National Eye Health Week is a great opportunity for us to raise awareness about the importance of looking after your eyesight and reminding you of the requirements in relation to driver medicals – a vital factor in keeping our roads safe.
The thought of losing our sight is one of the most frightening prospects we face but it’s a sad fact that many people don’t know how to look after their eyes properly. National Eye Health Week, which runs from September 20th to 26th, is committed to promoting good eye health.
A medical requirement
Good eyesight is imperative for drivers, which is why the eye test is part of the HGV driver’s medical. All drivers must, in good daylight, be able to read a vehicle’s number plate from at least 20 metres away. Group 2 drivers (HGV/PCV/Taxi) must meet a higher standard.
The minimum vision requirement you will need to achieve is 6/7.5 in the better eye and 6/60 in the poorer eye on a snellen chart. These standards can be met with or without correction. In the event of these standards not being met, you will be asked to visit your optician for this section of your examination to be completed.
We carry out an eye test as part of the D4 medical and if you need to wear glasses or contact lenses while driving you will need to bring along your optical prescription to the examination.
Both eyes will be tested individually with and without glasses or contact lenses to establish your general eyesight, with our doctor checking your total field vision. This will enable us to put together a complete picture of your eyesight capability.
General eye health
Maintaining good eye health is essential for professional Group 2 drivers to continue their job safely, for themselves and other road users, but National Eye Health Week is also a good time to remind everyone of just how important their sight is and that they need to take care of it. Did you know that:
- Two million people in the UK are living with sight loss severe enough to have a serious effect on their day-to-day lives?
- Half of these conditions are avoidable?
- Regular sight tests can help to identify other conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes?
- A sight test can detect glaucoma – a condition which can be treated successfully if found early enough?
Basic steps can be taken to protect your eyes, including: Wearing eye protection in bright sunlight, eating well and stopping smoking – and ensure you have a regular eye test!