Annie’s Mailbox: Sister’s poor sight may cost job

Dear Annie: I’m worried about my younger sister, “Louise.” I recently retired, and Louise will be eligible to retire in four years. She is a full-time operating-room nurse who is required to rotate being on call at night.

The problem is that Louise’s night vision has become terrible this past year. Her optometrist says that it will undoubtedly get worse the older she gets. Every time my phone rings at night, I fear it’s someone calling to say Louise was killed in a car accident on her way to the O.R. She’s already had a few near-misses.

Louise has spoken to her supervisor about this, but their policy is “take it or leave it.” If she quits, she’ll lose a significant portion of her hard-earned retirement money.

Louise means the world to me. I always assumed our families would grow old together, but now I’m genuinely concerned for her safety. Maybe if her supervisor reads this in the paper, he will be more understanding and accommodating of their experienced, longtime senior nurses who simply cannot drive at night anymore. – Scared Sister

Dear Sister: It might help if Louise brings her supervisor a doctor’s note saying she is visually impaired at night. Another alternative is to provide transportation on those nights when she is on call. Can a friend or relative drive her? Are there trains or buses? Can she carpool with another staffer or work out an arrangement with a taxi company? Please look into all the possibilities.