VISION THREAD (other than colour vision)

[Zamfire]

S.O.D.A.s

This came up after hearing an interview with the founder of [a] pilots' supply business. Apparently he has one rather bad eye which did not meet the usual 20/20 (corrected) requirements for a CPL. But he eventually succeeded in getting his Class2 medical and going on to a successful flying career.

I was wondering if anybody here has personal experience with this:

Suppose you wanted to get a FAA Class 2 medical to go for your CPL (already have a PPL) but your eyesight in one eye was just outside the limits (20/40, corrected).The other is 20/20, corrected.

Now I heard of plenty of cases of commercial pilots with various vision defects, including only having one eye, still getting Class 2 and even Class 1 medicals. Either through a waiver or through a Statement Of Demonstrated Ability.

Has anyone here gone through this process? Is it worth a try? I know I can talk to an AME and have done plenty of research online, but I'd like to hear about personal experiences.