Out the Otherside
 

I was diagnosed with Keratoconus 5 years ago and was told there was no cure for it, so subsequently my eyes got worse. I continued to fly until my new employer (the airline I always wanted to work for) said no. I discovered and underwent Corneal Cross Linking in both eyes, and had a Keraring implanted in my right eye. The surgery was interesting, but uneventful, the recovery was the worst pain and discomfort imaginable. The surgeon was top notch although lacking in bedside manner. All in all I was grounded for 7 months, but once able to meet the vision requirements they let me back into the skies and back to work. Take it from me, it is stoppable, and In some cases fixable, have the surgeries before its too late!

this is so motivating. thx for sharing ur experience. will def go for the cross linking. hope something positive will crop out :)

Keratoconus Collagen Cross-linking...
 

Hi all!



I'm having issues with Keratoconus. There is some context on the CAA visual requirements page which I don't quite understand.


The sentence below for a Class 1 medical highlighted in Italic is relevant to me. It states that cross linking is acceptable but I don't understand what it means when it says 'Refraction at 2 months'.

It may mean that you must hand in a report filled by the opthtalmologist who operated you after two months from date of surgery?
Have you tried contacting the CAA?

Refraction | Ask the Optician ? Specsavers Opticians UK

Refraction at two months means, I think, what would your spectacle prescription be at two months after the procedure.

Did you get your medical from New Zealand Authority or any JAA country? If it's JAA, than that's a very promising post for us.

in the UK, they should be more flexible with the EASA new stuff...as long as you can meet the vision requirements....

any pilots with keratoconus who are flying without particluar problems ?

Kaptn,

I know your frustration, however it would seem that this restriction has been lifted with the CAA/EASA on the condition you can meet the visual acuity levels for the initial.

see here (do a search ctrl+F for keratoconus): Visual System GM | Medical | Personal Licences and Training

I was diagnosed with Keratoconus in 2014 and have since undergone Collagen Cross-Linking. My eyes are now stable and my consultant (who was actually part of the development team of cross-linking) says I reach all CAA requirements without a problem, I just need a slight correction of vision on my left eye with a hard contact lens, with the right eye exceeding 20/20 vision.

Keratoconus
 

Dear fellow Aviators,

I have been recently diagnosed with Keratoconus in both eyes. My binocular visual acuity is 6/6 without correction while my Right eye is 6/9 uncorrected and 6/6 corrected with spectacles and my Left eye is 6/6 without correction. The Keratoconus in my right eye is in the mild to mederate range while in the left eye is in very early stage.

My ophthalmologist suggested I get Collagen Crosslinking (c3r) done in my right eye to arrest the progression of Keratoconus and monitor the left eye for one year for progression. While I do meet all the visual acuity requirements of my regulator I am worried about the keratoconus and my regulator doesn't have a laid down procedure in handling Keratoconus patients.

I wanted to hear from any fellow aviators who have been diagnosed with keratoconus and have undergone C3R. What has been your experience been like in dealing with keratoconus. What is your aviation regulators stand on Keratocnus and what are the approved or recomended treatment options.

It would be great to hear from any docotors on this forum who have the experience in treating pilots with Keratoconus.

Thank you.

Keratoconus
 

My 17 yr old son is looking to become a commercial pilot in the UK in the next few years.

We were advised to get him 'checked out' and as part of his Class 2 medical (he has to be 18 + for a Class 1 apparently) , it was identified that although he has perfect (6x6) vision, he has a condition called Keratoconus in both eyes.
We are returning to the Eye Consultant shortly to seek further information, as the Consultant is saying that my son will require remedial action (?) on both eyes in the next 3 - 6 months
Apologies, I have no further medical details that I can supply to indicate the severity of the condition or what the Consultant is proposing

We are concerned to what affect this may have on his ability to gain a Class 1 medical and thus become a Commercial pilot in the UK

Has anyone had similar experiences or information or the CAAs take on this condition please ..?

https://www.caa.co.uk/Aeromedical-Ex...e-material-GM/

see (g) for UK CAA guidance material.

although only class 2, i had keratoncus and needed to have an operation on both eyes (CXL).

CAA were happy for my AME to deal with the whole thing. I was grounded for a period (3 months) until things had settled down but after than it was not problem at all.

i would definitely check the linkin previous post to see what the additional (if any) implications are for class 1, but once you know what the ophthalmologist is recommending then I would highly recommend consulting a local AME who should be able to help.

Thank you very much for your prompt replies here ...

We have now had an opportunity to visit the Consultant again, who has explained in more detail the condition, its affect and how he proposes to resolve it

The CXL procedure he is proposing will strengthen the cornea and hopefully should not affect my sons current '6x6' eye rating and thus allow him to proceed with his ambition to become a commercial pilot .....

That's good news. As previously stated though...ensure an Aviation Medical Examiner confirms the implications for a Class 1 medical - the ophthalmologist will not be able to confirm this.

When i went for my initial Class 1, I was told I had Keratoconus however i still got my Class 1. That was when I was 17. A year later, I went through collagen cross-linking (CXL), and my medical was suspended for 6 months (as it used to be back then). Now, aged 24, I'll be undergoing CXL for my right eye, and my AME has said there's no issues, just grounded for 3 months! I fly commercially, so that gets me off work for 3 months....winner!

You should have no issues, just keep your AME informed at all times. Good luck!

Hi Guys,

Hope Im not flogging a dead horse with this thread...

I got diagnosed with KC in Feb 2018. It came as quite a surprise, I am almost finished my ICAO CPL, problem is I haven't done my Class 1 medical yet. I did let my AME know of my diagnoses and he said It shouldn't be a problem as long as each eye is 20/30 or better and binocular vision is 20/20. Problem is KC is a degenerative eye disorder as many of you know...

I am seriously considering going for Collagen Cross linking, would any of you vouch for the procedure? Or do the threats outweigh getting the procedure done?
I have also heard of Intac rings which can be inserted on the cornea. Is this procedure disqualifying for a class 1?

I really hope someone can help me as I'm stressing at the possibility of my flying career being cut short :(

Thanks
James

Initial class 1 with Keratoconus
 

Last year I was diagnosed with keratoconus in both my eyes, therefore to slow down the progression I had corneal cross lining (CXL) done in January. The latest scans of my eyes showed that I had 20/20 (6/6) vision in my left eye, and 20/32 vision in my other eye with refraction error of 4.25D, both unaided. With a hard contact lens, I almost attained 20/20 vision in my bad eye. I contacted a medical examiner from the CAA and he said that, with the condition that I have (keratoconus), I would not qualify for a class 1 as I would have to attain 20/20 with a contact lens and glasses? I find this weird as I have been informed that glasses can't help someone that has keratoconus, but hard contact lenses can, as they help reshape the cornea. I would be very thankful if someone can inform me what to do, and if its worth doing the initial class 1 exam?

EASA class 1 keratoconus
 

Hi all,

I have an eye condition called keratoconus which affects the shape of the cornea. Have had this condition for about 10 years now in which I have had the cross linking procedure done which has halted the progression. Currently wearing hard rgp contact lenses to correct the vision to 6/6.

My question is, does anyone know of anyone who has this condition who holds a EASA class 1 medical.

Im thinking if I am able to pass the class 1 medical will it be worth all the money of commercial flight training to one day get told I will need to stop flying due to loosing my medical.

Currently have a PPL and will be booking my class 1 in next couple of months.

Would appreciate your feedback and advice on this matter.

Thanks again.