I want to reiterate that you should press the system hard on waivers and be persistent. Adding any leadership contacts to the process will help as well. At USAFA, I had to get a vision waiver for my astigmatism. Thankfully, it's a half page waiver that typically gets rubber stamped.
However, I understand the fears of using medical waivers as a (stupid) method of force shaping. AF medicine screwed the pooch and let both my Cat 1 flight physical expire AND my vision waiver expire. THEN, Laughlin didn't check my records correctly and waited until I started academics to audit and realize they didn't address it when I arrived here four months prior. So, they are trying to scream rush the cat 1 phys and reprocess a new vision waiver. All of that would be sufficient and be done by now without an issue.....but the AF added a new vision test to their repertoire since I was examined last in 2009.
In 2011 they went to a new color test (CCT) on the computer instead of the Ishihara plates. Despite never having any history of color issues, they diagnosed me as green color deficient. How deficient? Passing is 75/100 on the green test, I score 70 on every try. It's a hyper sensitive test and has been identifying a LOT of current and prospective pilots as deficient. People with 0 prior color history. That is not a rubber stamp waiver and requires a higher level of approval. So, here I am, trying to bust out my academics and wondering, gee, will I ever be allowed in the cockpit? Welcome to today's AF. Delightful.
P.S. On the bright side, leadership here is intent on me staying in training and not being DQ or washed back. I'm on the med group Col slides every Monday and apparently I'm on the big wigs staff slides until this is resolved. Some hope I suppose.