Eye

This regulation sets the vision standards for a third-class medical certificate, which most private and recreational pilots need.

You must have at least 20/40 distant vision in each eye separately, and you can use glasses or contacts to meet this standard. If you need corrective lenses to achieve 20/40, you must wear them whenever you're acting as pilot. You also need 20/40 near vision at 16 inches in each eye, again with or without correction.

You must be able to perceive colors necessary for safe flying—this means distinguishing aviation signal colors like red, green, and white used in lights and charts. The regulation doesn't require perfect color vision, just functional color perception for aviation tasks.

Finally, you cannot have any eye disease or condition that interferes with vision, is likely to worsen, or could be aggravated by flying. This covers conditions affecting the eye itself or surrounding structures (adnexa).

*This is a plain-English summary for study only. The official 14 CFR text on this page is controlling — always read the current regulation and consult a CFI.*