[nfbwatlk] eye exams for doctors

Fri Mar 30 23:52:42 UTC 2012

Hello Becky,

I'm sorry for your loss.

Obviously, sighted doctors need good vision.  And it seems reasonable to
test for adequate vision in sighted doctors when they get to an age at
which declining vision is common.  And this may well save lives.  That is
common sense.

However, as you know, there are also blind doctors, who duly qualified,
without vision, and who practice without vision.  It would be absurd to
say, when they reach a certain age, they are disqualified from practicing
because they can't pass an eye exam!  That would certainly not be common
sense.

The doctor interviewed in the article referred to airline pilots and car
drivers being required to pass eye exams, as a justification for requiring
doctors to do so.  Underlying that very broad and unconditional statement
is the assumption that, without vision, one cannot be a doctor.  And we
know that to be incorrect.

Test sighted doctors for vision.  Sure.  But don't assume a blind person
can't be a doctor, and don't disqualified duly qualified blind doctors
because they can't pass an eye exam.

I think their governing body needs to be reminded of this.

Mary Ellen asked if I knew the contact information of the organization.
Here it is below.

Rick

http://www.cmq.org/

http://www.cmq.org/en.aspx

College des medecins du Quebec
2170 Rene-Levesque Boulevard West
Montreal, Quebec
H3H 2T8

E-mail
info at cmq.org

Telephone
514 933-4441
Toll free
1 888 MEDECIN
1 888 633-3246
Fax
514 933-3112

SOURCE:
http://www.cmq.org/en/NousJoindreglobal.aspx

On Thu, 29 Mar 2012, Becky Frankeberger wrote:

 My Uncle Steve had successful breast surgery for cancer. So this also
 effects men. Wonder how many women needlessly died leaving young children
 and there husbands broke and broken hearted just because people did not
 intervene and take his priviledges away. I am glad I had my uncle Steve for
 a few more years. he saw his youngest son graduate from high school. He died
 a year later of blocked heart arteries. Wonder who missed that blockage.

 Some tasks are visual until something can be developed that is better then a
 highly trained healthy human eye. It is coming I have no doubt. But this
 doctor is a criminal for causing grave harm.

 Question to those of you who lost your sight later in life, how old were
 you.

 Becky Frankeberger
 Butterfly Knitting

 Custom-made knit throws, shawls, and more!

 Phone: 360-426-8389
 E-mail: becky at ButterflyKnitting.com
 Website: www.ButterflyKnitting.com

>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Frederick Driver
> Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2012 2:30 AM
> To: list at cfb.ca; nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nfbwatlk] eye exams for doctors
>
> I wonder if this policy will improperly impact qualified blind MD's.
>
> Naturally, if, and that's a big if, which I am not qualified to answer, but
> if there exists no non-visual method for properly reading x-rays, then those
> charged with reading x-rays must have sufficient visual acuity to do so.
>
> But this policy seems to be painting a very specific situation with a very
> broad brush.
>
> Because physicians who read mammography x-rays need adequate vision, then
> we're going to make all physicians pass an eye exam?  That doesn't compute.
> Where would that leave Dr. Stracks.  And where would that have left Dr.
> Bolotin?
>
> Rick
>
> [article]
>
> Elderly Quebec doctors may face mandatory eye exams
>
> 109 misread breast cancer screenings at the centre of the consideration
>
>     By Aaron Derfel, Postmedia News March 28, 2012
>
> Quebec's College of Physicians is considering making eye exams mandatory for
> physicians who are at least 70 years old following its report that a Laval,
> Que., radiologist missed breast cancer in 109 patients during mammography
> screening, the Montreal Gazette has learned.
>
>    MONTREAL - Quebec's College of Physicians is considering making eye
>    exams mandatory for physicians who are at least 70 years old following
>    its report that a Laval, Que., radiologist missed breast cancer in 109
>    patients during mammography screening, the Montreal Gazette has
>    learned.
>
>    "We are evaluating the possibility of having older physicians do eye
>    exams," Dr. Charles Bernard said. "And it's not just for eyesight.
>    It's for hearing, too. Doctors have to hear well, too."
>
>    On Tuesday, the college revealed that 77-year-old Dr. Raymond
>    Bergeron, now retired, had misread mammography X-rays at a rate that
>    is more than five times the acceptable provincial norm.
>
>    The college did not specifically address whether poor eyesight might
>    have played a role in Bergeron's failure to detect cancer tumours.
>
> In its 79-page report, however, the college recommends the
>    "development of an evaluation mechanism for the physical and cognitive
>    capabilities" of doctors "of a certain age."
>
>    In an interview, Bernard said that recommendation could mean periodic
>    eye examinations for older physicians who admit to problems with their
>    vision in a detailed questionnaire they must fill out every two years.
>
>    In fact, Bernard launched such a questionnaire a year ago amid
>    criticism by some physicians that the college was acting in an ageist
>    manner. He denied that and said he is only seeking to uphold high
>    standards for physicians while protecting the public.
>
>    The questionnaire does not require mandatory eye exams, and that's
>    something that could be added, he said.
>
>    The college has also implemented a system of inspecting the practice
>    of physicians with at least 35 years experience. But those inspections
>    take place once every five years for each physician in that category.
>
>    Bernard noted more than 1,000 physicians in Quebec are at least 70
>    years old. That's about 6.7 per cent of a total physician workforce of
>    more than 17,000. By comparison, 6.2 per cent of doctors in Ontario
>    are at least 70, and nationally, it's 5.4 per cent.
>
>    The Association des radiologistes du Quebec says about 10 per cent of
>    its members are at least 70.
>
>    Dr. Frederic Desjardins, president of the association, declined to
>    comment on the college's recommendation.
>
>    However, at a news conference Tuesday following the release of the
>    college's report, Desjardins expressed concern about the tendency of
>    some older doctors to work alone. He suggested that older radiologists
>    should practise as part of a team.
>
>    He emphasized the difficulty in reading X-rays, agreeing that it's
>    like picking out snowflake in a snowstorm, because some breast tumours
>    can be as small as three millimetres.
>
> Bernard noted that airline pilots must undergo periodic eye exams. And
>    the Societe de l'assurance automobile du Quebec requires drivers who
>    are at least 75 years old to undergo eye exams.
>
>    Bernard said he wasn't aware of all of the specifics of the
>    radiologist who was investigated by the college.
>
>    "I don't know about his eyesight, but we do know is that he was
>    overloaded. He read a lot of X-rays in a year."
>
>    The Gazette attempted to contact Bergeron by phone at his home.
>    Bergeron's wife answered, but said her husband did not want to speak
>    to reporters.
>
>    "How do you think he feels?" she said. "He had been a doctor for 50
>    years, and did a lot of good things during that time."
>
>    The college has also made other recommendations to improve the
>    accuracy of mammography screening, including requiring that all radiology
> clinics switch from film to digital X-rays, as well as the
>    double reading of X-rays in certain cases.
>
>    Montreal Gazette
>
> SOURCE:
> http://www.vancouversun.com/Elderly+Quebec+doctors+face+mandatory+exams/6376
> 298/story.html
>
>
>
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