So…I have in the last 10 days or so had my HGV medical,which of course includes an eye test. Went along to my optician and was subjected to allsorts of weird tests,that I’d not encountered before.
Anyhow,the upshot is that the optician came up with the news that I have ‘Raised I.O.P’s’ (the pressure in your eyeballs),plus on the field test,I missed a very small area in my right eye,where I didn’t see the dots,which she says is the beginning of Glaucoma ! I have been referred to the hospital for further tests and am awaiting an appointment.
The other tests are within acceptable limits,per DVLA rules and regs. I do need glasses for reading,but not anything else. She put on the form about the ‘raised I.O.P’s’. The rest of the medical at the docs was o.k. …So,I’m wondering if DVLA will revoke my licence…anyone got any experience of this sort of thing ■■..
Wasn’t even aware of this,until the optician told me… A bit concerning,to say the least !!
A few years ago had similar test where I missed some of the dots but this was the same on both eyes they put it down to where the dots were out of my line of normal vision otherwise they would have done the test again you could ask if they will do the test again or wait until you go to hospital & see what they say if you do have glaucoma & caught early enough they can do something about it as my mam has this she has drops to put in her eyes every day they only last 28 days mind free eye test every year for you & kids if have any
For now nothing to worry about
Diagnosed with it in right eye only in mid 90s
Had operation in 2000 as all eye drops did not work
DVLA make me have special eye check every 3 years
Here is the weird thing … D4 medical at age 45 with special free eye check in 2003 which gave 2006 LGV expiry then eye only check in 2006 which gave 2009 LGV expiry then D4 medical at age 51 with special free eye check in 2009 which gave 2012 LGV expiry then eye only check in 2012 with LGV expiry in 2015 but then in 2013 my photo needed changing so I did that and got LGV expiry in 2018 !!!
I only have 01 eye code next to LGV categories but only need to wear glasses if left eye cannot see right mirror … EH !!
Thanks both for the replies…
Animal…can you expand a bit about that ‘only last for 28 days’ bit,please ■■..Not quite clear on that.
Rog…so you ended up getting 6 years between actual HGV renewal ■■..DVLA are a law unto themselves,eh ■■ … Also,Rog…can you tell me about the eye op you had…what did they do and was it difficult to cope with ■■ … Flapping a bit here about the possibility of losing my eyesight ! Probably over reacting,but I don’t know what I’d do if that happened ! 
Jayen4:
Thanks both for the replies…
Animal…can you expand a bit about that ‘only last for 28 days’ bit,please ■■..Not quite clear on that.Rog…so you ended up getting 6 years between actual HGV renewal ■■..DVLA are a law unto themselves,eh ■■ … Also,Rog…can you tell me about the eye op you had…what did they do and was it difficult to cope with ■■ … Flapping a bit here about the possibility of losing my eyesight ! Probably over reacting,but I don’t know what I’d do if that happened !
The eye drops only last 28 days then you need to change then don’t worry to much as repeat can be sorted with you chemist
Bono from U2 has glaucoma look it up this is why he wears glasses all the time
Nothing much to worry about if caught early enough & you do as they say think people did lose there sight a long time ago way back in the 50’s or before
Jayen4:
So…I have in the last 10 days or so had my HGV medical,which of course includes an eye test. Went along to my optician and was subjected to allsorts of weird tests,that I’d not encountered before.
Anyhow,the upshot is that the optician came up with the news that I have ‘Raised I.O.P’s’ (the pressure in your eyeballs),plus on the field test,I missed a very small area in my right eye,where I didn’t see the dots,which she says is the beginning of Glaucoma ! I have been referred to the hospital for further tests and am awaiting an appointment.
The other tests are within acceptable limits,per DVLA rules and regs. I do need glasses for reading,but not anything else. She put on the form about the ‘raised I.O.P’s’. The rest of the medical at the docs was o.k. …So,I’m wondering if DVLA will revoke my licence…anyone got any experience of this sort of thing ■■..
Wasn’t even aware of this,until the optician told me… A bit concerning,to say the least !!
