NTL Record

Title The Use of Contact Lenses in the Civil Airman Population
Record ID 39533
Personal Name
Creator
Nakagawara, Van B.
Corporate Creator Civil Aeromedical Institute
Corporate
Contributor
United States. Office of Aviation Medicine
Publisher Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Publication Date 19900900
Language English
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.
Rosap ID dot:21314
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/21314
TRT Terms Air pilots; Certification; Contact lenses; Vision; Vision tests; Epidemiology
General Subjects Air pilots--Certification; Contact lenses; Vision--Testing; Epidemiology--Research
Classification NTL - AVIATION - Aviation Human Factors
Geographical
Coverage
United States
Report Number DOT/FAA/AM-90/10
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/39000/39500/39533/AM90-10.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository