Turning a blind eye: Physical standards for surgeons

Requiring professionals in high-risk industries to regularly meet minimal physical standards is a well-accepted principle. Pilots in both civil and military aviation must meet rigorous physical standards, including visual acuity, colour and peripheral vision. Australian medical practitioners have a general obligation to notify their medical registration board if they have suffered an illness which might affect their physical or mental capacity to practise medicine. However, no specific minimal physical standards are defined. It would be possible for a surgeon to be ineligible for an unrestricted motor vehicle driver's licence yet continue to perform surgical procedures. The visual requirements for a surgeon differ from those of a driver, the surgeon requiring good acuity for fine detail at close range, good depth perception as well as good colour vision. The driver needs good peripheral vision and adequate visual acuity at longer distances. However, a good yardstick for any doctor intending to perform surgical procedures would be that he or she should at least meet the Australian standard for an unrestricted driver's licence. That requirement could easily be incorporated into the annual declaration which each doctor must make when seeking renewal of her or his medical registration.