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Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency |
| The following information is from "At a Glance Guide to Current Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive" Issued by Drivers Medical Unit DVLA. Swansea March 1998. |
| The Law states that: A license holder or applicant is suffering a prescribed
disability if unable to meet the eyesight requirements ie. to read in good daylight
(with the aid of glasses or contact lenses if worn), a registration mark fixed to a motor vehicle
and containing letters 79.4mm high at a distance of 20.5 metres. If unable to meet this standard,
the driver must not drive and the licence must be refused or revoked. |
| Visual Disorders |
Group l
Drivers of Motor cars and Motorbikes |
Group 2
Drivers of Goods vehicles (3.5 to 7.5 tonnes)
Minibuses between 9-16 seats
and Large lorries and buses. |
Visual Acuity
Severe bilateral cataract, failed bilateral cataract extraction |
Must be able to meet the above requirement. (In practice this corresponds to between 6/9 and 6/12 on the Snellen chart) |
New applicants are barred in law if the visual acuity using corrective lenses if necessary is worse than 6/9 in the better
eye or 6/12 in the other eye or the uncorrected acuity in both eyes is worse than 3/60).* |
| Monocular Vision |
Need not notify DVLA if able to meet the visual acuity standard and has adapted to the disability |
New applicants are barred in law from holding a Group 2 licence.* |
Visual Field Defects
eg. Homonymous hemianopia and homonymous quandrantanopia, severe bilateral glaucoma, severe
bilateral retinopathy, diabetes, retinitis pigmentosa, complete bitemporal hemianopia and other serious bilateral disorders. |
Driving must cease unless confirmed able to meet recommended national guideline for visual field, (see below for full definition) |
Normal binocular field of vision is required. |
| Diplopia |
Cease driving on diagnosis. Resume driving on confirmation to the Licensing Authority
that it is controlled by glasses or a patch which the licence holder undertakes to wear while driving. |
Recommeended permanent refusal or revocation if insuperable diplopia. |
| Night Blindness
| Cease driving if unable to satisfy visual acuity and visual field requirements at all times |
Driving not permitted unless able to fully meet the Group 2 eyesight requirements |
| Colour Blindness |
Need not notify DVLA. Driving may continue with no restriction on licence. |
Need not notify DVLA; as for Group 1 |
| * There may be "grandfather" rights for some
individuals which depend on when the licence was issued for the first time. An application would
need to be accompanied in these particular instances by a certificate of experiance and the
licence holder should ring DVLA for guidance. |
Field of Vision Requirements for the holding of Group 1 Licence Entitlement |
Group 1 standard is defined as:-
A field of vision of at least 120° on the horizontal measured by the Goldman perimeter using
the lll4e settings (or equivalent perimetry). In addition, there shoUd be no significant defect in the
binocular field that encroaches within 20° of fixation above or below the meridian. By these means,
homonymous or bitemporal defects that come close to fixation, whether hemianopic or quadrantanopic,
are not accepted as safe for driving. Isolated scotomata represented in the binocular field near to the
central fixation point may also be inconsistent with safe driving.
The field test must therefore monitor the central area as well as its outer perimeter. Field tests
may be undertaken with or without the use of corrective lenses.
The standard above is defined in terms of the Goldman 1114e setting, but an equivalent automated
perimeter, producing a print out, is acceptable. The following perimetric methods are considered to be equivalent:-
- The Gultron Biotronics Autofield 1 and the Fieldmaster perimeters using their basic programs.
- The Humphrey perimeter AP2000 (3 zone 61 points program).
- The Esterman test.
- The Dicon perimeter AP2000 (target 25000 Asb. Bowl 31.5 apostilb).
- The Dicon LD400 equipment.
- The Octopus perimeter 500 EZ (programme No 7).
- The Turbinger TAP 2000ct (programme No 6).
- The Henson perimeter 35000. 4000 and 5000.
- The Medmont automatic perimeter.
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Field of Vision Requirements for the holding of Group 2 Licence Entitlement |
|
The group 2 standard requires there to be a "normal binocular visual field".
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| This file last updated |