Hi Jayen. I have Glaucoma in both eyes for 18 years now and I’m a euro tramper…just about lol. The highest pressure I’ve had was 44 but a average between say 20 and 35 for a few years over that time, it was a battle… Woke up blind one morning could’nt see a thing after a junior doctor took me off a pressure drop, It came back two days later. In the end I had surgery on both eyes were they make small holes in the eye to help drainage. My pressure as of last thursday were 4 in left and 7 in right and I no longer take drops and I was at one time on 8 drops 4 times a day…nightmare First: What is the pressure recorded in both eyes and what age are you? Are you under 35 years? Second: The optician does not necessarily know if you have Glaucoma and you might not have it. You probably have inflammation which causes the pressure to rise and that need dealt with otherwise it can lead to Glaucoma.Are you seeing halo’s around bright lights? Either way don’t worry. The hospital will do the same tests only they’re are a bit more accurate. Treatment is with drops, one for the inflammation and one for the pressure if needes, could be more drops depending on how bad you are. Pressure vary from person to person. Good luck
animal:
Jayen4:
Thanks both for the replies…
Animal…can you expand a bit about that ‘only last for 28 days’ bit,please ■■..Not quite clear on that.Rog…so you ended up getting 6 years between actual HGV renewal ■■..DVLA are a law unto themselves,eh ■■ … Also,Rog…can you tell me about the eye op you had…what did they do and was it difficult to cope with ■■ … Flapping a bit here about the possibility of losing my eyesight ! Probably over reacting,but I don’t know what I’d do if that happened !
The eye drops only last 28 days then you need to change then don’t worry to much as repeat can be sorted with you chemist
Bono from U2 has glaucoma look it up this is why he wears glasses all the time
Nothing much to worry about if caught early enough & you do as they say think people did lose there sight a long time ago way back in the 50’s or before
Yes the drops become less effective after 28 days though I have taken them for far longer
peter s:
animal:
Jayen4:
Thanks both for the replies…
Animal…can you expand a bit about that ‘only last for 28 days’ bit,please ■■..Not quite clear on that.Rog…so you ended up getting 6 years between actual HGV renewal ■■..DVLA are a law unto themselves,eh ■■ … Also,Rog…can you tell me about the eye op you had…what did they do and was it difficult to cope with ■■ … Flapping a bit here about the possibility of losing my eyesight ! Probably over reacting,but I don’t know what I’d do if that happened !
The eye drops only last 28 days then you need to change then don’t worry to much as repeat can be sorted with you chemist
Bono from U2 has glaucoma look it up this is why he wears glasses all the time
Nothing much to worry about if caught early enough & you do as they say think people did lose there sight a long time ago way back in the 50’s or before
Yes the drops become less effective after 28 days though I have taken them for far longer
Yep this is what my mam say’s as she does have glaucoma ( I do get a free eye test every year due to this )
Glaucoma is a condition in which the pressure inside the eyeballs becomes raised. The reason why glaucoma matters is that it very, very slowly causes a person to lose their peripheral vision and because it happened so slowly people often don’t notice that they are gradually losing the edges of their vision.
So it’s obviously very important for DVLA to know about this. They are not so much worried about the diagnosis of glaucoma, but what worries them is the loss of peripheral vision. You wouldn’t be likely to lose your licence just because of having glaucoma (although you don’t know you have it at the moment anyway), but you could lose your licence if your visual field is impaired.
The rules are quite complicated but you can read them yourself in the DVLA publication “Assessing fitness to drive - A guide for medical professionals”. You can easily find this if you Google the name. You need to go to pages 88-89 of the current version (May 2016) which explains all about the precise visual field requirements and how many individual dots you are allowed to miss on the test.
Did the optician say whether you met the DVLA group 2 standard or whether you failed it? If she said you don’t meet the DVLA group 2 (HGV) standard on the visual field test then you should stop driving lorries until DVLA make their decision. If she said that you haven’t failed the standard then you can relax, and if DVLA agree with the optician then there’s no reason why they should take away your licence for the visual fields.
They may send you for another more detailed visual field test before they decide.
Hope this helps.
peter s:
Jayen4:
So…I have in the last 10 days or so had my HGV medical,which of course includes an eye test. Went along to my optician and was subjected to allsorts of weird tests,that I’d not encountered before.
