"Deferred" Medical Certificate

[FredMagare]

I seem to have failed the visual acuity requirements of a third-class medical earlier today! I've always been borderline due to strabismus and ambliopia in my left eye but today it wasn't even close enough to fudge.... I understand that there is an avenue to re-qualify as the deficiency only affects one eye.

Can anyone tell me what I can expect or how I should proceed? As of now I'm waiting for the FAA to send me notice of the "deferment" and paperwork. I've downloaded FAA 8500-7 (Report of Eye Evaluation) and will set-up an ophthalmological appt. What else should I be considering?

[flyeyes]

basically, this should be pretty straightforward.

If you are mildly amblyopic in your worse eye and have squeaked by before, there's a good chance that a glasses refraction will let you meet the requirements for a third class medical (20/40 with glasses correction).

Make sure the ophthalmologist you see is familiar with the FAA requirements and has seen the 8500-7. If he's not an AME himself, make sure he's accustomed to working with one. This can save you a lot of hassle.

If you don't pass with one eye, but the other is OK, you will need a SODA which is pretty straightforward.

Long term this won't be a problem....

[Phlyan Pan]

If you're an AOPA member, they have a medical hotline that has been very helpful to me. They know the system and have seen almost every issue possible so you can ask them for advice about almost anything. I joined AOPA just for that reason alone and it's been well worth it.

[FredMagare]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll look into AOPA.

[Patch]

Fred,

I have a SODA (Statement Of Demonstrated Ability). I had much worse vision in one eye than yours and did not have a license yet. I was found to not meet the medical standards for vision and then given a special student medical certificate. I then was required to take a MFT (Medical Flight Test) prior to taking my practical. This was done at the FSDO prior to taking my Private Practical. After passing the MFT you are then issued a SODA and a new Medical Certificate.

Once you have a SODA you never need to do any of the above again. When you get further medicals the AME will not even look at the bad eye.

I will send you an email. Feel free to call or email if you would like any kind of information or just some reassuring words. This can all be done.

We are all in this together,

Scott

[tcrv7]

Dr. Bruce Chien 309-689-5242 This man is one of the best AME s around He can office issue many hardcase medicals providing you are upfront and willing to do as he requests.

[OneCharlieKilo]

Fred,
As others have said, getting a SODA for single eye vision is pretty straight forward. I've been flying with one eye for a number of years now - first my Cessna 140 and since Oct 2008 my RV-6A. My left eye is plastic & paint...

To answer your specific question on what to expect, my experience was very similar to what Scott stated in this thread. In the FAA letter / paperwork you are waiting for, I was given a medical that stated I was restricted to student pilot privileges until scheduling and passing a Medical Flight Test with the FAA at which time I would be issued a SODA and new medical.

That's pretty much how it went too....I asked for clarification from the local FSDO on what I needed to do to solo the Cessna 140 I owned at the time (was still in construction phase with my RV). Although I had a few hundred hours at the time, the FSDO said the restriction didn't just mean I couldn't carry passengers; they told me to fly with a CFI and if I wanted to fly solo then get logbook endorsements for solo flight, airports, towered airports, Class B, etc depending on where I wanted to go. Even said I needed cross-country endorsement which I thought was silly but....these were also the guys I was trying to schedule MFT with so I wasn't going to argue! Wouldn't surprise me if the interpretation on student restrictions is FSDO dependent but that was my experience.

The FAA examiner was good guy and MFT was no big deal. MFT lasted about 20 minutes consisting of short flight where he had me read him instruments on the panel, tune the radio, spot other airplanes, point out potential emergency landing spots and emergency landing spots with obstructions/hazards. He was running through a checklist of specific tasks for me to do. First stop & go was one of the smoothest I'd had in a while (one of those good luck days) so he said full stop on second one and we were done. He pulled out new medical on the ground and gave it to me right there along with SODA that he signed as well. Just show the SODA to AME now and that covers that issue for renewal.

Good luck, you'll get through it!

[FredMagare]

Gentlemen,

Thank you. This helps me greatly! Since I aspire to be a flight instructor (part-time), I knew that I would have to get a SODA eventually but I've done so little flying as of late.... This may be what I need to motivate me back into the left seat.

[mculver]

My CFI was in the same spot: vision in one eye only. He went on to make a career out of crop dusting, so I believe that you can make a medical a reality.

[tinman451]

I have had a difficult time with the FAA's medical system. I have vertical double vision and have been closely monitored on a yearly basis. Each Dec, I am required to send in test reports from a couple of specialists. The FAA then sits on them for awhile...at one point, I was grounded for over six weeks while they did their thing... After three years of this, they granted a special medical flight which went off without a hitch. I was not offered a SODA at that point, and my FSDO examiner could not tell me what the next steps were going to be. Nothing came of the medical flight. Seven months later, I submitted another round of test results to the FAA per their request, and a month later, a SODA arrived. (With no limitations...don't even have to wear corrective lenses...) I was instructed to report to my regular AME in Feb of 2011 for my regular exam which I did. He reported my SODA serial number on his examination as required. Three weeks later, I received a nasty gram from the FAA indicating that I did not meet the requirements and that another round of testing was needed. It was as if they forgot that they had just issued a SODA for my eye condition. Keep in mind that no changes have occurred with my vision... My SODA was issued by Jamaica NY, but the nasty gram was sent from OK. I have been writing letters and have finally managed to get back to an annual battery of testing like before the SODA. In the meantime, I am working with Jamaica to see if they have the horsepower to make the SODA that they issued mean something to headquarters. Folks, I have to tell you that you do not want the Feds in charge of our healthcare based on their lack of response and indifference... I am well adapted to my vertical double vision and proved it during my medical flight. At 47 years of age, I still do not require corrective lenses. Do your best to stay under their radar... I finally got fed up with the system and ended up selling my -8. At least she went to a good home... a pox on the FAA

Don Alexander
Summerville, SC