Can I learn to drive?

[Jen]

Hi

I'm 22 and on the waiting list for a cornea graft which is hopefully happening september/october time. I've been trying to find out if it's possible for me to learn to drive whilst I have keratoconus?

I only have it in one eye and my vision in my left makes up for what I lack, but anything on my right is very blurred if that makes sense? I've tried contacting the DVLA but they weren't very helpful and neither my doctor or the hospital are sure if it's possible. The DVLA tells me to ask my gp/consultant and my gp/consultant tells me to ask the DVLA so I'm just going around in circles! I was wondering if anyone here might have had a similar experience?

Thanks
Jen

[Andrew MacLean]

Hello Jen, and welcome to the forum!

The DVLA need to know that you have eyesight that is good enough to allow you to drive; the specific requirements are set out in their website, but as a rule of thumb your corrected vision ought to be something of the order of 6/9. You were right to notify them of your eye condition and they will need a reading of your eyesight from a doctor; hence their interest in your consultant contacting them.

The method of reporting is pretty straight forward: your consultant completes a form and sends it to the DVLA. The problem is that it all takes time!

Yours aye

Andrew

[Lynn White]

Hi Jen,

To be honest, there isn't a category labelled "Keratoconus" in driving standard terms, hence everyone being a bit vague. The rules state that you have to read a number plate at the required distance. That is around 6/9-2 Snellen equivalent but the DVLA itself implies that it is ok at 6/12. Guidance from teh AOP website on this quotes:

DVLA have however indicated that their policy is to take the monocular acuity of the better eye, and if this is 6/12 or better it indicates an almost certain pass on the number plate test except in unusual cases such as patients with nystagmus. They also consider that a patient with 6/24 or below is almost certain to fail the number plate test. Any patient with a best VA of less than 6/12 but better than 6/24 would be classed as borderline

HOWEVER, what does affect keratonics is the glare issue:

Vision under adverse lighting conditions
Patients who have cataracts, and those having undergone refractive surgery may be unable to meet the required standards under conditions of poor light or glare. A history of inability to see effectively when driving at night with headlights either due to a night vision defect such as retinitis pigmentosa or advance choroido-retinitis may preclude issue of a driving licence. Patients with inability to see in the glare of sun light or on-coming headlights at night may fail to read a number plate at the prescribed distance in good light.

Full advice from the AOP website (which advises optometrists) can be found here http://www.aop.org.uk/services/visual/visual_1010160976.html

As Andrew says, if you get the GP to certify your vision then that should satisfy everyone.

Lynn

[GarethB]

Hi Jen,

Take a look at A Guide to Visual Standards For Drivers.

There is also a questionaire you will need to download (the first download under Further Information).

Say Yes to Question 7 naming Keratoconus and for Question 8 you just put down the treatment you have received. For Question 9 I put down my opthalmologist at the hospital and they comeplet the details of how well you can see.

If there are any doubts about isueing a licence many have been reffered to the local test center who have measured the exact distance and asked the applicant to read the number plate as this is ofetn a more realistic test as to what you can see in normal every day conditions rather than the clinical environment of an eye examination.

There are many people who are blind in one eye for one reason or another that drive without any problems at all as long as the field of vision of the 'good eye' is unrestricted by any further vision defect.

I declare KC on my motor insurance to and it has been tretaed as if I wear contact lenses to correct short or long sighted vison problems.

Hope this helps and you get motoring soon.

[rosemary johnson]

Hi.
DO also remember that if you're driving a cehicle onthe road, you need to be able to see well round you - if your right eye is not so good, it might mean you're not so good at seeing cehicles overtaking you, or coming up on the outside before you pull out. also, you need to be able to judge distances, which can be much harder without both eyes working well.
SOme people ahve learned to compensate and do all this safely with only one eye working well; Others ..... less so.
Rosemary

[Loopy-Lou]

The other consideration with monocular vision is do you wear a RGP lens in your good eye?

If you do then that could be dodgy because as any RGP wearer here will know, if anything gets under your lens or it moves off centre we are in sharpish pain with our eyes screwed up/streaming till it settles, moves or we take it out and put it back in. None of that would be viable on the road.

[GarethB]

Lou makes a very good point and the advice I got from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is that you could suffer a heart or asthema attack which can be excrutiatingly painful. They said you should be aware enough of their surroundings to bring the car to a stop safely and the same would apply to contact lenses.

Even with lenses in both eyes, when one waters prefusely the other eye can quite often come out in sympathy so in that case it makes no difference if you have a lens in one or both eyes.

Epilesy is a different matter as you black out instantly which is why you need to go I think three years without a seizure to regain a driving licence.

[Lizb]

I have my driving licence (got it before diagnosis) and also previuosly have held a PSV licence. I declared my KC to the DVLA and whilst i lost my PSV licence i have kept my car/motorbike licences (actually got motorbike licence after KC was diagnosed).

Last year i had a bad episode and got scarring on my good eye which then reduced my vision (right eye = good eyesight with glasses/left eye = no vision without CL). I was concerned about driving as personally i felt i wasnt legal and spoke with my optom. They checked my vision to Driving Standard and i was just legal in glasses their advice to me was be sensible and check your vision before you use the car/bike. This did mean that on occasions i couldnt drive and was totally relient on husband or public transport which can be difficult when you have to travel to meetings away from your office.

My advice would be talk to your optom and ensure that the vision in your good eye is legal and then be senisble about actually driving, if it is a bad day then dont drive and consider alternative forms of transport on those days.

Due to my KC my husband and I are looking to change my car to something he can drive in case we ever get stranded coz of my eyesight (only got a little car with a 6ft3 husband who can sit as a passenger in it but cant fit his big feet in the footwell to use the controls )

[Jen]

Thank you so much for everyones replies! Sorry I've been without the internet for some time which is why it's taken me a while to thank everyone.
Thank you though I won't give up just yet on driving then!
Cheers
Jen

[space_cadet]

I'm 26, craved to drive, yet knew due to being unable to read registration plates directly infrontof me I may not be safe on the roads.

Then the dx of KC a couple of weeks ago, I asked him 'can I learn to drive' and got the reply of 'if you do already drive I will personally phone the DVLA and get your licence removed'

In time he hopes I will be able to . But for now I have been told.

I look forward to following this thread.

Thanks for posting
Leaxox