No Longer Driving After Eyesight Surgery

Terminated By Swift Because of Eye Site Surgery I am a rookie driver, I spent $7,000 dollars to get back into trucking industry after forced to quit 25 years ago... My wife and I lost both of our daughters 25 yrs ago in a horrid accident caused by a truck driver that was running illegally his HOS. I did my training at Road Masters Truck Driving School in N. Carolina...then another 8 weeks with and mentor in Tampa Florida... I passed all my exams, road test with a high score of 89%...after all the test were completed, I waited to be assigned for a truck for solo. During that time I was having vision problems where words were wavy and any thing solid that was vertical (triangular) was crooked at a distance...I just got new glasses months ago and was given the bill of health exam. but the optometrist missed the problem I was having (was not as bad as it has progressed into now) So I went to a ophthalmologist specialist. they examined my eyes and gave me bad news...I have Macula Degeneration. He explained it was common for me and women with aging eyes from 45 yrs old and older. But the scary part is he said if I did nothing I could end up with limited site or blind. the treatment is either eye surgery or an injection in the eyes with an experimental medication the dissolves the jelly like fluid pulling at the back of my eye creating a hole (Macula Hole in the of the eye(s)' Success rates are very low @ 26% with the injection, 34% with surgery. The risk of either surgery or the injection (Jetrea) may leave me with very limited site or blindness... the cost without insurance for the injection per eye $11,000.00 Surgery is $5,000 per eye. I called my Dm and explained I could not drive since the one eye was injected with the medication... and have to have the left eye done in 6 weeks, if my right eye is at least at 20/40 (now It is very blurry and i have no night vision, plus no depth perception) For 7 days I had big fat white worm like floaters and yellow tint like in the injected eye...now after the 3rd week i have site but its like wearing very dark sun glasses over te treated eye during the day time and things are still blurry. Swift terminated me without no possible returning to work...but I have been told by my eye-site should improve having at least 20/40 in one of the eyes..anyone ever had this Macular Degeneration ? This comes at a bad time...my wife is disabled and we have bills to pay...she got even more sick (heart problems) & she was forced to quit her job...so I returned to truck driving after quitting the truck driving industry 25 years ago due to the loss of our 2 daughters from a truck driver that was driving exhausted with Illegal HOS. Now that I am temporarily site disabled...not sure if my eye site returns to at least 20/40 in one eye or both, will any trucking company hire me due to the short 2 time with Swift-and their termination of me...will this show up on my dac report? Has any driver had this Macular Degeneration or a relative of theirs? Sean O

Sean, sorry to hear that about your eyes. Sure hoping they heal and you can get your eyesight back above that 20/40 threshold.

You won't have a problem finding work once you can pass the physical again I'm sure. Swift obviously had no choice but to let you go if you couldn't see properly but if that was the only concern then you'll surely land a job again if things clear up.

Six years ago I had eye surgery. I had holes in my retina. I went to the Dean McGee eye institute and had the gel removed. It was replaced with a gas that held my retina in place so it would grow back together. I had to keep my head position down. That allowed the gas float up against the retina. I had to do that for seven days. That was for one eye then three months later for the other. Three months after I had cataracts removed. It took from April 3 to September 15 before I could drive. Now my eye sight without glasses is 20/25 in left and 20/30. Thankfully I had insurance that paid about eighty grand plus my salary. Find the best treatment possible. I wish you the best of luck. I had a taste of blindness for most of that time. I understand what you are going through.

Prayers for you and your wife and for your vision to improve whether you get to drive a truck again or not.

Sean, God knows what He is doing, timing is everything with Him, what can you learn from this situation, have courage to accept the things that you cannot control, be well....out

Terminated By Swift Because of Eye Site Surgery I am a rookie driver, I spent $7,000 dollars to get back into trucking industry after forced to quit 25 years ago... My wife and I lost both of our daughters 25 yrs ago in a horrid accident caused by a truck driver that was running illegally his HOS. I did my training at Road Masters Truck Driving School in N. Carolina...then another 8 weeks with and mentor in Tampa Florida... I passed all my exams, road test with a high score of 89%...after all the test were completed, I waited to be assigned for a truck for solo. During that time I was having vision problems where words were wavy and any thing solid that was vertical (triangular) was crooked at a distance...I just got new glasses months ago and was given the bill of health exam. but the optometrist missed the problem I was having (was not as bad as it has progressed into now) So I went to a ophthalmologist specialist. they examined my eyes and gave me bad news...I have Macula Degeneration. He explained it was common for me and women with aging eyes from 45 yrs old and older. But the scary part is he said if I did nothing I could end up with limited site or blind. the treatment is either eye surgery or an injection in the eyes with an experimental medication the dissolves the jelly like fluid pulling at the back of my eye creating a hole (Macula Hole in the of the eye(s)' Success rates are very low @ 26% with the injection, 34% with surgery. The risk of either surgery or the injection (Jetrea) may leave me with very limited site or blindness... the cost without insurance for the injection per eye $11,000.00 Surgery is $5,000 per eye. I called my Dm and explained I could not drive since the one eye was injected with the medication... and have to have the left eye done in 6 weeks, if my right eye is at least at 20/40 (now It is very blurry and i have no night vision, plus no depth perception) For 7 days I had big fat white worm like floaters and yellow tint like in the injected eye...now after the 3rd week i have site but its like wearing very dark sun glasses over te treated eye during the day time and things are still blurry. Swift terminated me without no possible returning to work...but I have been told by my eye-site should improve having at least 20/40 in one of the eyes..anyone ever had this Macular Degeneration ? This comes at a bad time...my wife is disabled and we have bills to pay...she got even more sick (heart problems) & she was forced to quit her job...so I returned to truck driving after quitting the truck driving industry 25 years ago due to the loss of our 2 daughters from a truck driver that was driving exhausted with Illegal HOS. Now that I am temporarily site disabled...not sure if my eye site returns to at least 20/40 in one eye or both, will any trucking company hire me due to the short 2 time with Swift-and their termination of me...will this show up on my dac report? Has any driver had this Macular Degeneration or a relative of theirs? Sean O