DVLA Over 70 Eye Tests

[Sparks]

Being over 70, I have to have a DVLA eye test every three years.   I have no problem with that, apart from their ridiculous attitude!   As I have interocular hypertension, controlled by eyedrops (higher than normal eye pressure - NOT glaucoma), I am monitored every six to eight months at the hospital.     Last Friday, I had my hospital check that declared the pressures normal, vision excellent with full fields of vision in both eyes.       Was this good enough for the DVLA?    - No, I have to go to a DVLA testing centre that supposedly has superior equipment to the hospital          This test centre turns out to be Specsavers!       Even so, I would not have minded, but can I go to the local one? NO, I have to take a 1 hour bus journey to another town!   Wonder if anyone else has come up against this?
Bob

[Murphyv310]

Hi.
Plenty about this issue on car forums. One 70 year old on the Rover 75 forum was refused a renewal on his licence as they reckoned his vision was inadequate as he had only sight in one eye and that was from birth.......... Very odd as there had been no issues from when he was 17-70 years old.

[boater sam]

 Quote   "Even so, I would not have minded, but can I go to the local one? NO, I have to take a 1 hour bus journey to another town!    "




Could you not drive there?

[Terry]

I'm quite sure he could but if the test involves drops to dilate the pupils, he wouldn't be able to drive back!

[pwdrive]

Not sure if I've ever had my eyesight tested, what's involved, letters/numbers at a distance? My driving license runs out in 2019.

Lawrence.

[Terry]

Not sure if I've ever had my eyesight tested, what's involved, letters/numbers at a distance?  

Basically, yes, but as you get older you might have tests to help spot age related problems.

For example, I have Type II Diabetes which involves having photographs of the retina being taken every year.

My licence runs out on my 73rd birthday in April but, unless anything has changed to the system in the last three years, it should just involve a simple declaration that my eyesight meets the requirements* and that no medical problems affect my ability to drive.

* My eyesight is better now than it was for over 50 years! I wore glasses from the age of 14 for a combination of short sight and severe astigmatism until I developed cataracts in both eyes and had plastic lenses fitted. I now have excellent uncorrected distance vision but, as I would otherwise still require one pair of glasses for reading and another for using the computer, I elected to go for varifocals which effectively gives me three pairs of glasses that I know the location of all the time!

[pwdrive]

Thanks Terry.

Lawrence.

[Sparks]

I am physically capable of driving there, but I am not going to because of the problems of where to park, and even getting lost on the way! I will be very annoyed if they want to dilate the pupils. I don't think they will, because they did not tell me not to drive when I come for the test. I have also heard that they often refuse to tell you whether you have passed or failed. That sounds very irresponsible to me. If one has failed, they should be told immediately, rather than left to go on driving until the DVLA condescends to tell them!
If Specsavers tests are considered superior to an exprienced eye consultant, plus the superior equipment of an eye hospital, something is very wrong!
When I became 70, I had to go through the same thing, but at that time, the local Boots Opticians were "authorised" to do the test. The test took about two minutes and really was a "piece of cake!" But Boots have now fallen from favour with the DVLA contract going to Specsavers.
Bob

[Nick]

I have a severely damaged left eye that required 4 bouts of surgery to nail the retina back on... thanks to rugby & judo...

Consequently, even though I have perfect eyesight (thank you NHS & Moorfields!), I have annual checks - I now work in Dubai - one of the reasons I agreed to come here is that there is a full Moorfields hospital here (you don't have much time to get to a specialist hospital if it goes wrong again - too late, and the sight in the eye is gone for good).

So, my doc had to inform the DVLA - they really aren't bothered...

When I came out to the UAE, I had to have an eye test here before I could get my Emirates driving license...

I was sat about 2 meters from a wall on which there were some letters about 5 cm high. 

"Can you read those letters".

"Yes"

"You've passed. Please hand over AED 150" (about GBP 35).

Mind you, they all drive like complete lunatics here....

[Terry]

Something that concerns me about this SpecSavers (or any other similar) contract is the accuracy of their interpretation of their results.

A few years ago I went for a routine examination at SpecSavers where they automatically start by measuring the intra-ocular pressure.

After the eye test proper, the optician told me that there was a problem with the pressure test result being high and they wanted to repeat it. Again it was high and I was told they would be writing to my GP. In the course of time I got an appointment to see a consultant.

The consultant measured the pressure and told me that, yes, it was a little high but well within acceptable limits. He then said that, in the litigious world we live in these days, the High Street opticians tend to work to slightly tighter margins  on the basis that it is safer (for them) to fail a patient who, like me, turns out to be perfectly normal rather than the other way round ...

I've continued to have my eyesight routinely tested - at the same branch of SpecSavers - every year since with no further queries about the pressure.