OPINION: law change needed to recognise the importance of vision to road safety

In our latest opinion piece, Henry Leonard from the Association of Optometrists outlines why drivers should have a sight test every 10 years to prove their vision still meets the driving standard.

---

In March 2017, three-year old Poppy-Arabella Clarke was killed by a motorist, just weeks after the driver was warned his vision was too poor to drive. It’s been estimated that almost 3000 injuries on our roads each year are caused by drivers with poor vision, but in the UK, if a car driver can read a number plate at 20 metres when they take their driving test, they may continue driving for the rest of their life, with no further vision checks. 

The DVLA relies on drivers reporting problems with their eyesight, but some drivers are unwilling to notify the DVLA about problems with their vision, whilst others fall below the required standards without realising, because their vision has changed since they passed their driving test.

So, how widespread is this problem? One of the most striking findings in the Association of Optometrists’ (AOP) Voice of Optometry panel survey was the consensus of more than 1000 practitioners on the subject of vision and driving. 

With more than one in three of those surveyed reporting they’d seen a patient in the past month with vision below the driving standard, yet continuing to drive, many felt there was a need for more stringent rules. 

Nine in 10 respondents concluded that the current sight requirements for a driving licence are insufficient and the same amount called for regular sight tests for all drivers. We also know from a public poll that two-thirds (62%) of people are currently “putting off” a sight test and 36% are relying on an out-of-date spectacle prescription.  

Optometrists recommend that everyone has a regular sight test at least once every two years, and more frequently in some cases. A sight test is much more than simply a check of whether you need glasses or contact lenses; it’s also an eye health check, and can even pick up some general health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and raised cholesterol. 

Some eye conditions, such as glaucoma, come on gradually over many years, and without a regular sight test, you might not know there’s anything wrong until it’s too late to treat effectively. Studies show people can lose up to 40% of their peripheral vision to glaucoma before they realise anything’s wrong, but if it’s picked up early as part of a routine sight test, it’s usually readily treatable with laser treatment or eyedrops.

So, what can be done to ensure that the drivers on our roads can see properly? Firstly, we need to change the law; in much the same way that we check cars remain roadworthy through a regular MOT, we should check that drivers’ vision remains clear enough to drive safely at regular intervals. 

Ideally, everyone should have a sight test at least once every two years, but if even we required drivers to prove they could see properly when they renew their driving licence every 10 years, it would still be a big step forward in terms of road safety. Is it really too much to ask drivers to have a sight test every 10 years, to prove their vision still meets the driving standard?

The good news is that, in most cases, optometrists can help motorists continue to drive safely for longer, either by ensuring they have the correct glasses or contact lenses, or referring patients for specialist eye treatment. 

We need the law to change, and recognise the importance of vision to road safety, as it does in many other European countries, but in the meantime, by having a regular sight test every two years, and getting the right vision correction, motorists can take a positive step to being a safer driver.

More information about the AOP’s Don’t swerve a sight test campaign can be found at: www.aop.org.uk/dontswerve

---

Henry Leonard is a UK-registered optometrist. As part of his role as head of clinical and regulatory for the Association of Optometrists (AOP), Henry provides tailored advice to other optometrists throughout the UK, drafts guidance for the profession and provides clinical expertise in legal cases. 

Henry has a particular interest in issues around driving and vision, and has been interviewed on national radio, television and in print on this topic, as part of the AOP’s annual “Don’t swerve a sight test” campaign. 

He has also given presentations to MPs at parliamentary roundtable events which looked at changing the law around vision and driving, and he is a regular speaker at events organised by the Older Drivers Forum.

---