{"id":9116,"date":"2015-10-21T19:00:13","date_gmt":"2015-10-21T18:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.selectspecs.com\/blog\/?p=9116"},"modified":"2015-10-21T19:00:13","modified_gmt":"2015-10-21T18:00:13","slug":"surprising-careers-for-people-who-wear-glasses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.selectspecs.com\/blog\/surprising-careers-for-people-who-wear-glasses\/","title":{"rendered":"Surprising Careers for People Who Wear Glasses"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have been shortsighted since I was a small child. I love the freedom of wearing\u00a0my contact lenses<\/a> for sports,\u00a0and I’m also a big fan of chunky statement frames<\/a>\u00a0for computer work, which I wear with pride!<\/p>\n

However, I used to think that some careers wouldn’t be accessible for me due to my poor eyesight. It wouldn’t be possible for someone who needs sight correction\u00a0to\u00a0become a\u00a0fire fighter, to join the armed forces, or to become a commercial pilot, would it?<\/span><\/p>\n

Actually, don’t rule out your dream job just because you need glasses! You can become any of the above, and more…<\/p>\n

Pilot<\/h2>\n

\"pilot<\/a><\/p>\n

To become a UK commercial pilot or an airline transport pilot, you need to fulfill\u00a0the Joint Aviation Requirements (JAR) to Class 1 standard. This means that you will need a comprehensive eye examination<\/a>\u00a0conducted by a qualified optometrist or ophthalmologist.<\/p>\n

Whilst you do need\u00a0normal colour vision and binocular vision, you can still\u00a0train to be a commercial pilot\u00a0with appropriate\u00a0sight correction<\/a>, if you’re short-sighted or long-sighted, in the form of glasses or contact lenses. However, you will require regular eye check-ups to maintain your licence, and you will need to wear sight correction that\u00a0is suitable for aviation.<\/p>\n

Fire Fighter<\/h2>\n

\"fire<\/a><\/p>\n

To become a Fire Officer with\u00a0the UK Fire Brigade\u00a0there is not actually\u00a0a definitive set of eyesight standards, and the final decision is actually determined by your individual Medical Examiner.<\/p>\n

This can make it difficult to understand if your eyesight is sufficient\u00a0to join the Fire Brigade. However, there are some more detailed guidelines which are\u00a0recommended by the Association of Local Authority Medical Advisors (ALMA), who will conduct your eye exam. Their visual acuity guidelines specify requirements of 6\/18 in your better eye, and in\u00a06\/24 \u00a0in your worse eye. Maximum hyperopia\u00a0or farsightedness is\u00a0 +3.00D, \u00a0and there is no set limit for myopia, or shortsightedness, beyond the unaided vision standard.<\/p>\n

Take the guidelines to a good optician and you might discover that your sight is sufficient\u00a0to fight fires, despite your spectacles!<\/p>\n

The Armed Forces<\/h2>\n

\"army<\/a><\/p>\n

You can also join the armed forces with corrective spectacles. Unfortunately, people with sight \u00a0prescriptions of below -7 for shortsightedness or above +8 for nearsightedness are not currently eligible for acceptance.<\/p>\n

However, between this range, the\u00a0requirements\u00a0depend\u00a0upon which regiment you join, as they are skills-based.\u00a0For instance, candidates for Sandhurst who want to join the\u00a0Infantry, Foot Guards or Parachute regiments have high standards of sight to meet, and are only accepted with visual acuity test scores of of 6\/9 or above in the right eye. Otherwise, Army Scholarships and University Cadetships require a minimum visual acuity with spectacles of 6\/6 in one eye, and not less than 6\/36 in the other. Normally, the right eye must be correctable to 6\/6 except in the Royal Signals, Army Medical Service, REME, AGC and Intelligence Corps, where the right eye may be the worse.<\/p>\n

\"Savannah-6058-prescription-glasses-for-a-tenner\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If you’re a contact lens wearer, you may want to think about getting some glasses<\/a>\u00a0when you’re applying to the Armed Forces, as you will be\u00a0required to obtain and wear spectacles\u00a0if you are successful in any selection procedures.\u00a0So choose your regiment wisely and have an amazing career!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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