Keratoconus

[QMar92]

I was just disqualified at Wright Patt for my FC1 for having keratoconus. I understand this is a hard "no" presently at this time, but so was Lasik a few years ago. On the outside I am a commercial pilot with a Class 2 physical and I know there are captains for major airlines with this condition who have either had a corrective surgery or continued without it. My vision is well within standards. 

My question is this...is there research or a case study being conducted on corrective procedures for waiver approval for this condition? Is there anything I can do from my end to contribute in convincing doctors this is a waiverable condition when you have had a corrective procedure? I am looking into a cross-link surgery that is known as Holcomb C3-R  by the man that invented it himself Dr. Bran Boxer Wachler. 

[Jester251]

My dude, I feel your pain...literally, as this just happened to me. And you’re right, as far as the FAA is concerned (Also a Commercial pilot here), as long as you’re passing their vision standards, you should be fine. So, the bright side is, airline career is out there.

The Doc at WP did mention that they’re currently experimenting with non-flying personnel like ATC that have been diagnosed with keratoconus and have been treated with Corneal Cross Linking (CXL). Next step would to experiment with current rated pilots, etc. So, this is probably 5 years out (it was his best guess). Not sure how old you are, but as a 31 yr old, I’ll continue with Airline career, being grateful to have been given a slot (by a guard unit), and I’ll move on.

If you’re in your early 20s, I’ll definitely keep an eye out, no pun intended 🙂.

if you’re reading this in 2021 or after...maybe regs have changed! It did for lasik/prk, or maybe there’s a new way to restore the cornea, science is always advancing/improving!

Best of luck!