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EYES FRONT!
Page 50
Page 51
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If you are behind the vvheel of any vehicle, it's good to be able to see where you are going. And, logical or not, truck drivers must meet a higher standard of eyesight than car
drivers. Sunil Shah
takes a look at some of the eye problems that could cost you your livelihood.
No one in their right mind would allow people with defective eyesight to drive a motor vehicle on our congested roads.The question is how to define 'defective'.
For car drivers, the test could hardly he simpler: wearing your glasses or contact lenses if needed you must be able to read a standard vehicle number plate at a distance of 20 metres in good lighting condition& With plates made before September 2001,that distance increases by half a metre, as the characters on older plates are 57mm wide; on more recent plates. they are 50mm wide.
However, anyone who plans to drive a rigid CV of 7.5 tonnes or above must hold a C-class licence, or a C+E for artics and drawbars.And that's when the law begins to take a real interest in your eyesight, because every applicant must pass a medical— and that medical includes an eye test.
If you have 20/20 vision, your ability to see — your visual acuity — is normal according to the familiar arrangement of letters known as the Snellen chart. If you have 20/40 vision, when you stand 20 feet away from the chart, you can see what someone with 20/20 vision can see at 40 feet. In other words, your sight's half as good as theirs.The metric equivalent of 20/20 is 6/6 vision.The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) requires every applicant for an LGV driving licence to demonstrate: • Visual acuity of at least 6/9 in the stronger eye • Visual acuity of at least 6/12 in the weaker eye If these standards are reached with glasses or contact lenses, the uncorrected visual acuity in each eye must be no less than 3/60. Applicants who have held their licences since before 1 January 1997 might still qualify without achieving these standards; for details, contact the DVLA.
Being long or short-sighted is no problem, as long as you can meet the required standard with your specs or lenses. But severe shortsightedness (myopia), which affects about 5% of the population, brings an increased risk of developing glaucoma, tearing and detachment of the retina, and macular degeneration (see sidebar).These conditions can have a serious effect on your eyesight. So. while myopia can he corrected with specs, lenses or laser surgery,sufferers must have their eyes checked regularly.
The DVLA asks would-be truck drivers a series of specific questions about the many conditions that affect eyesight. Candidates must report cases of double vision (diplopia) and how it is controlled: loss of sight in one eye; glaucoma: retinal detachment; cataracts; and any laser treatment for retinal conditions. As a catch-all,candidates must report "any other medical conditions affecting both eyes, or remaining eye if sight in one eye only" and licence holders are required to report deterioration in their vision, as well as a number of other medical problems.
Remember that the police have the power to require any driver to take the number-plate reading test. A nd concealing an eyesight problem that may be a contributing factor loan road-traffic collision could have huge consequences for driver and operator alike, as insurance cover would be affected, Confusion over diabetes There is also a condition that has caused some confusion among driversdiabetes.Any applicant with insulin-treated diabetes will be refused an LG V licence. But anyone with an LGV licence issued before 1 April 1991 is exempt from this ban, as long as the Traffic Commissioner in whose area they lived, or who issued the licence, had been informed of the driver's insulin treatment before 1 January 1991.
In these cases,LG V licences may be retained, subject to specialist assessment with strict criteria for the control of the condition. The problem with diabetes is that, as well as potentially affecting eyesight. in some circumstances certain forms of the condition can cause loss of consciousness.
The bottom line is that the rules on eyesight are there for the common good. It is important for drivers to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Rather than arguing that the standards for LGV licences are too high, though, professional drivers might ask why the standard for the car-driving public is so low and why grandfather rights are allowed to overrule road safety.
While some see regular medicals as a hurdle to be crossed, drivers would do well to remember that early detection of eyesight problems won't only protect your eyesight it might save your life. • P11111.11.111 I
Common eye conditions
Glaucoma The optic nerve is damaged due to raised pressure inside the eye. This condition affects about 2% of population over the age of 40; it becomes more common with increasing age and can ultimately lead to blindness, though this is rare if glaucoma is detected and treated early.
There are two more common types: open-angle glaucoma and closed-angle glaucoma. With the former, the build-up of pressure inside the eye is usually painless and slow. The first symptom most sufferers notice is some visual loss, so regular eye checkups are recommended over the age of 40; those in that age bracket with a family history of glaucoma are entitled to free eye tests. Closed-angle glaucoma is relatively uncommon. It can involve a sudden rise in pressure inside the eyeball, leading to permanent blindness if not treated promptly.
Glaucoma is treated by lowering pressure inside the eye, which can be usually achieved by a course of eyedrops; failing that, surgical treatment is needed. If glaucoma is not treated and the optic nerve is damaged, the field of vision is reduced until only a small area of central vision remains (tunnel vision) before sight is lost completely.
Colour blindness This is an inherited condition, and red/green colour blindness is the most common form (representing about 99% of cases); blue/yellow is also known. Colour blindness is more common among males, affecting up to 12%, but total colour blindness (where a patient cannot see any colours other than shades of grey) is extremely rare. There is no treatment for colour blindness, but the condition does not affect an applicant's right to a driving licence.
Depth perception Being able to perceive depth relies on having two eyes. As well as the loss of sight in one eye, it can also be affected by specific medical problems. If depth perception is lost, the sufferer is not entitled to hold a driving licence.
Ageing eyes As with the rest of the body, eye performance declines with age. The lens can become rigid, so it cannot focus effectively, causing difficulty when trying to focus on objects up close. Other age-related conditions include excessive tear production with an increased risk of conjunctivitis; declining transparency of the cornea; and retinitis pigmentosa (black discoloration of retina and night blindness, leading to blindness).
With age-related macular degeneration (AMC)), the macula -the part of the retina responsible for the sharp, central vision needed to read or drivestops working. As a result, the image in front of the eye grows blurred and dark, and only peripheral vision remains normal. The patient notices a dark spot in the centre of their vision which usually results in difficulty recognising facesit usually involves both eyes, but does not lead to total blindness. It is thought that macular degeneration is aggravated by smoking, hypertension and exposure to sunlight.