FAA Medical Exams

$Refractive Surgery-Flying$

Table of Contents

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from the FAA's Civil Aviation Medical Institute (CAMI) website

Capsular Summary of the Standards

If You Do Not Meet the Standards

Additional Information on this Website

Options to the Third Class Medical: BasicMed

Your FAA Medical Exam

Special Issuance Protocols and the Airman Medical Examiner Assisted Special Issuance (AASI) Process

Conditions for which Airman Medical Examiner Can Issue (CACI)

Sport Pilot Information

LASIK and Refractive Eye Surgery

FAA Requirement since October 1^st, 2012: MedXpress

FAQs from CAMI

Note: By clicking on one of the following questions you will be going to the FAA website page which addresses that issue. To return here use your Browser's back button

What is a medical certificate?

How do I obtain a medical certificate?

Who must hold a medical certificate?

What class of medical certificate must I hold and how long is it valid?

What medical standards must I meet in order to qualify for a medical certificate?

What medical conditions does the FAA consider disqualifying?

What are the minimum and maximum ages for obtaining a medical certificate?

Can I get my student pilot certificate at the same time I take my initial flight physical?

What does it cost to get a medical certificate?

Am I prohibited from exercising the privileges of my pilot certificate during medical deficiency?

I have some medical problems and would like to learn whether I can be issued airman medical certification. Where can I get further information?

Is a pilot required to report to the FAA that he or she has undergone LASIK or other laser eye surgery to correct vision?

Can I appeal if my application for medical certification is denied?

How does the appeal process work?

How can I contact the FAA about my medical certificate?

What should I do if I hold a foreign medical certificate or endorsement and I want to exercise pilot privileges in the United States?

I lost my medical certificate; how can I obtain a copy?

FAA Website publication date of this FAQ List was January 9, 2013.. There was no update as of August 8, 2016.
To see if there are revisions to the FAQ List visit the FAA website site by clicking on the blue button:

Capsular Summary of the Standards

Please note: This was from the FAA online version of the
Airman Medical Examiners Handbook Version V; March 30, 2016 -
No revision as of March 1,2020

Medical Certificate Pilot Type	First-Class Airline Transport Pilot	Second-Class Commercial Pilot	Third-Class Private Pilot
DISTANT VISION	20/20 or better in each eye separately, with or without correction.		20/40 or better in each eye separately, with or without correction.
NEAR VISION	20/40 or better in each eye separately (Snellen equivalent), with or without correction, as measured at 16 inches.
INTERMEDIATE VISION	20/40 or better in each eye separately (Snellen equivalent), with or without correction at age 50 and over, as measured at 32 inches.		No requirement.
COLOR VISION Note: If the above words look gray, you may have a vision problem!.	Ability to perceive those colors necessary for safe performance of airman duties.
HEARING	Demonstrate hearing of an average conversational voice in a quiet room, using both ears at 6 feet, with the back turned to the examiner or pass one of the audiometric tests below.
AUDIOLOGY	Audiometric speech discrimination test: Score at least 70% reception in one ear. Pure tone audiometric test. Unaided, with thresholds no worse than:

	500 Hz	1,000 Hz	2,000 Hz	3,000 Hz
Better Ear	35 Db	30 dB	30 dB	40 dB
Worst Ear	35 dB	50 dB	50 dB	60 dB

ENT	No ear disease or condition manifested by, or that may reasonably be expected to maintained by, vertigo or a disturbance of speech or equilibrium.
PULSE	Not disqualifying per se. Used to determine cardiac system status and responsiveness.
BLOOD PRESSURE	. The current guideline maximum value is 155/95.
ELECTRO- CARDIOGRAM (ECG)	At age 35 and annually after age 40	Not routinely required.
MENTAL	No diagnosis of psychosis, or bipolar disorder, or severe personality disorders.
SUBSTANCE DEPENDENCE AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE	A diagnosis or medical history of "substance dependence" is disqualifying unless there is established clinical evidence, satisfactory to the Federal Air Surgeon, of recovery, including sustained total abstinence from the substance(s) for not less than the preceding 2 years. A history of "substance abuse" within the preceding 2 years is disqualifying. "Substance" includes alcohol and other drugs (i.e., PCP, sedatives and hynoptics, anxiolytics, marijuana, cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, hallucinogens, and other psychoactive drugs or chemicals).
DISQUALIFYING CONDITIONS	Unless otherwise directed by the FAA, the Examiner must deny or defer if the applicant has a history of: 1. Diabetes mellitus requiring hypoglycemic medication 2. Angina pectoris 3. Coronary heart disease that has been treated or, if untreated, that has been symptomatic or clinically significant. 4. Myocardial infarction 5. Cardiac valve replacement 6. Permanent cardiac pacemaker 7. Heart replacement 8. Psychosis 9. Bipolar disorder 10. Personality disorder that is severe enough to have repeatedly manifested itself by overt acts 11. Substance dependence 12. Substance abuse 13. Epilepsy 14. Disturbance of consciousness and without satisfactory explanation of cause 15. Transient loss of control of nervous system function(s) without satisfactory explanation of cause.

If You Do Not Meet the Standards

No individual is perfect, and most everyone will experience at some time during his or her career a significant illness or a disability. This does not necessarily end flying activities and the FAA has procedures whereby individuals can re-qualify. A disqualifying medical condition can be either static or possibly progressive, and the FAA takes a different approach in dealing with each one.

A static condition is one that is not expected to change or progress over the years. Examples include some degree of color blindness or an individual that has lost his leg from an injury and wears a prosthesis. If the FAA makes a determination that when considering the adaptations the individual has made to compensate for their limitations that operating an aircraft can be done safely it will issue a Statement of Demonstrated Ability or SODA. At times an actual flight test may be required with an FAA check pilot to obtain these waivers. SODAs are permanent and do not have any expiration or reevaluation date. Once you have one it remains in effect as long as the condition does not change and you apply for the same class or lower class of certificate. A SODA needs to be re-issued if you go to a higher class of certification, and it becomes invalid if the condition for which it was issued changes.

Most medical problems are not static and may change or progress over time. Examples in this category are hypertension, glaucoma or heart disease. Such conditions require an initial evaluation when the problem is first discovered. If the FAA determines that the condition does not preclude the safe operation of an aircraft one can generally obtain certification. Reevaluation is usually required annually or biennially. If the condition has not changed then the certificate may be re issued, however if there is progression continued certification may become problematic.

The AASI Process, Protocols, and Conditions for which the Airman Medical Examiner (AME) can issue

There are specific medical conditions the FAA considers disqualifying and which may progress over time, however if you meet protocol criteria the FAA can issue you what is called a Special Issuance medical Certificate. The initial granting of the SI must be done by the FAA, however if you continue to satisfy the criteria in the protocol for your condition your AME can reissue you certificate. A list of these guidelines can be viewed on the AASI Pages of the CAMI website.

The FAA had also defined a group of medical conditions called "Conditions for which Airman Medical Examiner Can Issue" or CACI. For these medical conditions if meet the FAA protocol criteria your AME can issue you your certificate without pre-approval from the FAA.

For all medical certificates issued by the Special Issuance or CACI process you need to have the required protocol information. This is because when an AME is authorized to issue the certificate he/she must certify that the required documentation was reviewed and met criteria. When the FAA has to issue your certificate it has been my consistent experience that they will not make a decision until the receive all of the protocol information.

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This page was last updated on 02/27/21