Contact Lenses/Pepper Spray

[Dr_Shakalu]

Hey everyone. I was just wondering. What happens if you wear contact lenses or glasses and have to get sprayed in the academy? If you wear contacts or glasses, you probably want to take them off because the contacts will get ruined. But after getting sprayed, there is some kind of scenario after. Wouldn't it be harder to see because not only will you burn from the spray but you won't be able to see without your contacts or glasses? I wear contacts and wil find out if I've made into the academy in the next couple of weeks. If I get accepted, I think I'm going to get laser surgery for my eyes. Even if there isn't a pepper spray excercis, I would still get the surgery. As people wearing contacts or glasses know, contacts shift around and glasses can be knocked off. What are everyone's opinions? The Doctor.

[retdetsgt]

Pepper spray will definitely ruin your contacts. But if your sight is such that seeing without them is going to be that big a problem, your vision is probably too bad to be hired.

[Dr_Shakalu]

Pepper spray will definitely ruin your contacts. But if your sight is such that seeing without them is going to be that big a problem, your vision is probably too bad to be hired.

When I did my vision test, it was with my contacts on and passed. I'm actually at the end of my application process. My background investigator is going to meet with the hiring panel on the first week of July and he has already told me that he is going to recommend me. The Doctor.

[Legoate]

I took my contacts out during the academy scenario. My eyes were jacked for about 3 days after our scenario.

However, at work I've gotten the typical overspray a few times and haven't had any problems with my contacts. My advice though would be to wear disposables so you could toss them if they got contaminated. You could then keep an extra set with you 'just in case'.

[Dr_Shakalu]

I took my contacts out during the academy scenario. My eyes were jacked for about 3 days after our scenario.

However, at work I've gotten the typical overspray a few times and haven't had any problems with my contacts. My advice though would be to wear disposables so you could toss them if they got contaminated. You could then keep an extra set with you 'just in case'.

The reason I want to get laser surgery is because i'm afraid that if I get into some kind of wrestling take down or something rubs across my eye, the contact is either going to pop out or shift. I've actually had a lens shift to the back of my eye ball and had to keep blinking to get it out.

[retdetsgt]

I wore contacts for years in uniform and never had any problem with my contacts. Granted, that was before pepper spray though. I did find that after I was assigned to drug labs, some of the chemicals fried the contacts to the point they were very uncomfortable to wear. That's when I decided to get the surgery.

The corrections doesn't last forever by the way. A lot of other people and I had to wear reading glasses when we were between 40-50.

[DeltaV]

Do not get laser surgery until you are off probation. While complications are rare, they do happen. It would be unfortunate if you had a complication from the laser surgery that would render your vision unacceptable for police work. While you'd probably get a nice malpractice settlement from the doctor, you wouldn't be able to complete the academy and field training and would lose your job.

You will need to take your contacts out when you get sprayed. Your instructors may let you wear your glasses if your vision is that bad, but that's something that's up to them.

[Creeker]

Do not get laser surgery until you are off probation. ....You will need to take your contacts out when you get sprayed. Your instructors may let you wear your glasses if your vision is that bad, but that's something that's up to them.

Nice sentiment and would seem to make sense, but the reality is that to get the surgery, you have to stop wearing your contacts for 2 weeks to allow your eyes to return to their normal shape, and an additional amount of time (mine was a week) for the pre-screening. I don't know of many rookies who are going to get 2 weeks off within their first year or so.

I probably should have never been hired. I was legally blind outside of wearing special "toric" contact lenses and my eyeglasses were literally coke bottles.

I don't really know how I slipped thru that crack...unless it was just because it was the early 80's and they didn't check that close... but I can count the times I ever had any trouble with them on two fingers, and once was when I was forced to be OC'd.

My eye doc told me to remove them prior to being sprayed and to not put them back in for 24 hours, which forced me to take the following day out sick.

This was prior to disposable contacts being nearly so prevalent.

I always wanted to get Lasik while I was working, but it was always a case of not being able to take the time off or not having the $.

I finally got it totally done at the beginning of this year, since I was beginning to wear reading glasses with contact lenses and there was little other choice.

I had monovision done, where they direct one eye for reading and the other for distance.

I love it and can't say enough about the procedure.

[Dr_Shakalu]

I'm going to talk to my background investigator and see what he says. In San Francisco, it's pretty expensive. Maybe because I have astigmatism the lowes price I've been quoted is $5,000. Really expensive for me but I really want to get it done. The Doctor.