Driving with Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy in Northern Ireland (DVA)

Status
Not open for further replies.
I

InsulinPumpUser

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I reside in Northern Ireland and therefore DVA applies to me and not DVLA.

My driving licence was due for renewal at the end of 2021 and I was notified that it was refused in November 2022. When I appealed the decision I was notified in July 2023 that it has been refused again.

When I emailed them on Monday this week I was advised via telephone yesterday that my licence was refused because I had Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy. I repeated again that I haven’t had laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy for over 15 years and that I have been advised by the ophthalmologist that the condition is stable, the optician has said there is no change in my sight and I attend diabetic retinopathy screening annually although I didn’t receive any appointments during Covid. I do not meet the standard required for the Binocular Estermann visual fields test but then I haven’t for almost 20 years.

My driving licence was last refused in 2008 but they gave me the opportunity to take a driving test with two independent examiners who said I had adapted to my sight loss. I have been granted my driving licence regularly until I was refused last year. I haven’t been involved in any car accidents either.

Is there anything I can do to attempt to get the opportunity to take the driving test in the hope of regaining my driving license?
 
Sorry to hear your license renewal has been refused @InsulinPumpUser

Yours does sound like a complex case, especially with the examination that you went through to confirm you had adapted to your loss of visual acuity.

Do you think your full history was not taken into account? And that it was simply that the ticks weren’t in the right boxes?

Are you currently appealing the decision?

Do give the Diabetes UK helpline a call (number at the top of the page) to see of there are additional resources or pieces of information that might help?
 
Thank you for responding.

I asked what had changed from I was granted my previous license which was for 3 years but the person I spoke to was unable to give me a reply. Both my ophthalmologist and optician said my eye condition is stable.

DVA has my history and I have emailed it numerous times but they are just repeating the same thing, that my license has been refused.

The refusal letter arrived when I was on holidays, back in July so I only have days at most to do anything. The person who telephoned me after I emailed said to reapply for my license again.

I did appeal the decision but they refused. It is like everything these days you cannot get to speak to the person who made the decision just someone who will pass a message on supposedly.
 
InsulinPumpUser said:
I did appeal the decision but they refused. It is like everything these days you cannot get to speak to the person who made the decision just someone who will pass a message on supposedly.
Click to expand...
You need to get a paper trail going if you can.
Also involve your MP s/he will hopefully be able to get answers for you.
 
Pumper_Sue said:
You need to get a paper trail going if you can.
Also involve your MP s/he will hopefully be able to get answers for you.
Click to expand...
Thank you for responding.

I emailed yesterday again to ask what had changed from my last license was issued and the person who responds to my emails telephoned me. She wasn’t in good form. I said to her that it didn’t make sense to me why my license had been refused due to my eye condition which hasn’t been treated in over 15 years and that according to the ophthalmologist and optician that nothing had changed and she said it didn’t to her either.

I have sent off another driving license application yesterday as advised by the receptionist. I am at a loss as to what I can do. The DVA made the decision which I don’t understand and the DVA receptionist doesn’t understand. The optician, GP and ophthalmologist have never advised me to stop driving so why am I being refused my driving license?
 
Nothing useful to add but wishing you lots of luck with your new application.
 
InsulinPumpUser said:
The optician, GP and ophthalmologist have never advised me to stop driving so why am I being refused my driving license?
Click to expand...

Must be so frustrating for you. :(

Hope you are able to make some progress with your new application.
 
InsulinPumpUser said:
I reside in Northern Ireland and therefore DVA applies to me and not DVLA.

My driving licence was due for renewal at the end of 2021 and I was notified that it was refused in November 2022. When I appealed the decision I was notified in July 2023 that it has been refused again.

When I emailed them on Monday this week I was advised via telephone yesterday that my licence was refused because I had Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy. I repeated again that I haven’t had laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy for over 15 years and that I have been advised by the ophthalmologist that the condition is stable, the optician has said there is no change in my sight and I attend diabetic retinopathy screening annually although I didn’t receive any appointments during Covid. I do not meet the standard required for the Binocular Estermann visual fields test but then I haven’t for almost 20 years.

My driving licence was last refused in 2008 but they gave me the opportunity to take a driving test with two independent examiners who said I had adapted to my sight loss. I have been granted my driving licence regularly until I was refused last year. I haven’t been involved in any car accidents either.

Is there anything I can do to attempt to get the opportunity to take the driving test in the hope of regaining my driving h
InsulinPumpUser said:
I reside in Northern Ireland and therefore DVA applies to me and not DVLA.

My driving licence was due for renewal at the end of 2021 and I was notified that it was refused in November 2022. When I appealed the decision I was notified in July 2023 that it has been refused again.

When I emailed them on Monday this week I was advised via telephone yesterday that my licence was refused because I had Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy. I repeated again that I haven’t had laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy for over 15 years and that I have been advised by the ophthalmologist that the condition is stable, the optician has said there is no change in my sight and I attend diabetic retinopathy screening annually although I didn’t receive any appointments during Covid. I do not meet the standard required for the Binocular Estermann visual fields test but then I haven’t for almost 20 years.

My driving licence was last refused in 2008 but they gave me the opportunity to take a driving test with two independent examiners who said I had adapted to my sight loss. I have been granted my driving licence regularly until I was refused last year. I haven’t been involved in any car accidents either.

Is there anything I can do to attempt to get the opportunity to take the driving test in the hope of regaining my driving license?
Click to expand...
hi hope all is ok any updates on your driving i would love to hear how’s it going. Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Thank you.

Sorry for the delay in updating this thread and the long post which follows.

My new application was refused again.

I had an eye appointment at the hospital on Thursday 11th January 2024 and he said to think about doing my visual fields again but at the hospital this time rather than at the opticians. He said it was my choice whether I wanted to pursue my driving licence or not and that he was there to support me. He said someone would phone me and I should get a test within 6 weeks.

At this stage when I haven’t being driving for so long I am hesitant to think about going back driving again. Would I be a danger on the road? Could I cause an accident when I haven’t been driving for so long? Although when I am in vehicles with other drivers I am constantly shouting when they are missing something and each time they said they missed what I was shouting about and I was right to shout. According to the DVA I shouldn’t be driving but according to the doctor and optician I should. According to the eye specialist he will support me with my decision.

I would be interested to see if the visual fields test at the hospital yield the same results as the test at the opticians did considering I have got different results every time I took the test.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top