HSV1 Herpetic Simplex Keratitis
 

I've been diagnosed with Herpetic Simplex Keratitis in my right eye, Would it make me unfit to take my medical 1 test? My eye reaches 6/9 with correction (eye with herpes), and with both eyes, I can see normally. Although, I'm still worried if I would be unfit to pass the test.

Google for FAA disqualifying conditions and you'll see a list.

Probably not that simple.

For vision, they are usually more interested in BCVA rather than the underlying condition (unless it can progress rapidly or unpredictably).

In this case, if one eye is 20/20, and you can also see 20/20 with both eyes it should not be a problem to get a 1C with a waiver (they are pretty common for weak vision in one eye, in fact there are airline pilots flying with only one eye).

But ask your AME, he knows best.

I'm talking about the US and the FAA, I'm not familiar with other country's rules.

6/9 is the metric equivalent of a Snellen 20/30. That doesn't meet class 1 standards but it is easily within the range where waivers are given.

Herpes simplex keratitis of that degree is usually controllable by topical medication (eye drops) so if promptly diagnosed and treated it doesn't interfere with flying duties. Not all airlines will accept people with less than 20/20 vision bilaterally though, despite waivers, although the bias against those people is more theoretical than objective.

That is becoming more rare. Most just photocopy your 1C, or give you a 1C exam to verify that you meet the FAA standards. I suppose a few might be able to get away with filtering for conditions which the FAA has granted a waiver for, although that's risky for the employer these days.

Totally agree. Back in the 60s, UAL had its own medical department - according to my grandfather - who would do an annual flight physical on pilots. The reason was that the pilots underground all knew the AMEs that were 'pilot friendly' which was defined as being willing to pass you if you had a pulse, regular or not, and wanted an honest broker. I believe that went away in UAL budget cuts though. But particularly in the absence of airline medical departments, HR depts trying to make medical decisions or standards more restrictive than that of the federal air surgeon would probably be legally disastrous for them.

When the ADA was passed in 1990 airlines were left to explain why they could deny a job to an applicant who met the government standard for the job. Delta used to require 20/20 uncorrected. The FAA says only that your vision must be correctable to 20/20. A 20/70 person could sue for job discrimination as long as their vision was correctable to 20/20.

The issue here though is someone NOT correctable to 20/20, but potentially with a statement of demonstrated ability for flying with one eye 20/20 and the other 20/30.

On their jobs page American Airlines still lists as a qualification:

In ADDITION to:

https://aa.pilotcredentials.com/inde...qualifications

Whether that additional medical requirement would be defensible under the ADA is a very good question, the difficulty being someone would have to PROVE they didn't get the job because of their SODA.

I doubt the selection committee would be stupid enough to admit that was the case and the applicant would instead simply be given the TBNT letter everyone else gets who for whatever reason simply wasn't selected.

Inevitably though,American will get such applicants through the wholly owned flow programs though,and at that point I think they will back down and just accept any of those with a valid first class medical.

I wonder how many pilots flowing through to AA from the WO regionals don't meet their qualifications? :confused:

I was going with the thread drift about airlines having their own medical exams.