Eye surgery and the Met police

[Doonan]

Hello guys. This is my first post here and I signed up to ask a question.

I was wondering if undergoing eye surgery, more specifically: LASIK or LASEK (LASEK is also known as PRK) could possibly bar you from the Met police? And if it doesn't; are there any catches? Things that you can't perform because you had the surgery?

And how about for CO19/SO19? Do they bar those who have had either LASIK or LASEK? And again, are there any catches?

Answers would be greatly appreciated, I've e-mailed the Met, told me to give them a ring. But first I would like to get answers from others too. Especially seeing how some here are ex-police.

This is the e-mail I got from them, just in case:

Quote:

Thank you for your e-mail, in response to your query policy states: The eyesight standards for new police officer recruits are: Unaided vision (without spectacles or lenses) - 6/36 or better in either eye is required. Binocular vision (vision with both eyes) worse than 6/6 requires correction. Aided vision (wearing lenses or spectacles) - 6/12 or better in either eye and 6/6 or better using both eyes (binocular vision) is required Near vision - N6 at 40 cm with both eyes together (aided). For further information regarding eye surgery please contact the call centre on 0845 727 2212 between 9am - 4pm, Monday - Friday. The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is actively seeking to raise interest from black and minority ethnic communities/people and females who seek a career with the policing family. For further details please contact the Met Careers Team on 020 7161 0706. For general careers advice on the MPS, please telephone the Met Careers Advice Team on 0207 161 0120 between 10am - 4pm Monday and Tuesday. Regards HR Recruitment Metropolitan Police Service

I did not understand a single word of that. Too many numbers, I don't work at Specsavers ya know.

Again, thanks.

Edit: Was just gonna add a few things , if they do accept eye surgery then does it matter how bad/good the eyes were before the surgery? Do they also take into account the results and time elapsed after the surgery?

Thanks again for reading my extremely long post to ask a single question.

[DarkHorse]

Hi Doonan,

Welcome to CPW.

Ok... Answer to this is that yes met is very careful about laser eye surgeries, reason not entirely sure but I was once gone through same shambles as I am colour blind (at times)

It all uk constabularies who share the same standards on eye side and laser.

The numbers up in your post mainly say, that you can see things with or without specs...
If unsure I would go local specsavers and check it out (I did aswell) and they would be able to give you clear answers with the competencies outlined. By the met OHD.

CO19 - while my friend they are one of the best of met and again standards are high.

When are you going in for assessment? Or you'r in?

Let me know

DH

[yoda]

Hi Doonan,

Welcome to the siteand hope that you get your answer.

Cheers

[sutty]

Ive had eye surgery and everything is tikety boo.
their are no medical records held on this by my doctor so i don't know how anyone would find out unless you told them

[upcheckonetwo]

Dont tell them! just take the tests !

[Khensu]

I never told the Belgian Army (yeah, I know, it's the Belgian Army, but still) and they found out during the eye tests - the medical report stated "scarring on eyes - no frontline duty". (I wasn't up for cooking - as I'd poison the entire batallion - so private security industry it was.)

Of course, scarring the eyes was the entire point of the surgery. If I remember correctly, they pretty much reshaped my eyes to replace my glasses or something.

The surgeon/doctor told me a few months later that it was possible that my whatevers (corona? the thing they cut away prior to shooting laserbeams in your eyes) were still hardening, so that my eyes may seem weaker than they would be in a few more months' time.

This is all four years ago, so in the meantime there's a lot more experience with laser surgery - things may have changed dramatically for all I know. It's still a bit "new" and "weird" (I mean, I've got scars all over, including my testicles, but I never would've dreamt of voluntarily - paying for it, even - letting somebody scar my eyes!), but it appears mainstream society is opening up to it. Hopefully, the military and police services are too.

[sentinel]

I'm in, I wear contacts and have my eyes checked annually (Granny was wrong about it making you blind!). The eye test is a standard one for the job (drivers and firearms alike). It is almost as good as taking you out side, pointing at the sun and asking how much further you want to see!
I know of people in the department who have had laser surgery and it wasn't a major issue, but I'm in agreement with "upcheckonetwo": don't tell 'em!

[mrwhite]

for west midlands police there is a 2 year wait after surgery i believe

for mod, there is 6 month wait

The reason is due to the risk of a direct impact to the head. This could cause the detatchment of the retinas, which are weakened during surgery.

After 2 years the eyes should have strengthened enough to cope with an impact

hope this helps.

[Daz080970]

I spent six years in Fire and rescue and did not tell them i wore contact lense's, during my eye test i was actually complimented on my exceptional vision!! He He! Thanks to 3 years in the sandy place i have now had laser surgery( Wave front Lasek i think) and i am getting the same tip top results on any vision test i do, my advice is the same as some of the guy's -Don't Tell!!!

Daz

[TJIF]

My natural inclination is to agree with the rest of the boys and keep mum!

The only caveat I have concerns an incident with an SFO (Met) who was waiting at the vehicle changeover point for an armed robbbery ambush.

Subject one had been followed all day quite easily due to the bright red coat he was wearing. It helped that he was driving a green car! Everything was hunky-dory until this SFO was told to challenge/engage him as soon as the man in the red coat driving the green car turned up......

It was at this stage that he confessed to having had eye surgery and had been colour blind ever since. Pandemonium ensued.....

I suppose the point that I'm making is, yes, you might get away with it: but is it the right thing to do? Just because you want to do a particular job doesn't mean that you have a right to that job.
Some of the replies above seem to be from people who have "got away with it", fair enough, let's just hope no-one else had to suffer or bear the responsibility as in my example above.

Don't forget your decision now may have repercussions later on. On yourself and just as importantly your colleagues !

Be well

TJIF