Can You File a Disability Claim for Vision Problems?

It’s no secret that dentistry is hard work, requiring concentration, precision, visual acuity, depth perception, and quick reaction time if there is an emergency situation [1].  In prior posts, we have discussed how, as a result of these demands of the profession, musculoskeletal conditions are all too common in dentists, and often lead to dentists needing to file disability insurance claims. Similarly, a dentist who undergoes changes to his or her vision, whether via injury or disease, faces the very real possibility that he or she may need to step away from practicing dentistry early. In fact, one study showed that sight disorders were the second most common reason dentists asked for help (34.7% in females, 32% in males)[2], and the same study showed that sight disorders were recorded in 45.7% of the female dentists participating in the study and 48.5% of the male dentists, with eye injuries being the most common reported reason for seeking help.

Some eyesight injuries/impairments experienced by dentists may occur on the job, through physical hazards (radiation, artificial light) or chemical hazards (dental materials, including amalgam and dental cement particles, equipment, disinfectant, etc.).[3] Diseases of the eye are also not uncommon as one ages, and older dentists may find it increasingly challenging to effectively practice when faced with an eye disease, especially during procedures that require a significant degree of hand-eye coordination (e.g. root canals, crown procedures, etc.).

Some of the most common eye conditions in adults include age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, central retinal vein occlusion, retinopathy (due to diabetes), macular edema, glaucoma, and retinal tears and detachments. Many of these conditions can cause symptoms that can limit a dentist’s ability to practice safely and effectively (e.g. blurred vision, floaters, halos around lights, double vision, difficultly seeing in low or bright light, etc.), and over times some can even result in partial or total blindness. In addition, there are several lesser-known genetic eye conditions that can have equally devastating effects on a dentist’s ability to safely practice, including retinitis pigmentosa, choroideremia, Best disease, and cone rod dystrophy, among others.

Whether sight impairment and/or vision loss occurs through a common or rare disorder, vision problems are often slowly degenerative and progressive. In some instances, there may be ways to acceptably compensate for the vision impairment, whereas in other instances the impairment can be severe enough that it is obviously disabling. However, like other slowly progressive conditions, there is often a significant gray area between these two extremes that can be difficult to navigate if you do not have an understanding of how the disability claims process works. Dentists facing a progressive eye condition must carefully (and constantly) balance the need to keep their practice running, support their families, and continue the job they love against their duty to keep their patients safe and the risks of board complaints and/or malpractice lawsuits.

As a result, we’ve often seen dentists try to continue working even after a serious diagnosis by reducing their hours and/or the types of procedures they perform; however, doing so can hurt your chances to collect under a future disability claim, as this can undercut the severity of a claim and re-define the job duties, potentially making it much harder to establish total disability under the terms of your policy. Because of this, if you are a dentist with an eye condition that could potentially be disabling in the future, it is a good idea to have someone who is familiar with the claims process (like an experienced disability insurance attorney) evaluate your situation and start preparing a transition plan so that, if things progress to the point where you do have to file a claim, you are prepared.

These posts are for informative purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with and diagnosis by a medical professional. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms described above and have yet to consult with a physician do not use this resource to self-diagnose. Please contact your doctor immediately and schedule an appointment to be evaluated for your symptoms.

 

References:

Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org
National Eye Institute, https://nei.nih.gov
U.S. National Library of Medicine, https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov
Retina International, http://www.retina-international.org
American Academy of Ophthalmology, https://www.aao.org
American Society of Retina Specialists, https://www.asrs.org

[1] Dhanya Muralidharan, Nusrath Fareed, & M. Shanthi, Musculoskeletal Disorders among Dental Practitioners: Does It Affect Practice?, Epidemiology Research International, Vol. 2013, Article ID 716897 (2013)

[2] Marin Vodanovic, Slavica Sovic, & Ivan Galic, Occupational Health Problems and Dentists in Croatia, Acta Stomatol Croat., 2016 Dec; 50(4): 310-320

[3] Id.

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