To say good eyesight is important for driving is a fairly obvious statement; it’s said that around 95 per cent of the information we process when operating a car is visual, so it stands to reason that the more you see, the better prepared you will be.
But what is ‘good vision’ in this sense? Just because you may have trouble reading the text on a road map or the fine print on a set of instructions, does not mean you can’t still operate your vehicle perfectly well. In fact, both the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents agree that bad eyesight and accidents have no clear link before the age of 50 – having the latter does not necessarily mean having the former is to blame.
A line has to be drawn somewhere, however, so the DVLA does have rules regarding the standard of vision expected to retain a driving licence. It refers to visual acuity – the sharpness of your vision – and the basic test is whether the motorist can read a standard-sized number plate from a distance of 20.5 metres (65 feet). Drivers can of course use their prescription glasses or contact lenses – but binoculars are not allowed! It is worth doing the test yourself regularly as you get older, because eyesight can deteriorate slowly as the years pass. You may not even notice the problem developing, but if you get pulled over and are unable to meet this eyesight standard, you could face prosecution. DVLA rules also apply to field of vision, so if your vision is impaired significantly in one eye – even if the other has excellent vision – you could fall foul of the rules.
Action you can take
Does this look familiar?
If your vision is beginning to deteriorate, you should look into having it corrected. This is typically done with glasses or contact lenses, but some people have issues with these. Glasses are not to everyone’s tastes, but you don’t have to wear them all the time – a pair specifically for driving can be kept in the glove box. Problems come when trying to combine prescription lenses with sunglasses for driving in bright sunlight; you can get tinted lenses for this purpose, but experts do not recommend driving with these at night.
Contact lenses are easier to use in conjunction with sunglasses, and are obviously more discreet. However, some people just don’t get on with them, and they’re not easy to take in and out just for driving. One option worth considering, therefore, is whether permanent correction with laser eye surgery could help. It costs nothing to find out, but make an appointment with your GP to discuss these procedures in detail before making any commitment.
So whatever the current situation is regarding your eyesight it pays to have it checked regularly, because there are options out there which can avoid you having to pay a hefty fine – or worse, losing your licence!
