Some types of work demand that you have clear vision at all distances. Before 1999, the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) was trying to eliminate any vision requirements in job advertisements on the basis that it was too discriminatory.
However, in 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that clear vision is essential in some jobs and that the EEOC should confine itself to protecting only people with severe vision disability such as blindness or vision in one eye only.
When good visual acuity is central for good job performance, an employer can require that you have 20/20 vision. For example, if you would like to be a firefighter and have severe myopia, you will need to have LASIK or one of its variants to correct your vision.
A myopic firefighter could cause deaths by not seeing people trapped in a burning building. Glasses may be worn, but could be knocked off in the chaos of an emergency situation. The same applies to other emergency service jobs – emergency response workers, police, lifeguards, and medical workers, for example. Other Work Conditions Requiring Clear Vision If work is done in dim lighting conditions, vision must be at least twice as clear as required by bright light conditions, according to vision scientists. When decisions must be made quickly, as with an inspection worker who must catch product defects no matter how small, quick and accurate eyesight is necessary.
Sometimes poor vision can be helped by a co-worker nearby, but if the job must be performed alone, vision requirements are important. If the work requires a lot of driving, again clear vision is important. Some states test vision each time you renew your license, but not all, so an employer cannot assume that possession of a driving license means you have good vision.
Some states that do not require such testing are:
New Jersey (requires it about every ten years)
Kentucky (unless the license has been expired for over a year)
Alabama
Oklahoma
Vermont
If you would like to learn more about how LASIK might help you expand your work potential, please contact our office to schedule a personal consultation with one of our LASIK surgeons. If you are not a good LASIK candidate, there are other ways your vision can be corrected. We have eight locations for your convenience and hope to meet with you soon.
