Not Able To Wear Contact Lens

[funder]

What is the name of your state? MI

Situation- working in chemical manufacturing plant. Upon hire 5 years ago, somehow it got ignored that I wore contact lens and employees are required to wear glasses while at work. No contact lens. The HR person quit or something at the time and my boss, and I just kept going to work wearing soft lens. Truth is, I am way over legally blind w/out corrective lens. My glasses are very thick and I cannot drive with glasses.

I said something without thinking one day and, of course, was taken to task and told I'd have to wear glasses. I put my contact lens in at home for the 15 mile drive to work, then switch to glasses at work, at quitting time, switch back to contacts so I can safely drive.

Today, I was taken to task for making mistakes. I cannot see as clearly with glasses as with my contact lens. Anyone with severy myopia will know this is true. I spoke with an eye doctor friend and he said there is no reason to require employees NOT wear contacts near chemicals. It's an old wives tale that has no merit. He also suggested I speak to my eye doctor and get a letter saying I need to be able to wear my contacts at work to do my job efficiently. I do not want to "make waves." However, I am aware this may, or may not, fall under the ADA. Any advice on what is my best bet? I need my job, like my job and have been there 5 years and only recently with the order to wear glasses have I been making mistakes, such as inputting wrong numbers into the computer and transposing numbers.
Funder

 

[ecmst12]

Is it an OSHA requirement that contact lens wear is not allowed around the chemicals you work with? If so, I don't think exceptions can be made. If not, then it seems to me that wearing contacts is a "reasonable accomodation" to allow you to do your job, under the ADA.

 

[MyHouse]

I know there can be issues with getting chemicals into the eyes when wearing contact lenses, and that it is considered safe laboratory practices to not wear the contact lenses while working with chemicals or small particles. However, if you really cannot see without the contact lenses, I wonder if it would be possible to continue to wear the contact lenses and wear very good quality protective goggles and/or a face shield when working with the chemicals. If you keep the chemicals from getting into your eyes to begin with, it should not matter if you have contact lenses in place or not.

I googled safe laboratory practices and found this, which says not to HANDLE your contact lenses while in the laboratory.

http://dohs.ors.od.nih.gov/student_goodlab.htm

Good luck. I hope you can work something out.

 

[xylene]

I would suggest you get new glasses. You prescription is clearly not sufficient if you can't see.

When was the last time you updated your glasses prescription?

 

[ecmst12]

Some people (myself included) are never going to be able to see as well out of glasses as we can out of contacts, the prescription is just too strong. Peripheral vision is nearly non-existent, there is distortion around the edges of the lenses, and besides that it is possible to just get better vision correction with contact lenses than with glasses. Laser surgery could help OP, but that's a lot of money with no guarantee that he won't still need glasses or contacts afterwards. But the problem here most likely has nothing to do with how up-to-date his glasses prescription is, just with the severity of his vision problem.

 

[funder]

brand new RX

Xylene-
The glasses are brand new, being paid for by the company as required by OSHA. If you've never worn a high minus prescription spectacle, you can't possibly know the distortion and limitation of peripheral vision. I cannot drive in my glasses because of the poor vision. I never have been able to drive in my glasses. With contacts in place, I can see just fine.

ecmst:
My prescription is too high for most refractive surgery guidelines. The risk of complications is simply not worth it. The higher the RX, the higher the incidence of dry eyes, starburst vision, loss of contrast, corneal damage etc. For someone with a lower RX, the risks go down accordingly. Thanks everyone.
Funder

 

[Silverplum]

What about wearing glasses with plain (non-Rx) lenses with your contacts? Then you look like you're wearing glasses, but you're wearing your contacts.

 

[mitousmom]

Notwithstanding what your eye doctor friend says, you need to determine why your employer prohibits employees from wearing contact lenses in the plant. That reason is important in assessing whether providing you with the accommodation of wearing contact lenses is an undue hardship for your employer.

Corrective lenses, whether in glasses or contacts, are mitigating measures. The determination of whether your disability is covered by the ADA is made with the use of mitigating measures. Therefore, if the lenses correct your vision to the level that allows you to see within normal limits, your condition isn't covered by the ADA and your employer doesn't have to accommodate it.

 

[moburkes]

What about wearing glasses with plain (non-Rx) lenses with your contacts? Then you look like you're wearing glasses, but you're wearing your contacts.

Smart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ecmst12]

I bet your eyes are worse than mine (-7.50)! Last I checked, I was told that I could have surgery but they couldn't promise me that my astigmatism would be corrected. I may check again next year though, they're constantly improving the technique. I still worry about the possiblity of halos and decreased night vision (my night vision is already terrible).

 

[xylene]

funder, your initial post seemed to imply you had not worn glasses in 5 years. I was just looking for a workable first step.

Short of medical / surgical / optical options on your end you have few options but to be candid with HR about this situation and find a solution.

 

[funder]

My eyes are -10 diopters of myopia.

We HAVE to wear protective eyewear. Mine currently is the -10 thick coke bottle glasses WITH side protectors. Anyone would notice in a minute if I went from my thick glasses to regular no script lens in less than a second.

Wearing plain protective eyewear was what I WAS doing before the contact lens confession. I may have to check with the ADA on this.

 

[moburkes]

What about silver's suggestion? It was wonderful.

I don't think you'll get very far with the ADA, IF glasses are REQUIRED for your job.

 

[ecmst12]

If it's not an OSHA requirement though, then it may be discriminatory. I would think that the ADA would apply since he can do his job perfectly well with the "reasonable accomodation" of being allowed to wear contacts and protective goggles instead of glasses. As far as I can tell, OP meets the definition of an individual with a disability according to the ADA. A "substantial visual impairment" is specifically listed as an example of a disability. See here: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/q&aeng02.htm

 

[moburkes]

If it's not an OSHA requirement though, then it may be discriminatory. I would think that the ADA would apply since he can do his job perfectly well with the "reasonable accomodation" of being allowed to wear contacts and protective goggles instead of glasses. As far as I can tell, OP meets the definition of an individual with a disability according to the ADA. A "substantial visual impairment" is specifically listed as an example of a disability. See here: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/q&aeng02.htm

That's my point. If its required, then there is no way around it. Silver gave a great accomodation, to which OP did not reply.