Depth perception

U

Unregistered

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I've never had any problems with my vision, but was told during MEPS that I lacked depth perception. I'm wondering how this will affect me with my goal of becoming an airline pilot. Are there any tests I can do to check myself?
 
I'm blind in one eye and once I fly my SODA ride I'm good to go - I could even get a first class medical if I wanted one.
 
I also had a student who was blind in one eye. no problem really, just demonstrate competency to the FAA guy on/after your checkride and you are golden.
 
woodstock said:
I'm blind in one eye and once I fly my SODA ride I'm good to go - I could even get a first class medical if I wanted one.
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For the Guest's original question: Echo Woodstock's response. I'm, also, blind in one eye(since 1953); contrary to popular(friends') beliefs I have no problem with depth perception; and had no problam successfully completing the SODA flight. In short, don't let any uninformed folks sell down your potential.

HR
 
While you may indeed be able to get a 1st class medical certificate with only one functional eye, and to fly on your own or in many other commercial aviation enterprises such as corporate operations, I don't think any airline will hire you that way even if they have some pilots still flying after losing sight in one eye.

That said, the issue here is depth perception, and that's less less clear-cut as an airline hiring parameter than whether or not you have two working eyes. The FAA standard for depth perception issues to get a 1st class medical certificate (what you need to be an airline pilot) is laid out in ophthalmologese in 14 CFR 67.103(f), and my medical knowledge isn't sufficient to translate it into English. In any event, your post isn't as technically complete as would be necessary to determine if you meet that standard even if I was an eye doc.

So, it's hard for any of us to say whether your goal is realistic at this point -- you'd probably need a full eye evaluation by an ophthalmologist as well as a practical evaluation in the field to be sure.
 
Who told you you lack depth perception and what makes them think so?

There is no specific test on the Medical for depth perception. The major place this comes into play is with Monocular vision(one eye). Binocular vision gives you depth perception. Monocular people can learn to compensate and that is where the "SODA ride" comes in--to prove you can compensate.

If you really lack depth perception, your flight instructor will probably never feel comfortable allowing you to solo, because you will be inconsistent in you landings.

Some tests to check your own ability to perceive depth: Follow the car ahead of you at a consistent distance, parallel park without hitting the cars on either end, pick up a pencil without having to grope for it, put the 8 ball in the corner pocket. A simple medical type test: have someone stand in front of you and move a finger to any point in space, as soon as they stop, you touch their fingertip with yours without missing.

Barb-AME
 
One Short said:
Who told you you lack depth perception and what makes them think so?

There is no specific test on the Medical for depth perception.

Barb-AME
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The poster stated his MEPS (United States Military Entrance Processing Command) physical. ALOT different than the FAA Medical.
I remember mine taking ALLlllllllll day.
 
Bring this question to a Baord Certified Opthalmologist in his office. He's got the gear to do this. But I rather suspect that twhat you had on the MEPS was a phoria and or convergence exam, like the Maddox rod. I had one (MEPS), many many moons ago. These are only screening tests.

If you aren't rear-ending other drivers, bumping into doorframes, I would take that statement with a grain of salt. A Very Big grain.
 
Unregistered said:
The poster stated his MEPS (United States Military Entrance Processing Command) physical. ALOT different than the FAA Medical.
I remember mine taking ALLlllllllll day.
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And often they don't get it exactly right. They said I had some issues with my teeth and knee that the docs who checked me out once I got to cape may laughed at. Had no problem with flight physical, jump school, etc.
 
The tests given were a lighted box with three bars in it and was asked which bar was closest, then a clear rectangular prism with three circles in it, same question. I couldn't tell any difference really.. there may have been something I should have been looking for, but I didn't see it off hand. Never have been able to do those magic eye things either, so I assumed that they were right. But I've never had any problem with my driving, and I've got my private, I was just wondering if this was going to kill me when I went to get a 2nd or 1st class medical, and the rammifications with the airlines. Thanks for the help :)
 
For those thqat read this. I have lost my vision in one eye from the low class types mugging me.

I ahve over 10,000 hours and have gotten 3 more type ratings since the incident and work for a major airline but got laid off. The three more type ratings were after the incident.

