Thankyou B, I really am trying to be responsible- but am astounded that the powers that be are so blazay about it- I had a field test thingy this morning and got most of the wiggly lines- so that ticks another box in the opticians book that all is fine- the opthamologist said last time something about the ‘cones’ will ask about that more when I get my appointment.
I was amazed last time at Neuro appointment i had double vision and had stopped driving (18 months in all) and he said- well its your decision not to drive im not telling you you cant!!
We had a road accident near us on Friday- a young dad killed, just a split second mistake and 2 little kids are left without a dad. Am I wrong but do the people that keep telling me its ok to drive do so becase of fear of legal backlash-Does that make sense.?.
I dont think the medics know just how bad it affects us, i couldnt believe it when the neuro gave me the all clear to drive,i was stunned,when i have an eye test its always normal,but when it comes to seeing properly i just cant see well at all
i do think we have to make our own minds up about things though,and like a lot of other things with this ms, we are left to deal with it on our own, i feel for you,it really upset me,not to drive anymore, especially when i only learnt to drive when i lost my husband and then my legs started to pack in, it was a new inde[pendance for me,i thought well,if i cant walk now so i will just have to learn to drive, bu thats been taken away now too,its hard to stay positive, when you find a way round things,for it to be taken away yet again.
Hey BC…I think it may be wise to look at your lon term situaton as to where you are living at present…re transport etc…the kids…not idea of your situation but there is help out there…some charities who can assist with the kids…depending on their age…perhaps other mums can help out…as I say…online shopping is great for so many things…but the bigger picture is as important as the smaller things…
I may be facing some choices in the months ahead myself…depending on how my sight goes…and whether my probs are something more long term regarding a dx…of what I have no idea…but I am pre[ared to move closer to my sister 2hrs away if I have to…even though it will cost me more to move than stay put…I have little support here…and am isolated already…plus I wnat to be more involved where I can with her children…seeing as I dont have any of my own…
another thought…do you have a dial a ride service in your area? Can any local groupd help re getting the kids about?
I have been following this thread with some interest, and think that it is a pity that too many points have become blurred (or merged into the one thread).
We have the legal aspect:
You must inform the DVLA about anything that affects your ability to drive. Usually, it is “fill the forms in and keep your licence”. All you have to do is pass the numberplate test.
You must inform your insurance company about anything that affects your ability to drive. In most cases, they do not do anything, except put your letter on file - but if you do not tell them, and then have a bump, then you could find that you are not insured.
Then we have vision:
You can drive perfectly well with one eye. Yes, you will not have binocular vision, but this is not effective over distance. Opinions differ as to what that distance is (usually 50 to 75 feet) but it is still fairly close. No great problem on a motorway, but when you get close to something you have lost one of the sources of distance information.
Now add in any distraction at all - pain, flashing lights, tunnel vision, etc, and your ability to see well enough to drive has gone (I mean like real gone) and you are now a danger to yourself and everyone else around.
Opticians are concerned with visual acuity, and seling frames. The legal requirement is to be able to read a numberplate at whatever is the legal requirement of the day. If you have visual field problems (see post from brog64 above), then an optician may pass the buck to a GP. The GP may (well the good ones anyway) require a specialist to take a look (sorry, could not resist that one), and then you are either OK or not OK. Anything more, and you have to really use the right words to get their full attention.
Last year, I had two pairs of glasses from a well-known high-street optician (no names, but theirs is very short) and found that I was seeing double. OK, so double vision is a known effect of MS. This was a second image, that appeared to come with binocular vision, and it was not there when I only used one eye (either eye). The words that really got their attention were “I want my money back”, followed by a very clear description of the second image. That produced a very thorough re-test, the determination that I needed a small degree of prism in one lens, and two fresh pairs of lenses fitted.
When I went to a good optician (alas now retired) it was possible to discuss the problems. Typical was the sunglasses problem: a pair of prescription sunglasses did not seem to work as well as the normal pair. Now the human eye reacts to less light by expanding the iris (think pupil) to let more light in - and a larger pupil means a smaller depth of clear sharp vision. The photographers here will understand. So: sunglasses on and the vision gets slightly worse - he put more correction into the sunglasses, and the sharper vision came back.
None of the young, freshly trained, opthalmologists have ever heard of this - so they dismiss it out of hand. It is not something that fits into the modern conveyor-belt type of eye-test and glasses sales process.
So, first, the OP is clear that driving is a big NO-NO under some conditions. I hope that the message about the legal requirements have been taken on board. Then the concentration can be on getting the optical problem attended to by the right person.
the D.V.L.A. did more than test me on a number plate test , each time my license has been renewed I have had a full eye test including field of vision etc by an optician elected by them ,
(as for a horse and cart BC, to drive a horse requires an ‘extra’ pair of eyes where the sun don’t shine )
I passed all of them to!!. but they dont seem to understand the mottling-spotting/after shadows that I have that distort things- bless them.
see what tomorrows appointment brings,
your telling me you need an extra pair of eyes on a horse!!. I had 2 lovely horses, Big man alf (built like a brick out house) and Little Jack, both of whom knew me so well, they always brought me home safe and sound- i wish i had the energy to still have them- they have been gone nearly 2 years now but I still miss them desperatly. Jack and 1 were running 1st in britian for horse agility at one point- much to our amusement, I took that up when i found riding really hard- a stumbling handler and a scruffy little dump truck pony, against handlers that put in lots of time and energy to their training- made me chuckle when some emailed me to ask who my trainer was… my horse
Hey hun…aww re your horses…I bet you miss them…there may be a riding for disabled near you? I went to mine a couple of years ago, and although places were limited…I found it really helped my balance and core strength…I even got to learn a few dressage moves without falling off lol …not sure how I would do now…but it was great to ride again after so many years and Bob was a great horse and knew my limitations instinctively…so we became a good team…alas the time I had was limited due to the amount of people waiting to have a go…but it was a great experience…
we do have a riding for the disabled and i contacted them but its one lovelylady with one pony that do carriage rides and a list of people wanting to go as long as your arm!!.
we have a really good riding school near us and im thinking of going in, in the summer and just do a few 1/2 hr lessons. i have lots of friends that ride as well that readily offer me neddies but it upsets me so much id spend the whole time crying- love them all dearly but it breaks my heart when i hear them riding past the bottom of our road as i would have been with them
ill find my niche one day-would just like to find something to do that i dont end up having to give up, sorry sound like a real whinger, just in process of handing my business over to my brother- very proud of starting it from scratch but not much call for machine embroiderers with dodgy eyes
going to do a couple of charity quilts i think- a stained glass one for the church and a farm one for a friend who has fybromyalgia.