LASIK surgery info...

[macgyver]

just received some interesting news. anyone having eyesight trouble might want to follow up on it:

it seems that the RCMP accepts the surgery for its recruits. no, wait. let me rephrase that:

they PAY for and require the surgery for its recruiting program in Nunavut. (if needed, of course). apparently the Inuit have a lot of people with lousy eyesight, and in order to pass the RCMP physical they receive it for free. (along with the trip "south" to a clinic...)

all this is fine with me. I just figure that the next time the MOT is giving someone the runaround concerning this surgery, a case can be made that it IS accepted and endorsed by the Canadian Governement.

 

[Laser]

I went to law school with a woman who was keen to join the RCMP but had myopia. She had her eyes ''done'' and acheived 20/20 vision, but they had some sort of prohibition on recruits who had undergone laser surgery so she was out of luck.

I hope that RCMP policy has changed since the above happened (back in the late 80''s). Certainly it would be silly if myopic recruits from Nunavut are acceptable but those from elsewhere are not.

 

[Flybabe]

Silly yes but - when you consider the government drive for hiring "minorities" I wouldn''t be surprised if they have made a special allowance for aboriginals.

Of course all they say in the website is :

Vision standards

If you wear glasses or contacts, you must meet the following minimum vision standards:

Uncorrected (without eyewear and without squinting): 6/18 (20/60) in each eye, or 6/12 (20/40) in one eye and up to 6/30 (20/100) in the other.
Corrected (with eyewear): 6/6 (20/20) in one eye and up to 6/9 (20/30) in the other.
Colour vision testing: You will be tested using any standardized Pseudo-Isochromatic plates (Ishihara, A-O, HRR, Dvorine). If you correctly identify all patterns presented in such tests, your colour-vision will be considered “normal.â€￾

If needed, further evaluation will be done with such devices as the Farnsworth D-15 discs. If you demonstrate a colour-vision deficiency on the Farnsworth discs, you will not be considered acceptable for the RCMP.

 

[graunch1]

I had it five years ago. In PNR region hte wait after surgery is 3 months then you must pass a vision test by an opthamologist. Doesn''t seem to be a big deal here. I know in Toronto region they still seem to have a bit of a heart-burn over it.
After 5 years the eyes are still 20-20

 

[Bullet Remington]

G-1:

You have yours done here in YYC? If so where? How much did they soak ya?

Just ran off the phone number for that place down on 42 Ave NW.

They any good??

 

[macgyver]

don''t regret it either...

 

[flythenumbers]

Hmmm, I wonder if you can get them to accept the surgery on the grounds of human rights and discrimination against a handicap?

As I understand it, thats in part how airlines were/are forced to accept people who wear glasses. Since bad vision is defined as a handicap and glasses correct the handicap and allow you to fulfill the role, not accepting an individual on those grounds is a human rights violation.

Now, if eye surgery does the same thing, is it not discrimination to not accept an individual for having bad/corrected vision?

Just imagine the cost of lawyers to fight the government on this issue though. Wish my wife still worked with the labour lawyers, have her ask them.

 

[graunch1]

Bullet,
The only place to go is Gimbel''s in Marketmall Prof Centre and get Howard G himself to do the work. It cost me a total of $4,000 five years ago --$3,800 for the work and $200 for the sexy Oakley Sunglasses. I watched the news that night and golfed the next day. Night vision was no more "halo" intensive than with wearing hard contacts. After about 3 months that went away as well.
Prices are going down as one of my kids had it done about 3 years ago and it only cost her $3,000.
There are lots of horror stories out there particularily with one outfit that avertizes $500 per eye. This is one of those situations where the cheapest isn''t the best.
FWIW I had a -9.5 diopter which ment that even Coke bottle bottoms couldn''t help me see the big E.

One thing for anyone wanting to get this doen to get a military flying job---don''t they can easily tell during an eye exam as the surface of your eye looks like the top of a hard-boiled eggg.. No AF in the world AFAIK will accept laser-corrected eyesight. As a Luftwaffe Flight Surgeon I know told me a few years back it isn''t the correction that is the worry it is how a weakened eye structure will hold up inder high G loads. So far they haven''t had any test volunteers.

 

[Laser]

----------------
On 5/20/2003 10:23:33 PM flythenumbers wrote:
Hmmm, I wonder if you can get them to accept the surgery on the grounds of human rights and discrimination against a handicap?
----------------​

Probably. There is an exemption in the Canada Human Rights Act for "bona fide occupational requirements", but if the RCMP is accepting Inuit recruits who have had laser surgery, they have implicitly admitted that there is no "bona fide occupation requirement" for non-surgically altered eyesight.

 

[Flybabe]

I had the surgery as well with the Mitchell Eye Center in YYC, they were outstanding! I was about -3.5 for both near vision and astigmatism and at that time Dr. Mitchell told me there was a chance he couldn''t correct both when they were at that point. If only one aspect needed correction it was easier.

I am now about 20/30, better than what I was that''s for sure! I wear glasses driving at night because I do still have a bit of astigmatism. It''s a very personal decision, I''m DEFINITELY glad I did it!

As for the RCMP I can''t see why (or how) they could allow Nunavutians to have the surgery and not everyone else but.. that''s the government for you.

 

[cap]

This is 'the new era' and effort to enlist minorities, that's all. Lawyers will straighten all that out in court over the years. The minute a Member's eyesight is called into question and they start to recite the statistics on the failures, Crown Attorneys will get very 'antsy' and nervous. The laser surgery is great, BUT it does not work 100% of the time. Defense lawyers look for such eveidence and statistics for their cases. Should the case be lost because of that Member's vision being brought up, then those acceptance Rules will change. They wanted female Members to be treated and accepted like anyone else, UNTIL a female member was recently on patrol by herself. Stopped a car and ended up sticking her head in through the open driver's window.....power window goes up.....head caught .......and female member stripped and raped. Policy now: male members are allowed on patrol alone, but not female members. Female member considering the possibility of suing the 'perp' and the RCMP for allowing her to be put into that situation. Circumstances usually straighten-out stupidity and dumb decisions. I know half a dozen lawyers that would just love to bring a policeman's vision into any kind of question, at anytime.

 

[LongRanger]

Where the he11 did you hear that cap.....recently??!! That''s got to be one of the oldest male chauvinist RCMP member stories on the block.

Let me know where in the policy books to find that one about female members riding alone. I''ll believe it when I see it by''.