What happens during a CASA aviation eye examination

The Skies Start with Your Eyes: Navigating CASA Aviation Eye Exams

Whether you’re a weekend warrior in a Cessna 172 or a commercial pilot hauling 300 passengers across the Pacific, one thing is non-negotiable in Australia: your eyes must be up to the task. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) sets high standards for vision, and for good reason. In the cockpit, you aren’t just looking at the horizon; you’re scanning instruments, checking iPads, and spotting a tiny glint of another aircraft miles away. If you’ve got a medical coming up, here is what you need to know about the CASA eye exam—without the jargon.

Who Performs the Exam?You can't just go to any high-street optometrist. To satisfy CASA, you must see a:

CO (Credentialed Optometrist): An optometrist who has undergone specific aviation training.

DAO (Designated Aviation Ophthalmologist): A specialist eye doctor with aviation-specific credentials.

Do You Need One? Not every medical involves a trip to an eye examiantion, but most professional paths do.

Class 1 (Commercial/ATPL): You’ll need a comprehensive exam with a CASA-credentialed professional for your initial application and then at specific intervals (usually every two years once you hit age 60).

Class 2 (Private): Usually, your regular Designated Aviation Medical Examiner (DAME) can handle the basic vision check. However, if there’s a complication—like a significant change in your prescription or a colour vision issue—they’ll send you to a CO or DAO.

Class 3 (Air Traffic Control): Similar to Class 1, these require high-level vision screening to ensure those radar screens are crystal clear.

What Happens During the Test?

Expect to spend about an hour at the practice. It’s more thorough than your average "which is clearer, one or two?" test.

Visual Acuity: We check your distance vision (6/9 in each eye and 6/6 together), intermediate vision (for the cockpit), and near vision (reading the charts).

Colour Vision: Generally Ishihara plates (the circles made of dots) are used. If you fail this test you may require secondary tests like the Farnsworth Lantern or the CAD test. 

Peripheral Vision: We check your "side vision" to ensure no blind spots are lurking.

Eye Health & Dilation: Usually, our CO will use drops to dilate your pupils to look at the back of your eye. This makes you very light-sensitive, so bring a pair of sunglasses or a driver. Otherwise, you will have to wait 60-90 minutes for your pupils to return to normal. 

The "Two-Pair" Rule In Australia, if you require glasses or contacts to meet the standards, CASA is very clear: you must carry a spare pair of backup glasses while flying. 

During your exam, make sure you bring both your primary pair and your backup of glasses. Our CO needs to verify that both sets actually work for you. If you wear contacts, you’ll still need to bring a pair of glasses as your backup.

Quick Tips for a Smooth Exam

Hydrate and Rest: Tired, dry eyes perform poorly. Get a good night's sleep before your appointment.

Bring your ARN: Your Aviation Reference Number is the key to your file; don’t leave home without it.

Skip the Polarised Lenses: While great for the beach, polarised sunglasses can make cockpit screens go black or create "oil slick" patterns on the windscreen. For the exam (and your flying), stick to high-quality non-polarised lenses.