Can applicants use contact lenses or glasses for pilot training and during flight duties?

1. Glasses and contacts are allowed — and common

Civilian flight rules accept corrective eyewear: the FAA permits pilots to meet vision standards using eyeglasses or contact lenses, and many flight‑training and operator guidance pages state that corrected vision to the required acuity is acceptable for private, commercial and airline pilots ^{[1] [2] [6]}.

2. What the standards actually require

Different medical‑certificate classes carry different acuity thresholds: first and second‑class applicants are expected to meet 20/20 distant vision in each eye (with or without correction) while third‑class standards are less stringent (often stated as 20/40 for distant and near vision), and near/intermediate measures can apply by age and class — these are codified in FAA summaries and medical guides ^{[2] [7] [8]}.

3. Practical cockpit rules — carry a spare

Operators and FAA InFO guidance recommend or require pilots who need corrective lenses to carry a spare pair; for international operations ICAO rules make the spare mandatory and U.S. operator guidance and FAA information advise having backups in the cockpit ^{[3] [9]}. Training schools and industry pages reiterate that if you wear contacts you should also have glasses available in case lenses fail or dry out mid‑flight ^{[10] [3]}.

4. Limits on types of contact use — no monovision for pilots

FAA exam protocol explicitly states that using a contact lens in one eye for near vision and none in the other (monovision) is not acceptable because it impairs binocular function; binocular bifocal/multifocal contacts and binocular distance‑only contacts are acceptable under FAA protocols when they meet standards ^{[4] [5]}.

5. Color vision and operational restrictions

Separately from acuity, pilots must be able to perceive colors essential to flight safety; the FAA has updated and broadened approved color‑vision testing, and failure to demonstrate required color perception historically produced restrictions (e.g., day VFR only) that could be removed by operational testing ^{[11] [12]}.

6. Surgery and alternatives — allowed but documented

Corrective eye surgery (LASIK/PRK and others) is widely discussed by flight‑medicine and flight‑training sources: pilots who undergo surgery may return to flying provided vision corrects to standards and the procedure is reported at the next FAA medical exam, but examiners and AMEs remain the gatekeepers and paperwork is required ^{[13] [2]}. Available sources do not mention specific post‑op wait times in this dataset — not found in current reporting.

7. Military rules differ from civilian rules

Military pilot vision standards are stricter and branch‑dependent; unlike the FAA civilian system, some military pipelines require uncorrected vision thresholds and deny waivers for certain color defects, so civilian allowances for glasses/contacts do not automatically translate to military acceptance ^{[14] [15]}.

8. What applicants should do — concrete steps

Have an eye exam with an AME‑accepted test before applying so you know whether correction will meet class requirements; if you wear contacts, bring a spare pair of glasses and tell your AME about contact use so it’s recorded ^{[16] [5] [3]}. If color vision is a concern, get pre‑tested with FAA‑approved alternatives to avoid surprise restrictions at the medical exam ^{[11] [16]}.

Limitations and competing viewpoints: many flight schools and law/practice sites emphasize that “correctable to 20/20” is the practical rule ^{[1] [2]}, while some aviation medicine sources present stricter numerical formulations for first/second‑class certificates ^[8]. The FAA’s guidance documents and AME protocols are controlling; industry pages and flight schools summarize those rules for students ^{[5] [7]}.

Sources: FAA and AME guidance, operator InFOs, and flight‑training industry summaries as cited above ^{[4] [5] [3] [1] [2] [7] [11] [10]}.