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Advice please

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Ollie2007

Ollie2007

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi my name is Rachel and I have been a T1 diabetic for 40+ years
28 years ago just after completing my first year at dental school I developed sudden diabetic retinopathy in both eyes and had to drop off the course. This became very serious and it was doubtful if I’d see again. After surgery and much laser treatment over a couple of years I had good sight in one eye and partial sight in the other. Much to everyone’s amazement I returned to dental school and graduated with distinction. I am still working as a dental surgeon and I have been driving daily with no serious accidents or return of the disease for the past 25 years.
I renew my DVL licence every three years and have had to complete that dreaded field test twice. Once just after all my surgery and laser treatment And about ten years ago. When I applied to renew this year, it came, the piece of paper we all dread, the application for the field test. There had been many changes since I last took the test, one being that I couldn’t take it at my regular optician who managed to calm my near panic attacks in that awful machine and between us got me through the test. This change of venue and optical sent me into a flat spin straight away.
I went to the test in specs Savers and despite passing all the vision tests with flying colours I received a letter from the DVLA saying I had failed and couldn’t drive.
I am devastated at this totally ridiculous ban when I haven’t been able to reason or explain to anybody at the DVLA. There is no room anywhere on the initial application form to give additional back up or explanations as to the stable nature of your condition.
My eyes have been stable and completely disease free for 25 years. I have annual checks and photos of the back of my eye to confirm this. I have good vision, I can read the visual chart to the bottom, I am working as a. dentist everyday and now because I can’t pass this field test, which doesn’t actually represent how I look and see when I drive,my life is turned upside down.
My eye consultant is in agreement that my eyes are stable and have been fr the past 25years,but he says he is powerless. to advise the DVLA.
I have a mental and psychological block with these field test machines, I panic and make mistakes. When I drive a car I don’t set off without moving my head and checking mirrors, more so than the average person because of my partial sight in one eye. How does this relate to sticking your head in an over heated box looking straight ahead without moving my head? This seems so unfair.
My head is spinning in confusion now, if I want to appeal I have a letter saying I have to lodge an Appeal. Can anyone advise how to do start this and what is the best approach to try and ensure a positive outcome? Has anyone out there been through this awful,stressful business. Many thanks for reading this epic.
 
Hi Ollie. I know exactly how you feel about that test. I am an sparkie & if I get it wrong there is a big bang. Good luck
 
Hi Rachel welcome to the forum, do as @Martin Canty says contact the helpline. On a more personal note DVLA & Specsavers don`t see eye to eye, excuse the pun.
 
I was 27 when I took my Bike test & remember very well you where told off the instructor to move you head to show the examiner that you where looking. Passed that first time too. Good luck 😉
 
Unfortunately I have got to attend for the dreaded field test. My nearest Specsaver is 20+ miles away.That is my first gripe. Can anybody tell me why they have the monopoly. Not very customer focussed in this day and age to have the choice of only one company.
 
Specsavers have a monopoly for two reasons. One is that every shop is identically equipped, so consistency is much more likely, and the second is that I assume they stuck in a bid that was accepted.

Back on topic, the rules on visual fields with regard to driving are pretty strict these days

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visual-...um-standards-for-field-of-vision--all-drivers

That tells you all you need to know, so if you fail those tests, away goes your licence. If you think that the test was inaccurate, I suppose you could ask for a repeat, but the DVLA are fairly intransigent. If you can show evidence that your visual field hasn’t changed over a long period of time, when you have been allowed to drive, and that is backed by a consultant opinion, there is a possibility that their opinion might change. But as I said, they just work on numbers, and if those don’t pass the current regs, they deem that you are unsafe to drive.
 
Thanks Mike. Interesting reading. I don’t anticipate any problems but you just never know. When I rang DVLA they couldn’t answer any of my questions and were most unsympathetic in my opinion. Kept telling me to read the QandA and kept quoting it was the desicion of the Sec of State to go with a Specsaver. Where is patient choice? Fingers crossed all will be well.
 
Last time I had my eyes tested it was a 12 mile drive to the ferry, a forty minute ferry ride, and ten minute wheelchair ride to Specsavers. Good job they didn’t insist on Vision Express - that would be another fifty miles.:D
 
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