Corneal Erosions and the workplace

[Mcgoldilocks]

I woke up with a bad erosion on my 25th birthday last Friday, so called in sick. Didn't go to hospital because I was afraid they would scrape my cornea which they did in December.

It was better by 6pm so I went out to my birthday party I'd spent months arranging, 50 people turned up.

I knew it looked bad to work so I went to hospital the next day, got examined, got a sick note, got antibiotic eye drops etc. and I emailed my boss and MD first thing Monday morning with an explanation of my medical condition.

My MD called me into a meeting, threw my sick note on the desk and said it was bull. He said the whole thing stinks, he didn't bother reading my email and he thinks I'm taking the pi**.

If he's not going to bother trying to understand this medical condition then of course he will think I'm a liar and I can't win.

[Guest]

Your post enraged me.

Clearly your MD has never suffered a corneal abrasion himself and I for 1 know how difficult it is to experience this type of injury on your birthday as it happened to me last year on my birthday also.

The only advice I can offer is to get a medical certificate and a letter of explaination from your DR outlining the condition, then I would attempt to have a meeting with the individual concerned and offer your side of the story.

Most importantly, you have enough to deal with in living with this condition, the last thing you need is to take it personally and let it effect you.

I wish you well and hope that your colleagues develop a little compassion and better understanding of this debilitating condition.

Warm regards

Ian

[liz56]

Geez!

I agree with Prattstar. This story is infuriating. It is bad enough that eye doctors cannot even tell if we have a problem, but to deal with employers who cannot understand it is frustrating. Mine are understanding, but one of the administrators where I work had the same problem and understood it. Everyone else expected to see blood running out of my eye. Their responses to seeing me after they heard that erosions had me hung up for days on end all through last June tended to be "You LOOK fine," and they would look really close into my eye! I tried to explain that it is not the whole cornea, just the very sensitive outer part-- like having a brush burn on your eye.

I hope that you can compile some documentation about erosions, maybe like some of the links on this site that explain them and their treatments, and show your boss. It may feel like an undue burden on you, but helping people to understand this rare and weird problem is in your best interest.

I hope that things improve!

--Liz

[Mcgoldilocks]

Thanks for the support Liz and Ian, just having someone who understands makes me feel better.

I talk to the corneal specialist about getting some kind of official explanatory letter, that is a good idea.

Lindsey

[Stanza]

Do get a letter and then have another meeting and make sure your HR representative is in the room and records it, get it on record. In many countries it would be against employment law to treat you like that, though the party thing might have escalated it - if they knew about it.

[Mcgoldilocks]

I have handed in my notice and got an exciting new job with a 30% pay increase. Hah! HAH!

Bandage contact lenses went in today, fingers crossed they help.

[Guest]

Hah! HAH!

So it is true what they say "the person who laughs last, laughs loudest". Not only did you have the last laugh, judging by the capitals, it was the loudest.

Congratulations

Ian