Yes. You can be a pilot with glasses or contact lenses, including an airline pilot. The FAA vision standards in 14 CFR part 67 are measured “with or without corrective lenses”: a third-class medical needs 20/40 distant and near vision in each eye, and first and second class need 20/20 distant vision. If you need correction to meet them, your medical certificate simply says you must use it.
This guide summarizes 14 CFR part 67 and the FAA’s Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners (AME Guide); it is not medical advice. Your Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) measures your vision and applies the standards, and some eye histories go to the FAA for the decision.
FAA vision standards by medical class
| Standard | First class | Second class | Third class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distant vision, each eye | 20/20 | 20/20 | 20/40 |
| Near vision at 16 inches, each eye | 20/40 | 20/40 | 20/40 |
| Intermediate vision at 32 inches | 20/40 at age 50 and over | 20/40 at age 50 and over | No requirement |
| Color vision | Ability to perceive the colors necessary for safe performance of airman duties | ||
| Field of vision | Normal | Normal | No eye condition that interferes with eye function |
All acuity values are Snellen equivalents, tested in each eye separately, with or without correction (67.103, 67.203, 67.303). If you only fly as a student or private pilot, the third-class column is the one that matters; our medical certificate classes guide explains which class each kind of flying needs. Color vision has its own rules and tests, covered in our color blind pilot guide.
What the corrective lens limitation means
If you need glasses or contacts to meet any of the acuity standards, the AME adds one limitation to your certificate: “Must use corrective lens(es) to meet vision standards at all required distances.” Since December 28, 2022 that single, simplified wording has replaced the FAA’s previous vision limitations. The regulation is direct: when corrective lenses are necessary to meet the distant standard, you are eligible only on the condition that they are worn while you exercise the privileges of your pilot certificate (67.303(a)).
Two details catch people out. Contact lenses that correct only near or intermediate vision are not acceptable for flying. And if you fly as a sport pilot using a U.S. driver’s license instead of a medical, you must comply with every restriction on that license (61.23(c)(2)), so a corrective lens restriction for driving applies in the cockpit too. Pilots flying under BasicMed must likewise follow the medical restrictions on their driver’s license (61.23(c)(3)).
Contact lenses
The AME Guide accepts contacts with some firm limits:
- Distance-only contacts in both eyes are acceptable. A wearer who meets the standard and has no complications needs no special evaluation or Statement of Demonstrated Ability (SODA).
- Monovision is not allowed. That means a near lens in one eye and a distance lens in the other, or a near lens in one eye and none in the other.
- Bifocal or multifocal contacts in both eyes are acceptable under the AME Guide’s protocol for binocular multifocal and accommodating devices.
- Tinted or designer lenses that add color, restrict your field of vision or significantly reduce the light reaching your eye are not allowed.
- Orthokeratology (overnight reshaping) lenses: you must meet the standard while wearing them and wear them while flying, and your certificate carries a matching limitation.
The medical application (FAA Form 8500-8, item 17.b) asks whether you ever use near vision contact lenses while flying. If you answer yes, the AME must counsel you that monovision correction is not allowed.
LASIK, PRK and other vision surgery
The FAA accepts FDA-approved refractive procedures, including LASIK (and wavefront-guided LASIK), SMILE, PRK, radial keratotomy and epikeratophakia. The AME Guide warns that these procedures can cause corneal scarring, worsening or variable vision and night glare, so the FAA expects you not to fly until your treating eye doctor finds your vision stable, free of significant side effects such as halos, haze and glare, and meeting the standards, and an AME or the FAA has reviewed it. The AME Guide’s refractive surgery table (updated August 27, 2025) then works like this:
- Surgery 3 or more months ago, fully recovered, released from post-operative care, off all medications, meeting the standards and free of glare, halos, lost contrast sensitivity or poor night vision: generally not of aeromedical concern, and the AME can issue.
- Surgery within the last 3 months: your ophthalmologist or optometrist completes the FAA’s refractive surgery status summary, which sets minimum recovery periods of 2 weeks for LASIK or SMILE and 12 weeks for PRK. If every answer is yes and you meet the standards, the AME can issue.
- Complications, vision that does not meet the standards, or reduced quality of vision: the AME defers to the FAA with a current clinical progress note from your ophthalmologist, for a possible special issuance.
Cataract surgery and other lens implants follow a similar table. The AME Guide notes that monofocal implants are less likely to cause glare, halos or poor night vision than multifocal or extended depth of focus lenses, and suggests telling your eye doctor that night vision matters to you as a pilot. Conductive keratoplasty, a farsightedness procedure that is not permanent, is considered for special issuance after a 6-month wait.
Planning eye surgery during training? Ask your eye doctor to complete the FAA refractive surgery status summary and bring it to your AME exam. If every answer is yes and you meet the standards, the AME can issue at the exam, and the FAA says the summary significantly decreases review time when a file does go to the FAA.
Sunglasses and backup correction
The AME Guide says sunglasses cannot be your only means of correction, but prescription sunglasses can serve as a backup if they give you the needed correction. It encourages sunglasses in bright daylight with some cautions: they can compromise vision in low light, photosensitive (light-adjusting) lenses react too slowly for aviation, “blue blocker” lenses may block the blue light used in many panel displays, and polarized lenses are unacceptable if the windscreen is also polarized. Our pilot sunglasses guide covers lens choices in more detail.
If your vision does not meet the standard
Not meeting the acuity standard, even with correction, is not automatically the end. The AME Guide says such an applicant needs a SODA or special issuance, supported by a current, detailed clinical progress note from an optometrist or ophthalmologist with your best corrected acuity, and that anyone certified this way must pass a medical flight test. A pilot with one eye, or with best corrected vision in the poorer eye of 20/200 or worse, can be considered for any class through special issuance; the AME Guide recommends a 6-month adjustment period first. Vision standards also tighten with age for first and second class, as our pilot age limits guide explains.
What you'll need
Non-polarized sunglasses for bright days, plus the regulations and FAA handbook behind your medical.
Frequently asked questions
Can you be a pilot if you wear glasses?
Yes. Every class of FAA medical certificate allows glasses or contact lenses. If you need them to meet the vision standards, your certificate carries the limitation “Must use corrective lens(es) to meet vision standards at all required distances.”
What vision do you need for a private pilot medical?
For a third-class medical, distant vision of 20/40 or better and near vision of 20/40 or better at 16 inches in each eye, with or without correction, plus the ability to perceive the colors needed for safe flying.
Can airline pilots wear glasses?
Yes. A first-class medical requires 20/20 distant vision in each eye, but correction is allowed, and you must use it while flying.
Can I wear contact lenses when I fly?
Yes, if they correct distance vision in both eyes or are binocular bifocal or multifocal lenses accepted under the FAA protocol. Monovision lenses and tinted designer lenses are not allowed.
How soon can I fly after LASIK?
Not until your eye doctor finds your vision stable, free of problems such as glare or halos, and meeting the standards. The FAA status summary sets minimum recovery periods of 2 weeks for LASIK and 12 weeks for PRK before the AME can issue.