[Visual tests and their score for selection of candidates to higher aviation schools]

In the majority of countries the requirements to refraction and visual acuity into the distance of candidates to aviation schools are extremely high. However, despite rigorous selection the number of students expelled from aviation schools for the reason of myopia remains impressive and even tends to rise. Aside from high incidence of myopia, this is the consequence of considerable visual loading of students and low-informative methods of examination. Simple and easy accommodation tests, the so-called visual loading tests, were applied to 628 candidates to aviation students. Analysis of results showed high informative merits of two procedures, i.e. Evaluation of stability of the visual acuity into the distance (VAD), and Determination of VAD recovery time following preliminary accommodation loading. Subjects with hypermetropia of up to 2.0 dioptres had the best VAD stability. This index was slightly lower in emmetrops; the least VAD stability margin was found in myopathic subjects. After accommodation loading, the VAD recovery time increased by more than 0.75 dioptres in the myopathic subjects and 2.0 dioptres in the hypermetropic subjects. Hence, the visual loading tests show promise as procedures worthy to be included into the program of medical selection of candidates to aviation students.