Anyhow,the upshot is that the optician came up with the news that I have ‘Raised I.O.P’s’ (the pressure in your eyeballs),plus on the field test,I missed a very small area in my right eye,where I didn’t see the dots,which she says is the beginning of Glaucoma ! I have been referred to the hospital for further tests and am awaiting an appointment.
The other tests are within acceptable limits,per DVLA rules and regs. I do need glasses for reading,but not anything else. She put on the form about the ‘raised I.O.P’s’. The rest of the medical at the docs was o.k. …So,I’m wondering if DVLA will revoke my licence…anyone got any experience of this sort of thing ■■..
Wasn’t even aware of this,until the optician told me… A bit concerning,to say the least !!Hi Jayen. I have Glaucoma in both eyes for 18 years now and I’m a euro tramper…just about lol. The highest pressure I’ve had was 44 but a average between say 20 and 35 for a few years over that time, it was a battle… Woke up blind one morning could’nt see a thing after a junior doctor took me off a pressure drop, It came back two days later. In the end I had surgery on both eyes were they make small holes in the eye to help drainage. My pressure as of last thursday were 4 in left and 7 in right and I no longer take drops and I was at one time on 8 drops 4 times a day…nightmare First: What is the pressure recorded in both eyes and what age are you? Are you under 35 years? Second: The optician does not necessarily know if you have Glaucoma and you might not have it. You probably have inflammation which causes the pressure to rise and that need dealt with otherwise it can lead to Glaucoma.Are you seeing halo’s around bright lights? Either way don’t worry. The hospital will do the same tests only they’re are a bit more accurate. Treatment is with drops, one for the inflammation and one for the pressure if needes, could be more drops depending on how bad you are. Pressure vary from person to person. Good luck
Hi Peter…Thanks for that info…really useful to hear from someone who’s been through this. I’ll bet you were scared when you woke up blind !..I would have been in bits ! 
Glad you’re o.k. now tho…
A bit about me: I hit 60 last September. I’ve only worn glasses for reading over the last 8 years or so. No halo’s around bright lights,although I have detected over the last few days a small sensitivity to bright daylight…not much,but it’s there. The optician did not give me specific pressures,but I will certainly call in and find out ! She just said that I was slightly above the limit for the DVLA HGV eye test,whatever that is… I’ll report back when I’ve found out the number.
Would you mind telling me about the operation,please ■■..Is it done under a general anaesthetic ?..Do you lose your sight for short while ,when they do this ■■ Any other info,that you think is relevant ?
Jayen4:
peter s:
Jayen4:
So…I have in the last 10 days or so had my HGV medical,which of course includes an eye test. Went along to my optician and was subjected to allsorts of weird tests,that I’d not encountered before.
Anyhow,the upshot is that the optician came up with the news that I have ‘Raised I.O.P’s’ (the pressure in your eyeballs),plus on the field test,I missed a very small area in my right eye,where I didn’t see the dots,which she says is the beginning of Glaucoma ! I have been referred to the hospital for further tests and am awaiting an appointment.
The other tests are within acceptable limits,per DVLA rules and regs. I do need glasses for reading,but not anything else. She put on the form about the ‘raised I.O.P’s’. The rest of the medical at the docs was o.k. …So,I’m wondering if DVLA will revoke my licence…anyone got any experience of this sort of thing ■■..
Wasn’t even aware of this,until the optician told me… A bit concerning,to say the least !!Hi Jayen. I have Glaucoma in both eyes for 18 years now and I’m a euro tramper…just about lol. The highest pressure I’ve had was 44 but a average between say 20 and 35 for a few years over that time, it was a battle… Woke up blind one morning could’nt see a thing after a junior doctor took me off a pressure drop, It came back two days later. In the end I had surgery on both eyes were they make small holes in the eye to help drainage. My pressure as of last thursday were 4 in left and 7 in right and I no longer take drops and I was at one time on 8 drops 4 times a day…nightmare First: What is the pressure recorded in both eyes and what age are you? Are you under 35 years? Second: The optician does not necessarily know if you have Glaucoma and you might not have it. You probably have inflammation which causes the pressure to rise and that need dealt with otherwise it can lead to Glaucoma.Are you seeing halo’s around bright lights? Either way don’t worry. The hospital will do the same tests only they’re are a bit more accurate. Treatment is with drops, one for the inflammation and one for the pressure if needes, could be more drops depending on how bad you are. Pressure vary from person to person. Good luck
Hi Peter…Thanks for that info…really useful to hear from someone who’s been through this. I’ll bet you were scared when you woke up blind !..I would have been in bits !
