Peripheral Vision
 

Just got a report from my neural ophthalmologist that my peripheral vision is limited in the upper-right quadrant of both eyes and to a lesser extent in the lower-right quadrant. Am I screwed on getting a first class medical? I'm wondering what my options are at this point and if I should voluntarily submit the test results to the FAA. I've heard about the SODA program but there's so much uncertainty at this point and no clear-cut written policy on this. It seems like it's up to the subjective opinion of the FAA surgeon general, even though my doctor knows about my flight training and said he wouldn't have any objection to my pursuit of becoming a professional pilot.

Funny thing is that I never knew about this until they conducted the test, have 150+ hours flying and am looking to take my private check ride within a month. None of my instructors have ever voiced concern over my vision and I have over 70 hours of time with them. It's not like I only see 3/4 of my vision; I just cant see as far up when looking straight ahead. Never had a problem driving or any medical restrictions on my license.

Not sure what to make of this. Your thoughts?


Thanks,


BK

I'd contact your AME and see what they think, or perhaps contact AOPA Medical if you belong to that group. Also, "AMAS" (Aviation Medicine Advisory Service) is a good resource but it won't be free. Many airlines provide it for their pilots.

https://www.aviationmedicine.com/

If it's due to some progressive condition (ie macular degeneration) you might be able to get a time-limited SI but that would not bode well for an aviation career.

If it's just the way you were born and not changing you can probably get cleared to fly one way or another (waiver, SODA). If you didn't even know about it until the eye doc told you, it's probably not really very limiting.

As rickair says, if it is progressive (ie., glaucoma or something) it’s an issue because even if it’s OK now, it’s not what you want to START a career in this business. But if it’s static - ie, just the way God made you - then it all depends on the extent.

Except for the central point of fixation and maybe 20 degrees to either side, everyone’s vision is pretty, delta Sierra (as in 20/30 and dropping fast). 40 degrees off the visual axis most of us would be hard pressed to see a wide body at five miles without relative motion. Peripheral vision is more just a moving object locator for the central vision enabling you to swivel your eye to bring the central 20/20 (or better) to bear. A good scan can cover a multitude of sins and if your peripheral vision deficiency is truly static...well, the FAA has approved quite a few one-eyed pilots (Whose nose alone takes out a huge chunk of what peripheral vision they have left) so they aren’t particularly unreasonable if you have demonstrated that it hasn’t been a huge issue.

https://i.ibb.co/whJJxGp/43-D1-F88-E...7-C7-CDDF6.jpg

Thanks for the fast responses. To answer your questions, I was in a car accident 28 years ago and it left me with near sighted double vision - both of which have been corrected and I'm now at 20/20 - and the peripheral handicap. But my ophthalmologist have been very clear in stating that it's NOT progressive and will not get worse over time.

If all it will require is a SODA, then I think I'm good. I do fly competently and haven't been in any serious predicament because "I couldn't see it coming."

My instructors told me to finish my private license first and then go get a first-class medical. I think that's the most appropriate thing to do.

If you have any other information relevant, please let me know. Thanks for your help!

Just got a reply from CAMI that they're denying me a first-class and revoking my existing third. I wrote a request for reconsideration and they denied that as well. I'm all for any and all suggestions as this will otherwise ruin my career and myself financially :(

May I ask what the reason is for this somewhat unusual number of hours?

*Your medical has been revoked out of an abundance of caution. You should probably have had a SODA and they can’t go “hey he didn’t break anything yet he’s good to go”.
You’ll need to get your medical back and this will take a while. Probably one or two statements from specialists and submitting them to the FAA.

* You are not telling us everything. Who is “they” and why was it necessary to do a test now for them to discover something that you already knew about? In your first post you said you didn’t but in your second you said you did.

Did you know about this and ‘forgot’ to mention it on your initial medical application?

You requesting reconsideration carries zero weight in the eyes of CAMI. They’re pulling your medical because you have a medical condition that could potentially be dangerous in flight, and they don’t want you flying until you provide sufficient medical evidence to the contrary. All the letters and lawyers and even an act of Congress won’t sway them, believe me.

Bring the paperwork the FAA sent with you to your AME. He can help get the ball rolling, and you two can come up with a gameplan. You’ll see all the requisite specialists, do all the tests, send the package off to CAMI, and then likely get told they want more stuff because that’s what they do...then you’ll submit more information and then you’ll likely end up with a medical.

Likely. Nothing is guaranteed.

In short, your next stop should be your AME.

The reason for so many hours is that my checkride kept getting pushed back for one reason or another. Also, I didn't know about any peripheral vision loss until this year. I purchased an ergonomic keyboard and mouse and the mouse was causing me discomfort so I went to go get it checked out. My neurologist discovered that I had some scar tissue from a car accident I was previously in decades ago but sent me to a number of tests to rule out it being a stroke. It wasn't a stroke, but I did go see a neural ophthalmologist and he discovered what's now disqualifying me.


"You requesting reconsideration carries zero weight in the eyes of CAMI. They’re pulling your medical because you have a medical condition that could potentially be dangerous in flight, and they don’t want you flying until you provide sufficient medical evidence to the contrary. All the letters and lawyers and even an act of Congress won’t sway them, believe me.

Bring the paperwork the FAA sent with you to your AME. He can help get the ball rolling, and you two can come up with a gameplan. You’ll see all the requisite specialists, do all the tests, send the package off to CAMI, and then likely get told they want more stuff because that’s what they do...then you’ll submit more information and then you’ll likely end up with a medical.

Likely. Nothing is guaranteed.

In short, your next stop should be your AME."

I tried working with my AME on this and he was optimistic about the outcome, but he did warn me it would take a lot of work as mentioned. I spoke to him about it but he hasn't really been in touch with me so I'm hoping that something can happen.

I'm left wondering, however, what evidence do they need to the contrary? None of my medical specialists, flight instructors, or DPE have any concerns with my ability to safely operate an aircraft.

There is more here.
Hate to break it to you....you’re already at double the national average for a Private.
If your checkride gets postponed a couple of weeks for inclement weather or aircraft and DPE availability you don’t suddenly have 50-70 hrs more. How much of your 150hrs is solo?
If you continued solo timebuilding then that’s ok.
If you somehow needed that much extra training with an instructor it may indicate a problem. Might be a problem with your vision that has never been identified.
Do you have issues with fine motor skills due to nerve damage? The keyboard/mouse issue is a cause of concern.
I have personally flown with three students that all had vision in only one eye. They all passed Private pilot checkrides in the 45-55hr range.