moved from his old
office, or
I would give you better location information.

George Patterson
If a man gets into a fight 3,000 miles away from home, he *had* to
have
been looking for it.

"G.R. Patterson III" wrote in message ...

Ok. There's an AME named Kincade in the New Brunswick area who's an opthamalogist and
pilot.

I've been to him. But back when I saw him he was going by the name of Kinadczuk or something
difficult like that. I got a postcard from him saying he was changing his name. He was OK as far
as AME's go.

Ron Natalie wrote:

I've been to him. But back when I saw him he was going by the name of Kinadczuk or something
difficult like that.

Kinzakuk (pronounced Kin - zah - cook).

He was OK as far as AME's go.

He's a perfectionist -- wants to do the best job possible. While I like that in a
pilot or an eye doctor, when he's serving as an AME, he's working for the FAA, not
for me. If there's any question about your exam, it goes to Oklahoma City (he even
skips the regional flight surgeon). Once that's done, neither he nor his staff is any
help at all in finding the status of your deferred medical -- they can't or won't
even give you the phone number of the FAA office there.

I prefer someone a little closer to the "if he can see well enough to write the
check, he's ok" sort of AME. Or at least someone willing to find out why OK City
hasn't responded after three months or so.

George Patterson
If a man gets into a fight 3,000 miles away from home, he *had* to have
been looking for it.

"H.P." wrote in message
...
Thanks for offering. The instruments seem slightly out of focus but
distance
out to horizon is ok. Reading glasses help but not well. Transition is a
slight problem when going from horizon sight picture to instruments. Also,
a
1.0 or 1.25 reader solves the problem with focus on instruments but I need
a
1.5 or higher to set the altimeter or to read the compass card (and
probably
the flight computer when I get to use it. Last week I took a lesson that
started just before sundown because the tower held us short for nearly 15
minutes. I wore 1.0 readers. Forty-five minutes later during civil
twilight, reading the instruments was difficult. Forget about reading my
checklist.

Sounds like trifocals, or bifocal reading glasses are what you need. If you
find the right place, they will grind anything you want, or better said, any
WHERE you want. I got a bifocal with only a small area at the top for
distance vision, for working on things up close, where you can't tilt your
head back to see what you need to see. Trifocals are a soon to be item for
me, I fear.
--
Jim in NC


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On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 14:51:23 GMT, "H.P." wrote:

Thanks for offering. The instruments seem slightly out of focus but distance
out to horizon is ok. Reading glasses help but not well. Transition is a
slight problem when going from horizon sight picture to instruments. Also, a
1.0 or 1.25 reader solves the problem with focus on instruments but I need a
1.5 or higher to set the altimeter or to read the compass card (and probably
the flight computer when I get to use it. Last week I took a lesson that
started just before sundown because the tower held us short for nearly 15
minutes. I wore 1.0 readers. Forty-five minutes later during civil
twilight, reading the instruments was difficult. Forget about reading my
checklist.

A bit above my pay scale! Are you talking about the non-prescription
spectacles sold in drugstores and the like? Are these glasses from an
optometrist/occulist/whatever?

Reading glasses generally won't help with the instrument panel. It's
either distance vision or get trifocals.

If your Rx is not radical, you can get progressive lenses with no line
in them. If it is radical, like mine, then you can get "Smart Seg"
bifocal that is actually a reading Rx on the bottom and intermediate
on top. In fact, I got these glasses when I started flight training
and repeatedldy found myself asking the instructor--this was in a
Cessna, before I switched to the Cub--"Where's the altimeter?"

Even before that time, I had a special pair of computer glasses, when
I found that I was miserable reading a computer screen either with the
top part of my glasses or the reading part.

(But this information is only on the questionable assumption that I
understand your post. If it applies, then you don't need an
aeromedical specialist. Any good optometrist will fix you up.)

Good luck!

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
Viva Bush! www.vivabush.org

Ask your optometrist about wearing ONE contact lens.
One eye does distance and the other follows it.
One eye does instruments and the other follows it.
Best thing that I ever saw - it works great.

Tony

In article ,
"H.P." wrote:

Thanks for offering. The instruments seem slightly out of focus but distance
out to horizon is ok. Reading glasses help but not well. Transition is a
slight problem when going from horizon sight picture to instruments. Also, a
1.0 or 1.25 reader solves the problem with focus on instruments but I need a
1.5 or higher to set the altimeter or to read the compass card (and probably
the flight computer when I get to use it. Last week I took a lesson that
started just before sundown because the tower held us short for nearly 15
minutes. I wore 1.0 readers. Forty-five minutes later during civil
twilight, reading the instruments was difficult. Forget about reading my
checklist.

"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 15:57:36 GMT, "H.P." wrote:

I reside in Fairfield County, CT and train in Westchester County, NY. I'm
looking for an optometrist or ophthalmologist who may specialize in
treating
vision correction for pilots. Anyone have a recommendation? Thanks in
advance.


If you have a particular problem, why don't you mention it? Lots of us
have eye problems and have coped with them. We might be able to help
even if we don't know an eye doc in Westchester County.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
Viva Bush! www.vivabush.org




--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Cessna 172H C-GICE

On Mon, 27 Sep 2004 06:17:18 GMT, tony roberts
wrote:

Ask your optometrist about wearing ONE contact lens.
One eye does distance and the other follows it.
One eye does instruments and the other follows it.
Best thing that I ever saw - it works great.

You can actually get distance for one eye and near for the other, but
here's an even better deal:

My former CFI had eye trouble over the past few years, requiring two
separate operations. By incredible good luck, he actually came out of
the operations with 20/20 distance vision in his right eye, and near
vision for his left! He now almost never uses glasses, though he does
have reading glasses for really small print.

But of course this doesn't really address what the poster needs, which
evidently is some sort of trifocal for his instrument panel.


all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
Viva Bush! www.vivabush.org