Forum: Future F-16 crew

OK, here's my story

Since I was younger sometimes I'd make an error with colors, parents thought its just coincidence. Maybe a year ago I was reading some enyclopedia and found something about color blindness. it said that its genetic and mostly males have it, my mother says that grandfather used to make errors with colors and my cousin too. Anyway today i found some tests, spotting a number in a mix of colors. Some things that my sister and mother found easy, i couldnt see. but others that they couldnt see i did. later I looked at results and it said that things that I saw normal people couldn't, and everything made sense. i read about it also, there are four types of vision: Trichromat(normal, three color pigments,red/green/blue), anomalous trichromat(3 colors but you make errors with one <-- thats the thing with me, errors with red color), dichromatic(two colors), monochromatic(no colors). altough i clearly see all the colors i do have a slight deficit, and it will probably cost me of everything. what a bad time to find that out, just when i started preparing, concentrated on studying...

I've got few questions: are contact lenses that allegedly can improve seeing certain color allowed to use on tests or in flight? i'd like to know that because they are pretty expensive i think so i wouldnt like to give money for nothing.

I think that I have a mild color blindness, it never stopped me from functioning, I mean I can see colors of objects around me just like everybody else. How perfect does the color vision have to be for a fighter pilot?

The thing that makes me saddest is that I see everything ok and I wouldn't have problems with signalisation but ishihara tests give me problems. Right now i'm experiencing some of the worst feeling i ever had. something that I wished to be for all my life and learned about suddenly becomes impossible even though I could do the job(atleast when its up to colors). i think i know what the answers will be on my questions but i wanted to check if i have any chances, at least slight chances so I can still try to get my dream job.

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Find out the standards for the Air Force for the test. (Its probably on this site somewhere if you search, if not try www.baseops.com I'm sure its on there.) Then make an appointment with a local eye doctor tell him what you need and what type of test you need to take and I'm sure he can tell you whether or not you pass or not. There are no waivers for colorblindness, so if you fail you might want to consider pursuing another career. Or you can go for it anyways and see what happens and if you don't make it you will still be glad to know you have the chance to serve your country in a different way besides flying.

Thanks Apags, I couldn't find the standars on the websites but I'll keep looking. I'll make an appointment with doctor these days.

Sorry I gave you the wrong link but looks like you found that website anyways. Here is a link to the post http://www.flyingsquadron.com/forums/in ... topic=7897

This is what is says: USAF 10/14 PIP 1&2

Good luck.

great. very useful link. thank you.

<a href="[Link pending approval]">Color blindness</a> test

Thanks for that test. Just one more proof. I can only hardly identify number 5 on the left, but that's not correct probably. The only thing that I have to find out now is how severe it is and is it severe enough to cost me of my career.