So whole heartedly I say idiots with two eys that say that one eyed people have a problem with depth perception are full of the s---!!!

I also got onto that major airline without knowing anyone there and only have a GED.

Yes I said major.

I am presently protecting the troops with my pilots license.\

So don't let anythig stop you.

I also own an unlimited class aerobatic airplane and and old warbird that is harder to keep straight on the runway than any other warbird except the F4F.

And tell those two eyed bs artists, including doctors that think you don't have depth perception to go shoot a hand gun with both eyes and hit the target as good as we can.

No issues with fusion to deal with like our two eyed non beliving critics that won't take the time to to blind on of their eyes and live like that for a week to see.

Nameless "One Eyed Pilot" with monocular pilots license / first class.
 
Unregistered said:
For those thqat read this. I have lost my vision in one eye from the low class types mugging me.

I ahve over 10,000 hours and have gotten 3 more type ratings since the incident and work for a major airline but got laid off. The three more type ratings were after the incident.

So whole heartedly I say idiots with two eys that say that one eyed people have a problem with depth perception are full of the s---!!!

I also got onto that major airline without knowing anyone there and only have a GED.

Yes I said major.

I am presently protecting the troops with my pilots license.\

So don't let anythig stop you.

I also own an unlimited class aerobatic airplane and and old warbird that is harder to keep straight on the runway than any other warbird except the F4F.

And tell those two eyed bs artists, including doctors that think you don't have depth perception to go shoot a hand gun with both eyes and hit the target as good as we can.

No issues with fusion to deal with like our two eyed non beliving critics that won't take the time to to blind on of their eyes and live like that for a week to see.

Nameless "One Eyed Pilot" with monocular pilots license / first class.
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Easy, easy, one eye.

There are over 1,000 of you on the flight decks every day. The brain adjusts. The thing we done't want airmen doing is flying in the peirod of adjustment- e.g, during monovision contacts, or in the three months after Monovision (one for near, one for far) lasik burn-in. But once adjusted, not a problem. Check out AAR 97/03 if you have questions.
 
Actually, binocular depth perception is no good beyond about 30 feet or so.
Depth is done by other visual cues in piloting situations (which is why we're easily fooled by abnormally sized runways etc...
 
flyingron said:
Depth is done by other visual cues in piloting situations (which is why we're easily fooled by abnormally sized runways etc...
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No kidding on the highlighted. Nearly all of my flying has been on wider runways of 60-150 feet wide.

My first landings on a 30-foot wide runway me thinking I was landing waaaaay to fast. Acclimated eventually, but those first few had me puckering a bit.
 
I worked designing stereoscopic displays in my youth so I know a little about depth perception. It's important to differentiate between "depth perception" and "stereoscopic vision". Stereoscopic vision is only one depth cue out of four or five the brain receives. People with monocular vision can perceive depth to a greater or lesser extent. Furthermore, something like 10 percent of the population has no stereoscopic vision even with two good eyes.
 
Those in the majority with stereoscopic vision just don't understand. Kind of like that those if us without don't understand those that do. I have esotrpia (eyes turned in) and probably did he day I was born. Both eyes work great and are better than 20/20 corrected. But I have zero fusion and zero stereo capabilities. 3D movies, TV shows and special effects are totally lost on me.

I have an ATP, a couple of type ratings and first class medical.. As a previous poster has said, we have many other depth perception clues. It's not hard to figure out how the tests AMEs use to measure depth perception work, so I have used my way, "cheated", and pass my medical. I suppose I should fess up, "fail" this part of my medical and get an SI.

I don't recommend to those of you without stereo vision to do what I have done regarding the medical. But I can say that you sure don't need binocular vision to fly a plane well.
 
Unregistered said:
Those in the majority with stereoscopic vision just don't understand. Kind of like that those if us without don't understand those that do. I have esotrpia (eyes turned in) and probably did he day I was born. Both eyes work great and are better than 20/20 corrected. But I have zero fusion and zero stereo capabilities. 3D movies, TV shows and special effects are totally lost on me.

I have an ATP, a couple of type ratings and first class medical.. As a previous poster has said, we have many other depth perception clues. It's not hard to figure out how the tests AMEs use to measure depth perception work, so I have used my way, "cheated", and pass my medical. I suppose I should fess up, "fail" this part of my medical and get an SI.

