Pilot Vision Test
A free, screen-calibrated vision screening for pilots: distance and near acuity with tumbling-E optotypes, color vision plates, and an astigmatism dial — each scored per eye and compared against the FAA medical vision standards in 14 CFR Part 67. Calibrate once with a credit card, pick your distance, and get an honest 20/X readout of what your screen can actually measure. Screening only, not an eye exam.
Screen-based vision screening
A screen-calibrated screening of the vision the FAA medical checks: distance and near acuity, color vision, and astigmatism — each eye separately, each check optional. You'll need a bank or ID card, a way to measure your distance from the screen, and about three minutes. The screening requires being able to see the screen — it can't be completed with a screen reader alone.
A screen-based screening built by ATIS Alerts — not an eye exam, and not an FAA medical examination.
How the vision screening works
- 1
Calibrate your screen
Match an on-screen outline to a real credit card (any ISO-standard card is exactly 85.6 mm wide). That tells the test the true physical size of a pixel on your display — the one number everything else depends on.
- 2
Verify the calibration
A 100 mm on-screen ruler lets you double-check against the card edge before anything is measured. If it doesn't look right, recalibrate — a few percent of error here shifts every result.
- 3
Set your viewing distance
Tell the test how far you're sitting (roughly 1–2 m works well). Letters are sized so a 20/20 optotype subtends the same 5 arcminutes it would on a wall chart at 20 feet — and the test tells you honestly what the finest line your screen can render at that distance is.
- 4
Run the checks, one eye at a time
Cover one eye and answer which way each tumbling E points using arrow buttons or arrow keys. Distance and near acuity run per eye; the color plates are viewed with both eyes; the astigmatism dial runs per eye. Every check is skippable.
- 5
Compare against the FAA standards
Your per-eye results are shown next to the 14 CFR Part 67 vision standards for first-, second-, and third-class medical certificates. Results stay in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Before you start
- • Set your screen to full brightness
- • Wear your usual glasses or contacts (the FAA standards allow correction)
- • Clean your screen — smudges soften small letters
- • Turn off night-shift, dark-room, or color-filter modes (they break the color plates)
FAA vision requirements by medical class
The vision standards for FAA medical certificates live in 14 CFR Part 67 — §67.103 (first class), §67.203 (second class), and §67.303 (third class). The table paraphrases the current regulation; the regulatory text governs.
| Standard | First class (ATP) | Second class (commercial) | Third class (private) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distant vision | 20/20 or better in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses (14 CFR 67.103(a)) | 20/20 or better in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses (14 CFR 67.203(a)) | 20/40 or better in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses (14 CFR 67.303(a)) |
| Near vision | 20/40 or better, Snellen equivalent, at 16 inches in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses (67.103(b)) | 20/40 or better, Snellen equivalent, at 16 inches in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses (67.203(b)) | 20/40 or better, Snellen equivalent, at 16 inches in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses (67.303(b)) |
| Intermediate vision (age 50+) | If age 50 or older: 20/40 or better at both 16 and 32 inches in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses (67.103(b)) | If age 50 or older: 20/40 or better at both 16 and 32 inches in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses (67.203(b)) | No intermediate-vision requirement at any age (67.303 has none) |
| Color vision | “Ability to perceive those colors necessary for the safe performance of airman duties” (67.103(c)) | “Ability to perceive those colors necessary for the safe performance of airman duties” (67.203(c)) | “Ability to perceive those colors necessary for the safe performance of airman duties” (67.303(c)) |
Corrective lenses count.Every acuity standard reads “with or without corrective lenses” — corrected vision fully meets it. For distant vision, the regulation adds that if lenses are necessary to reach the standard (20/20 for first/second class, 20/40 for third), eligibility is conditional on wearing them while exercising the privileges of the certificate.
Color vision: the regulatory standard is only the general phrase quoted above, but FAA testing procedures changed effective January 1, 2025 — new applicants are screened with an FAA-approved computer-based color vision test, and your AME administers the currently accepted test. Passing is a one-time event; airmen who passed before 2025 are generally not retested.
How accurate is this screening?
As accurate as a browser test can honestly be — which has real limits. The credit-card calibration measures your display’s true pixels-per-millimeter, and every optotype is sized so it subtends the correct visual angle at your stated distance, the same 5-arcminute geometry as a clinical chart. But a screen is not a standardized, calibrated chart: brightness, contrast, viewing distance error, and pixel density all move the result. Two safeguards keep the output honest. First, the test computes a measurement floor— the finest line your screen can physically render at your distance (a 20/20 stroke needs at least 2 device pixels) — and never claims results below it: if you read the finest measurable line, the result is reported as “20/X or better,” not a bare number. Second, the color plates are procedurally generated along protan/deutan confusion lines and validated against color-blindness simulation, but an emissive screen still renders color differently than printed plates under controlled light, so color results are treated strictly as a screening signal.
Pilot vision FAQ
Is this a real FAA vision exam?
No. This is a free screening tool for awareness and practice — it is not a medical device and not an FAA medical examination. Only an FAA Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) can determine whether you meet the 14 CFR Part 67 vision standards, and the AME does it with calibrated equipment and FAA-approved procedures.
How accurate is a vision test on a screen?
It can be a useful screening, but never as reliable as a standardized chart. Accuracy depends on your calibration, your actual viewing distance, screen brightness, and pixel density — a small calibration error shifts every line. That's why this tool makes you calibrate against a real credit card, verify with an on-screen ruler, and tells you the finest line your screen can honestly render at your distance instead of pretending to measure beyond it.
What does 20/40 vision mean?
20/40 means you see at 20 feet what a person with typical vision sees at 40 feet — the letters need to be twice as large for you to read them. 20/20 is the reference standard, not perfection. FAA third-class distant vision requires 20/40 or better in each eye, with or without correction; first and second class require 20/20.
Can I fly with glasses or contacts?
Yes. Every FAA acuity standard reads “with or without corrective lenses” — corrected vision fully meets the standard. If you need correction to reach the distant-vision standard, the regulation makes eligibility conditional on wearing that correction while exercising the privileges of your certificate, which shows up as a limitation on your medical.
What if I fail the color vision screening?
First, don't panic — an on-screen plate check is affected by your display, brightness, and color filters, so a miss here is a reason to look into it, not a verdict. The FAA standard only requires the ability to perceive the colors necessary for safe airman duties, and since January 1, 2025 the FAA screens new applicants with approved computer-based color vision tests administered through the AME process. Many pilots with imperfect color vision are certificated. Talk to an AME or eye doctor before drawing any conclusions.
What happens at the AME?
At your FAA medical, the AME checks distant acuity (and near acuity, plus intermediate at 16 and 32 inches if you're 50 or older for first/second class) with calibrated equipment, screens color vision with a current FAA-approved test, and examines general eye health. If you don't meet a standard outright, there are established paths — corrective lenses, a SODA (Statement of Demonstrated Ability), or special issuance — so a marginal result is a conversation, not a dead end.
About this data
The FAA standards above are taken from the current electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 14 CFR Part 67 (§§67.103, 67.203, 67.303), and the 2025 color-vision testing change from the FAA Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners. The color plates are generated by ATIS Alerts along protan/deutan confusion lines — they are not reproductions of any copyrighted plate set. Your calibration and results are stored only in your browser; nothing is uploaded. This tool is built by ATIS Alerts, a product of The Better Travelers, LLC.
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