16 y/o Going Through FAA Medical Process for Amblyopia / Possible SODA

[Plxnes]

Hey everyone,

I’m 16 and working toward becoming an airline pilot. I’ve wanted to do this my whole life wanting to go to the airlines and I’m currently going through the FAA medical process.

I have refractive amblyopia in my left eye (20/200) and 20/20 vision in my right eye. I’ve already submitted a lot of documentation to the FAA, including eye specialist reports, visual field testing, OCT scans, pressure checks, etc.

My doctors have described me as:
- stable
- low-risk glaucoma suspect
- normal pressures
- no diagnosed glaucoma
- no optic nerve damage

The FAA recently requested a color copy of my OCT for further review, which I’m currently working on sending in.

From my understanding, I’ll most likely be going through the SODA path and possibly a Special Issuance for monitoring purposes.

I’ve been pretty stressed throughout this process and was mainly wondering:

- Has anyone here gotten a first class medical with amblyopia or monocular vision?
- What was your SODA process like?
- How long did it take?
- Are any of you currently flying professionally?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through something similar. Thanks.

 

[Kenny Phillips]

Hey everyone,

I’m 16 and working toward becoming an airline pilot. I’ve wanted to do this my whole life wanting to go to the airlines and I’m currently going through the FAA medical process.

I have refractive amblyopia in my left eye (20/200) and 20/20 vision in my right eye. I’ve already submitted a lot of documentation to the FAA, including eye specialist reports, visual field testing, OCT scans, pressure checks, etc.

My doctors have described me as:
- stable
- low-risk glaucoma suspect
- normal pressures
- no diagnosed glaucoma
- no optic nerve damage

The FAA recently requested a color copy of my OCT for further review, which I’m currently working on sending in.

From my understanding, I’ll most likely be going through the SODA path and possibly a Special Issuance for monitoring purposes.

I’ve been pretty stressed throughout this process and was mainly wondering:

- Has anyone here gotten a first class medical with amblyopia or monocular vision?
- What was your SODA process like?
- How long did it take?
- Are any of you currently flying professionally?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through something similar. Thanks.

I'm presently working on that, with presumptive normal-tension glaucoma, and traumatic glaucoma of the left eye. I've now given the AME all of the required stuff (including tests not normally given by my ophthalmologist) and am in the waiting period.
Visual field is severely damaged in left eye, but is nearly perfect in the right. My latest HVF test showed improvement, which is quite rare.
Very likely I'll need a SODA, but as I'm flying now, it won't be an issue.

 

[bbchien]

You will get two letters simultaneously.
(1) a denial for rialure to meet medical stds.
(2) A "for further consideration" letter which will invite you to formally get into the "fly with the FSDO after signed off for solo" which the FSDO may pawn off on a qualfied DPE.

So far nothing sounds "out of normal"

B