I don't recommend to those of you without stereo vision to do what I have done regarding the medical. But I can say that you sure don't need binocular vision to fly a plane well.
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The legal way is to get an eval by an opthalmolgist for "fusion break". I got one guy certified with 22 diptoers of esophoria.

BTW he flies left seat for a legacy airline with a seniority number in the TWO DIGITS,.
 
bbchien said:
The legal way is to get an eval by an opthalmolgist for "fusion break". I got one guy certified with 22 diptoers of esophoria.
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Did he have to do a flight test with the FAA?

In my case I won't get fusion with any number of diopters. My brain suppresses the central image from one eye or the other. Perfect peripheral vision, but never any double vision.
 
Are you the same unreg for post #18 at 9:48? the answer differs by class. 3rd-->never. 1st- depends on what the opthalmologist writes.
 
bbchien said:
Are you the same unreg for post #18 at 9:48? the answer differs by class. 3rd-->never. 1st- depends on what the opthalmologist writes.
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Yes, I'm the same poster.
And Bruce you know me. Thanks for your comments.

I've thought for years about "coming out" with my non binocular vision.
 
As I understand it, depth perception is of limited value for humans: Our eyes are so close together that our ability to determine depth - by triangulating with our two eyeballs is limited to about 6-10 ft. Landing an airplane, one uses perspective. That said one inoperative eye may make getting hired difficult. I have a waiver for ambliopia. I work for a legacy carrier.
 
flyingron said:
Actually, binocular depth perception is no good beyond about 30 feet or so.
Depth is done by other visual cues in piloting situations (which is why we're easily fooled by abnormally sized runways etc...
Click to expand...

I've been thinking the same thing. It has always seemed to me that, considering the distances involved when you look out the windscreen of an airplane, the distance between the two eyes is too small a percentage to make a difference.

I also noticed, years ago, that I was seeing mountains and clouds in a three dimensional way that I didn't before I became a pilot, which made me aware of the possibility that there are other cues that the brain uses based on experience.
 
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Zero depth perception has never caused me to have any difficulties playing ball etc. I have two eyes and wear glasses but have zip depth. It would have been interesting to ask Saburo Sakai about this. (The answer is obvious!) I think the longer distances and heights involved in flight null the consequences. Only a handful of incidents have occurred in 65 years where I mistook a large object for something close or vice versa and I cannot conceive of a safety problem. I am not going to mis ID a bug splat on the canopy for another plane. RE: Landings. I rely more on the altimeter and ground effect to let me know where I am in the profile, and to paraphrase John Wayne, "I been flying a long time and I ain't dead yet."
 
denverpilot said:
Mugged by low lifes? Man it sucks being Newark-based doesn't it? ;) ;) ;)
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My dad was a 747 pilot for United and normally flew in the Pacific. One day he ended up with a Newark trip. In Hong Kong and Singapore he knew of good places to to go running, but not so in Newark, since he had not been there in many years.

After checking in at the hotel, he asked the guy at the front desk if there was a good place nearby where he could run.

The guy at the desk asked, "how fast do you run?"

He spent his layover in the hotel. :D
 
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Unregistered said:
Did he have to do a flight test with the FAA?



In my case I won't get fusion with any number of diopters. My brain suppresses the central image from one eye or the other. Perfect peripheral vision, but never any double vision.
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Presbyopic amblyopia?
 
Regarding depth perception: One might ask two great pilots who had one eye: Wiley Post (although he crashed, it was not due to depth perception) and Saburo Sakae (you did not want to tangle with him even if you were in a vastly superior aircraft and he made many, many carrier landings).
 
What are the chances of not having depth perception or one eye working at a time in the airline industry? I've been flying solo for many times already in a Cessna and just recently found out that I don't have depth perception. I passed luckily in the initial medical examination before I started my flying school. Can anyone help with this? :(
 
I fly with two monocular pilots, they do fine and have Class I and the other, Class II medicals. The first one just retired from the airlines, the other has his Commercial. I believe they had to demonstrate ability, in an airplane.
 
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