The following ophthalmological conditions are disqualifying for initial issue medical examination:

(i) History of recurrent keratitis or corneal ulcers, corneal scars which influence visual function and Keratoconus.

(ii) Lattice degeneration of the retina and any macular degeneration which interferes with visual function.

(iii) Hereditary degenerations with progressive influence on visual acuity and visual fields (e.g. retinitis pigmentosa).

(iv) Retinal detachment.

(v) Vascular disorders with exudates, bleedings or ischemic retinal damage.

(vi) Optic neuritis, Optic atrophy and Optic nerve head drusen.

(vii) Central Serous Retinopathy.

(viii) Glaucoma.

(ix) Cataract surgery with intra ocular lens implant.

Cataract Surgery and Intraocular Implants (IOL)

• Cataract Surgery by Small Incision:

  • Flight crew having undergone cataract surgery where such surgery is performed by phacoemulsification, medical fitness with the limitation “Fit to fly as Pilot-in-Command along with qualified experienced pilot” (P2 Status) may be considered after four weeks of surgery if there are no post surgical complications, vision is stable and within acceptable limits.

  • May be upgraded to P1 status 12 weeks after surgery, if there are no post surgical complications, vision is stable and within acceptable limits.

  • The visual requirements are met either with contact lenses or with intra-ocular lenses in combination with spectacles.

  • Waivers may be granted by the appropriate authority for experienced aircrew, for visual acuity below ICAO Standards.

• Cataract Surgery by a Full Incision:

  • Cases who have undergone full cataract incision will be kept in non-flying status for a period of 06 months.

  • Thereafter, restricted flying category will be given for 03 months depending on the clinical state.

  • 9 months postoperatively, P1 status may be considered if there are no post surgical complications, vision is stable and within acceptable limits.

  • Waivers may be granted by the appropriate authority for experienced aircrew, for visual acuity below ICAO Standards.

   

Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD)

• ARMD (Age-Related Macular Degeneration) Patients with ARM are often asymptomatic or sometimes notice mild symptoms, including minimally blurred central visual acuity, contrast and color disturbances, and mild metamorphopsia.

• If geographic atrophy develops in the macular region, patients may notice a scotoma (blind spot), which can slowly enlarge over months to years before eventually stabilizing.

• Patients with exudative AMD typically describe painless progressive blurring of their central visual acuity, which can be acute or insidious in onset. Patients who develop subretinal hemorrhage from choroidal neovascularization (CNV) typically report an acute onset.

• Other patients with choroidal neovascular membranes (CNVM) may experience insidious blurring secondary to shallow subretinal fluid or pigment epithelial detachments (PEDs).

• They also report relative or absolute central scotomas, metamorphopsia, and difficulty reading. A dilated examination of the fundus with slit lamp biomicroscopy, stereo color photography of the fundus, rapidsequence fluorescein angiography (FA), and optical coherence tomography (OCT) are performed for diagnosis of AMD.

• OCT provides a cross-sectional view of the retina and can identify soft drusen, RPE detachments, subretinal and intraretinal fluid, CNV, and cystoid macular edema.