Hi,
I was diagnosed with Optic Neuritis 8 weeks ago now and to date still have vision loss in my right eye.
I am trying to establish if I am okay to drive whilst I have this condition - I haven’t really had a straight answer from anyone that I have asked!
Can anyone help me please?
Thanks
You must report Optic Neuritis to DVLA. You can do it online.
https://www.gov.uk/optic-neuritis-and-driving
The online tool will help you decide if you can continue driving or of they will need to seek further medical information i.e. does it affect both or just one eye
Hello Nic
Plenty people have only one eye and drive.
I would hesitate to tell DVLA, as you may open a can of worms.
See what happens over the next few months.
If you feel safe driving just carry on and do not be influenced by the comments.
Bertie
Just a minor point following on from Bertie’s comment. You may find yourself not driving in accordance with the law which could open an even bigger can of worms, motoring convictions, fines and an almost impossible task of obtaining car insurance in the future.
Don’t be disheartened, you can go through the DVLA tool I linked to above without telling them who you are and this will tell you if you are legal and OK to drive or if you may need to provide further evidence of your ability.
My first symptoms of MS was Optic Neuritis. My right eye basically stopped working properly and it took almost 12 months to get better. I notified DVLA and with advice from my GP and the eye clinic I was able to legally continue driving throughout. Had I not notified DVLA I would have been committing a number of offences.
Insurance companies will always find a way out of paying if they can and a failure to report something like this or failure to take the correct action will likely void your insurance cover.
Doing the right thing isn’t always the easiest thing but it will always be the right thing.
Hello
I agree with Cheetah. Better to check rather than just rely on your own instinct. (Or take the ‘Cummings’ test - drive for 30 minutes and then decide if you’re safe!!)
I remember before I was officially diagnosed driving when I had double vision due to ON. Very dangerous, very stupid, shouldn’t have done it, luckily no harm was caused. I still remember that day - driving colleagues to a meeting some miles away and am horrified that I did it.
Stay safe, try the DVLA tool Cheetah suggested. Having an optician look at your eyes won’t help (even were it possible) as all they could do is verify that you have ON and maybe what your vision in that eye is like. They can’t say it’s legal or otherwise.
If in doubt, just don’t drive. Keep yourself, any passengers and other road users safe.
Sue
I would start by informing your car insurance company and like all other insurance schemes, they’re always looking for an excuse not to pay out or void your cover.
Definitely tell them, you are breaking the law if you don’t. It also means your insurance is void if you dont tell them either. If it helps, I had Optic Neuritus 16 years ago, I told them and it was fine (I still can’t see a lot out Donny eye now) - didn’t affect insurance. Only recently did I have to inform DVLA again for an MS issue with my legs - they now have put me on a medical license which means that I have to renew every 3 years. A pain, but rather that then get caught out breaking the law - esp if I have an accident.
You’re lucky! They put me on a medical licence when I was first diagnosed and had no particular issues.
This is really interesting. I’ve been getting some problems the past couple of days and went to the opticians. They referred me to the hospital and now I have to go for an mri. They think it’s ON but I don’t get headaches. Will see what the scan says. Oh and I can only see properly out of one eye and have double vision due to a lifetime squint. So long as you can still tick all the boxes for driving then it’s ok.