“A new survey by the Association of Optometrists shows that most optometrists in the UK have seen a patient in the last month who continues to drive despite being told their vision does not meet the legal standard.
More than half of those polled (56%), said they have a patient who drives regardless of their poor vision; a sharp increase from 40% in 2019. Of these 56%, just over half (51%) say they have more than one patient who continues to drive illegally.
What the law says
Any driver must wear glasses or contact lenses every time they drive if they need them to meet the ‘standards of vision for driving’. Drivers must tell the DVLA if they have a problem with their eyesight that affects both of their eyes, or the remaining eye if they have only one. This does not include being short- or long-sighted, or colour blind, and there’s no requirement to disclose whether there has been any surgery to correct vision.
Drivers must be able to read (with glasses or contact lenses if necessary) a car number plate made after 1 September 2001 from 20 metres. They must also meet the minimum eyesight standard for driving by having a visual acuity of at least decimal 0.5 (6/12) measured on the Snellen scale (with glasses or contact lenses, if necessary) using both eyes together or, if they have sight in one eye only, in that eye. They must also have an adequate field of vision, which can be checked by an optician.”
Source: https://community.co-pilot.org/feed
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