A bit about me: I hit 60 last September. I’ve only worn glasses for reading over the last 8 years or so. No halo’s around bright lights,although I have detected over the last few days a small sensitivity to bright daylight…not much,but it’s there. The optician did not give me specific pressures,but I will certainly call in and find out ! She just said that I was slightly above the limit for the DVLA HGV eye test,whatever that is… I’ll report back when I’ve found out the number.
Would you mind telling me about the operation,please ■■..Is it done under a general anaesthetic ?..Do you lose your sight for short while ,when they do this ■■ Any other info,that you think is relevant ?
The reason you are sensitive to bright daylight is because your eye pressure has increased and it will get worse unless treated Usually starts in one eye first then the second eye gets it, sometimes not. Going to have a guess lol, pressure somewhere between 17 and 21. Here’s the important bit. Should your sensitivity to light increase, i.e becomes more sensitive, see halo’s around car headlight/streets lights, headache or pain around the eye socket, between now and your hospital appointment then get yourself down to the eye casualty, usually beside the eye clinic.
You’re 60 so this is common in your age group. I got it when I was about 33 and I’m 51 now. Don’t worry about the operation as you’re unlikely to have it. I was the same as ROG, drops stopped working. But as you asked. The operation can be performed while awake or under a general anaesthetic, I went for the general for obvious reasons lol. It takes about half an hour, painless and doesn’t affect your sight. There is some discomfort afterwards where the stitches rub against the eye lid and thats it really.
Peter
DrPhilThornley:
Glaucoma is a condition in which the pressure inside the eyeballs becomes raised. The reason why glaucoma matters is that it very, very slowly causes a person to lose their peripheral vision and because it happened so slowly people often don’t notice that they are gradually losing the edges of their vision.
So it’s obviously very important for DVLA to know about this. They are not so much worried about the diagnosis of glaucoma, but what worries them is the loss of peripheral vision. You wouldn’t be likely to lose your licence just because of having glaucoma (although you don’t know you have it at the moment anyway), but you could lose your licence if your visual field is impaired.
The rules are quite complicated but you can read them yourself in the DVLA publication “Assessing fitness to drive - A guide for medical professionals”. You can easily find this if you Google the name. You need to go to pages 88-89 of the current version (May 2016) which explains all about the precise visual field requirements and how many individual dots you are allowed to miss on the test.
Did the optician say whether you met the DVLA group 2 standard or whether you failed it? If she said you don’t meet the DVLA group 2 (HGV) standard on the visual field test then you should stop driving lorries until DVLA make their decision. If she said that you haven’t failed the standard then you can relax, and if DVLA agree with the optician then there’s no reason why they should take away your licence for the visual fields.
They may send you for another more detailed visual field test before they decide.
Hope this helps.
Hi Dr Phil…Thanks for your input. Was going to reply last night,but my internet went down…probably the engineers messing about at the exchange…again.
Anyhow…No,the optician didn’t mention anything about a ‘group 2’ standard or indeed tell me what the eye pressures were,but I will certainly go and find out ! All she wrote on the DVLA form,was about ‘raised I.O.P’s…referred for further investigation’. At this point in time,I’m still waiting for the hospital to call me with an appointment…
I will also find that publication that you mentioned and give it a good read…
peter s:
A bit about me: I hit 60 last September. I’ve only worn glasses for reading over the last 8 years or so. No halo’s around bright lights,although I have detected over the last few days a small sensitivity to bright daylight…not much,but it’s there. The optician did not give me specific pressures,but I will certainly call in and find out ! She just said that I was slightly above the limit for the DVLA HGV eye test,whatever that is… I’ll report back when I’ve found out the number.
Would you mind telling me about the operation,please ■■..Is it done under a general anaesthetic ?..Do you lose your sight for short while ,when they do this ■■ Any other info,that you think is relevant ?
