Can a legally blind person practice medicine UPDATE

[868651]

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Just to clarify on my condition, I have corrected 20/200 vision in my left eye and 20/60 vision in my right eye according to my last examination. Does that qualify me to practice medicine?

 

[rdyotz]

Just to clarify on my condition, I have corrected 20/200 vision in my left eye and 20/60 vision in my right eye according to my last examination. Does that qualify me to practice medicine?

There are blind doctors out there, it might limit your specialty, but not your ability to become a doctor.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Of course it's possible. The question is would this career choice be the best one you can fathom being in? The challenges are going to be greater for you than any medical student with intact sight. Maybe if your desire is to go into psychiatry then it would be a lot easier, but it's definitely not your only option. Here's an interesting article I came across:

Blind medical student earns M.D.

 

[DSM_302.0]

Check out the "Technical Standards" at a given school. I think they're pretty standard?
Technical Standards | UCSF Medical Education | Medical Student Education

Specifically, the standard of "Observation":

1. OBSERVATION: Candidates must be able to acquire information from demonstrations and participate in experiments of science, including but not limited to such things as dissection of cadavers; examination of specimens in anatomy, pathology, and neuroanatomy laboratories; and microscopic study of microorganisms and tissues in normal and pathologic states. Candidates must be able to accurately acquire information from patients and assess findings. They must be able to perform a complete physical examination in order to integrate findings based on this information and to develop an appropriate diagnostic and treatment plan. These skills require the use of vision, hearing, and touch or the functional equivalent.

Do you think you satisfy this requirement? I don't know how to interpret your Rx figures.

If you can't satisfy this requirement, I unfortunately don't know what accommodations can be made for students with a disability for this standard, but I assume there are some!

Perhaps this answers your question, or perhaps it gets you moving in the right direction.

Good luck!

 

[CherryRedDracul]

Just to clarify on my condition, I have corrected 20/200 vision in my left eye and 20/60 vision in my right eye according to my last examination. Does that qualify me to practice medicine?

Kind of sounds like my vision and I'm a radiology resident.

 

[868651]

Kind of sounds like my vision and I'm a radiology resident.

Well congrats to you. Hope that’s working well.

 

[Mohamad majid]

Kind of sounds like my vision and I'm a radiology resident.

So what challenges in your carrier

 

[armoman898]

Just to clarify on my condition, I have corrected 20/200 vision in my left eye and 20/60 vision in my right eye according to my last examination. Does that qualify me to practice medicine?

You are only legally blind in one eye. Sounds like high myopia and/or myopic degen. with refractive amblyopia. If you have scotomas of visual field defects, then it's a different story

Stay away from microscope heavy professions (at least those that require good stereoscopic judgment >> microsurgery, Ophthalmology, ENT, etc).

 

[868651]

You are only legally blind in one eye. Sounds like high myopia and/or myopic degen. with refractive amblyopia. If you have scotomas of visual field defects, then it's a different story

Stay away from microscope heavy professions (at least those that require good stereoscopic judgment >> microsurgery, Ophthalmology, ENT, etc).

Thanks that’s really all I needed to know.

 

[Sunna12]

Just to clarify on my condition, I have corrected 20/200 vision in my left eye and 20/60 vision in my right eye according to my last examination. Does that qualify me to practice medicine?

We had a blind family medicine physician come speak to us in medical school. He had been practicing for over 30 years and was well-loved by his patients.

 

[868651]

Well congrats to you. Hope that’s working well.

You don’t have trouble reading X rays?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

You don’t have trouble reading X rays?

If you’re responding to @CherryRedDracul you should quote him and not yourself. That way he gets a notification that you specifically quoted him.

Edited for gender correctness.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

You don’t have trouble reading X rays?

Nope, I can read them efficiently. Matter of fact, I'm probably one of the stronger residents in my program at detecting subtle fractures (/brag).

If you’re responding to @CherryRedDracul you should quote her and not yourself. That way they get a notification that you specifically quoted them.

Hehe, I'm a he. 😛

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Nope, I can read them efficiently. Matter of fact, I'm probably one of the stronger residents in my program at detecting subtle fractures (/brag).



Hehe, I'm a he. 😛

I actually switched them all to singular they cause I wasn’t sure, but I guess I forgot one!