Attorneys for the maritime worker
since 1970

April 2013 #2

Are Your Eyes Fit For Sea Duty?

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Numerous eye or vision ailments may preclude the mariner from service or require a waiver from the Coast Guard.

An abbreviated list is as follows:

  • Diabetic or hypersensitive retinopathy
  • Diplopia (double vision)
  • Ptergium occluding 50% of cornea and affecting central vision
  • Refractive surgery within 6 months
  • Corneal ulcers or dystrophy
  • Retinal degeneration or detachment
  • Retinitis Pigmentosa (night blindness and loss of peripheral vision)
  • Glaucoma (high fluid pressure)
  • Macular degeneration (Degeneration of retina)
  • Optic Atrophy or neuritis
  • Nystagmus
  • Monocular vision
  • Any other acute or chronic pathological condition of either eye that interferes with proper function of the eye

There are several more disorders that the NVIC 04-08 lists. Most all of these problems can be overcome with proper opthalmic treatment, proper testing and reporting to overcome the “Further Review by the Coast Guard” requirement.

Question From The Bridge

I lost the site in one of my eyes last year due to a medical condition. My other eye is normal. Am I correct that monocular vision precludes me from sailing again?
Warren, Galveston
.

Warren, not necessarily! There are exceptions to the loss of sight in one eye even though it is generally not waiverable. Be sure the vision in your good eye is at maximum correctable
condition before applying for a waiver!

About Our Law Firm

For more than four decades, merchant mariners, longshoremen, fishermen and harbor workers plying their trades at sea, on the docks, on our U.S. coastal waters and inland waterways have turned to the maritime law firm of Law Offices of Cavin and Marks, Jr. & Associates in Oakland. Today, we are proud to be recognized as one of the preeminent maritime law firms serving injured marine workers nationwide, as well as one of the most successful personal injury litigation firms serving victims of negligence in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout the West Coast.

Team Approach To Every Personal Injury And Jones Act Claim

When you retain Law Offices of Cavin and Marks, Jr. & Associates with a Jones Act injury claim or personal injury claim, you don’t get just one attorney, you get our entire team of dedicated professionals. Our attorneys offer more than 150 combined years of courtroom and negotiated claims settlement experience. We will represent your interests with unwavering dedication, speed and expertise.