Leave Of Absence

I’m taking some time off from driving to have my vision evaluated. I don’t wear glasses, although I’ve had to use readers for 15 years. Now I’ve noticed that I have difficulty with depth perception when using my mirrors while backing. For example, I am finding it difficult to get centered while backing into a dock door. So I think it would be best to get this problem properly evaluated and either get prescription glasses or maybe they can do something with that Lasic surgery. Anyone have a similar experience regarding their eyesight? If so, what did you do about it? Thanks

I have prescription glass, that I have to wear otherwise everything more than a few feet away is blurry.

I hope you can get it corrected quickly

I’ve noticed that I have difficulty with depth perception when using my mirrors while backing. For example, I am finding it difficult to get centered while backing into a dock door.

Every rookie driver has those problems!

Your eyes may be just fine. Let us know what you find out.

Bruce I know the feeling to some degree. I have been using 1.75 cheaters for about 6 years now. I still have my distance, but the close up is really gone. I had prescription glasses for awhile, however I have this tendency of laying things down and forgetting I did it and leave them somewhere or sitting on them. I have family members that had lasek for distance problems and swear by the results. I was always told they couldn’t do anything for close up, but now I understand they can. Best of luck getting it corrected

Every rookie driver has those problems!

Old School, that’s hilarious. Thanks for giving me a good laugh. I’ve thought about getting a seeing eye dog to spot me in when I back up.

Bruce, I agree with OS.

It's not your eyes, otherwise you'd never have passed the eye tests administered during the DOT medical exam. Practice and repetition will cure that which ails you.

Bruce, I agree with OS.

It's not your eyes, otherwise you'd never have passed the eye tests administered during the DOT medical exam. Practice and repetition will cure that which ails you.

That brings up a good point, GT. Are the company tests thorough enough? I know I just barely passed and was told that I would probably need corrective lenses for any subsequent tests.

Shortly after I posted this topic I spoke with my driver manager. She told me the company also wants me to get a professional examination if I feel a lack of confidence with my vision. My issues mainly have to do with low light situations, like dusk and when it’s overcast.

So I think a few days off to check this out falls into the “better safe than sorry” category. Another thing I’ve noticed is that most drivers I see who look like they are in my age group, wear glasses. I’ll let you know what the Doctor says.

She told me the company also wants me to get a professional examination if I feel a lack of confidence with my vision.

You may have opened up Pandora's box by telling your company about it before even looking into it (no pun intended).

Obviously you want to be confident in your own vision and safety. I won't dispute that. But as mentioned, what you are experiencing is kind of normal with new drivers. If you only experience this when backing, surely it's just a phenomenon that can be overcome with practice.

By bringing it to the attention of your company, you've now placed a liability squarely in their laps. They'll have little to no choice but to park you until you get a definitive professional diagnosis. To be fair, if you truly have a vision problem, this is the best course to take.

Good luck with this.

Bruce, the DOT eye exam basically covers these points:

• distant visual acuity of at least 20/40 with or without corrective lenses
• The color vision requirement is met by the ability to recognize and distinguish among red, amber, and green, the standard colors of traffic control signals and devices.

Look here for the details: Eye Exam & Vision Requirements For DOT Physical

The whole DOT physical is here: DOT Physical - The Complete Guide

By bringing it to the attention of your company, you've now placed a liability squarely in their laps. They'll have little to no choice but to park you until you get a definitive professional diagnosis. To be fair, if you truly have a vision problem, this is the best course to take.

Good luck with this.

Thanks Turtle and everybody else. Actually, I want to get this taken care of before I drive again so I wanted to be transparent with the company and they are supporting my request to get home and do this. Frankly, I only have myself to blame because I kept putting this off even though my gut feeling was that I needed glasses. I guess I didn’t want the corrective lenses needed restriction.

Thankfully, I can afford to take the time off without any hardship. When I get medical clearance on this I will still have my job but I will feel safer as a driver. I’d love to bump into another TT forum driver, but just not in a bad way🤠