Posted on 08/09/2005 7:23:10 AM PDT by Cowman
Police escort for contact lens driver 09 August 2005 By JULIE JACOBSON
A motorist was asked to drive under police escort to an optometrist to prove he was wearing contact lenses.
"I couldn't believe it," writer Michael Romanos said, after being pulled over by Wellington area traffic boss Senior Sergeant Richard Hocken for not wearing a seatbelt while on his way to do some shopping yesterday.
A condition of his licence is that he wears either glasses or contact lenses while driving.
"He asked me to prove I was wearing contacts and when I said I wasn't going to take them out, that I needed to have wetting solution to put them back in, he said he would follow me to an optician . . ."
He then drove to optometrist Raymond Mah, whose business is several kilometres north of where he was stopped in Fergusson Drive, followed by Mr Hocken.
Mr Romanos wears hard lenses which are smaller than soft lenses, and more difficult to see. He is "almost totally blind" without them.
"I went along as a bit of a lark but I wasn't very happy."
Mr Hocken said that, legally, he could not force Mr Romanos to accompany him. It was the first time he had asked a motorist to go to an optometrist to prove they were wearing contacts.
Drivers wearing lenses usually "wiggled them with a finger" or "popped one out" if requested, he said.
"I had not been able to reasonably confirm Mr Romanos was wearing them. The issue he had was getting it back in, so it just seemed like the most pragmatic way of dealing with it. I didn't want him to take one out and then drive without it. That would have been defeating the purpose."
Receptionist Janice Wagstaff said yesterday's incident was the first of its kind in the 20 years she had been working at an optometrist.
She had given Mr Romanos tissues and solution, "but whether he used it or not I don't know. It was the first thing that happened on Monday morning. I could tell he wasn't particularly happy."
He received a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt.
Sometimes the cop is just mad at the world and takes it out on motorists.
BTW we both appealed the citations and won
The cop admits he can't legally force the driver to go to the eye doc, the guy goes "on a lark", voluntarily. Other than it being an unusual situation, no big deal.
Did this happen in the Peoples Republic of RI or MA? I have never been asked to prove I was wearing contacts. we both appealed the citations and won
Good for you!
That's the absolute truth HRHUIBSOAS
(Holding Right Hand Up In Boy Scouts Of America Salute)
First, I don't understand why the guy wouldn't "wiggle" the lens for him. Then again, I've never had hard lenses, so maybe it's different. Second, my license lists no such restrictions even though I'm blind as a bat w/out my lenses or glasses (even my glasses don't work so well anymore); but, when I took my initial eye exam when I was 15, nobody asked if I was wearing contacts, so it has been assumed all along that I have no restrictions. Guess they just didn't think a kid would wear anything but glasses (I've had contacts since I was 11... dang, I sure am ready for Lasik!!)
My license reads "corrective lenses"... I would not remove a contact lens under those circumstances, you need a clean place and a reasonable amount of saline solution to handle them properly - a car is definitely not the place to pop one in and out of your eye except in an emergency. That's a good way to get an irritant, or worse, an infection, in your eye. And God forbid it pop out when you try to put it back in your eye, now you've got one contact lens in, one out, and are behind the wheel of a car... no thanks.
I KNEW it!!! LOL
BTW, I have had Lasik and it was the best decision I ever made. I had to carry papers to prove it until I could have it removed from my license.
I asked the local police department here in Idaho about my having to wear glasses and thinking about lasik surgery.
The officer said to come by the station and pick up some paperwork before heading to the doctors office for the surgery so that the doctor can sign them after the procedure.
You then have to return the papers to the police and they now would issue a updated license.
Haven't done it yet.
Guy was a bit of a doof for not having any solution with him.
Dan
I highly recommend it. Don't go budget shopping though.
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