The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is reminding all car and motorcycle licence holders that certain medical conditions must be reported – or you could face serious consequences. According to the official GOV.UK website, failing to inform the DVLA about a condition that affects your ability to drive could result in a fine, and even more seriously, prosecution.
The DVLA says: “You can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA about a medical condition that affects your driving. You may be prosecuted if you’re involved in an accident as a result.”
To legally drive, you must meet specific visual standards — including the ability to read a number plate from 20 metres away, having no double vision, and maintaining a normal field of vision in at least one eye. An optician can assess whether your eyesight meets these requirements.
You must tell DVLA if you:
- have a certain type of eye condition that affects both eyes (or one eye when you only have vision in one eye)
- have been told you may not meet the visual standards for driving by a GP, optician or eye specialist
But what kind of conditions do they say you should declare? They note that the eye conditions you must tell DVLA about are:
- blepharospasm
- diabetic retinopathy (with laser treatment)
- diplopia (double vision)
- glaucoma
- nyctalopia (night blindness)
- retinitis pigmentosa
If the condition only affects one eye and you have sight in both eyes, you only have to tell DVLA if you “do not meet the visual standards for driving” and “have been told you may not meet the visual standards for driving by a GP, optician or eye specialist.”