The reason you are sensitive to bright daylight is because your eye pressure has increased and it will get worse unless treated Usually starts in one eye first then the second eye gets it, sometimes not. Going to have a guess lol, pressure somewhere between 17 and 21. Here’s the important bit. Should your sensitivity to light increase, i.e becomes more sensitive, see halo’s around car headlight/streets lights, headache or pain around the eye socket, between now and your hospital appointment then get yourself down to the eye casualty, usually beside the eye clinic.
You’re 60 so this is common in your age group. I got it when I was about 33 and I’m 51 now. Don’t worry about the operation as you’re unlikely to have it. I was the same as ROG, drops stopped working. But as you asked. The operation can be performed while awake or under a general anaesthetic, I went for the general for obvious reasons lol. It takes about half an hour, painless and doesn’t affect your sight. There is some discomfort afterwards where the stitches rub against the eye lid and thats it really.
Peter
[/quote]
Peter,Thanks very much for your advice and information…much appreciated ! It really helps to hear it from someone who’s been through all this.
I’ll report back when I’ve been on to the opticians for that info…Thanks again. 
The visual field test done for the DVLA is using both eyes but the more accurate one for the NHS is done one eye at a time - I know because I do both
If having a NHS VF test then ask them to do a DVLA one on arrival then ask for a copy the immediate results - you can then scan that to keep a copy and send the NHS copy to the DVLA
ROG:
The visual field test done for the DVLA is using both eyes but the more accurate one for the NHS is done one eye at a time - I know because I do bothIf having a NHS VF test then ask them to do a DVLA one on arrival then ask for a copy the immediate results - you can then scan that to keep a copy and send the NHS copy to the DVLA
Hmmm…So you’re saying that the NHS test is to a higher standard than the DVLA one ■■.. In my test at the opticians,they did each eye separately. Thinking about it,obviously my optician is aware of the 2 standard thing… Not sure that it’ll make any difference,but worth keeping in mind.
Jayen4:
ROG:
The visual field test done for the DVLA is using both eyes but the more accurate one for the NHS is done one eye at a time - I know because I do bothIf having a NHS VF test then ask them to do a DVLA one on arrival then ask for a copy the immediate results - you can then scan that to keep a copy and send the NHS copy to the DVLA
Hmmm…So you’re saying that the NHS test is to a higher standard than the DVLA one ■■.. In my test at the opticians,they did each eye separately. Thinking about it,obviously my optician is aware of the 2 standard thing… Not sure that it’ll make any difference,but worth keeping in mind.
The same machine is used for testing using the same exact test but DVLA want two eyes open but the NHS test each eye seperately
Jayen4:
ROG:
The visual field test done for the DVLA is using both eyes but the more accurate one for the NHS is done one eye at a time - I know because I do bothIf having a NHS VF test then ask them to do a DVLA one on arrival then ask for a copy the immediate results - you can then scan that to keep a copy and send the NHS copy to the DVLA
Hmmm…So you’re saying that the NHS test is to a higher standard than the DVLA one ■■.. In my test at the opticians,they did each eye separately. Thinking about it,obviously my optician is aware of the 2 standard thing… Not sure that it’ll make any difference,but worth keeping in mind.
That makes me feel better too. Currently recovering from eye surgery done last Monday for a detached retina. I never realised the dvla test is for both eyes at the same time. I thought eyes were tested separately like the NHS examination. It’s early days for me to say exactly how successful my operation was, but if it hasn’t worked well, I reckon I would struggle to pass the visual field test if it was carried out separately on each eye. Knowing that the dvla exam is both eyes together gives me a good chance of passing and keeping my license.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Are you diabetic OP? 
Fatboy slimslow:
Are you diabetic OP?
No,not diabetic. Why you ask ■■
I was found to have raised iops when I had a eye test 6 yes ago ,the readings where 22,after tests at the local hospital, including the field vision on both eyes at the same time and a x-ray type thing on my eyes I was found to have thicker corneas than normal,this gives the higher readings on the puffer test.when I go for a eye test now I take a card from the hospital explaining this and to allow me to have readings up to 32,so far they have not risen any from the original test.