DVLA warning as major health condition update set to be issued 'within weeks'

The DVLA (The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) is set to update its guidance on eye conditions within the coming weeks, according to reports.

According to Birmingham Live, Optometry Today has said it will release updated guidance in relation to its list of notifiable eye conditions.

It comes after the AOP (Association of Optometrists) raised serious concerns over the published list, so extensive that it could apply to almost every driver who receives a sight test.

The AOP wrote to the DVLA calling for an urgent review, highlighting that “if the current guidance remains in place, almost every driver who receives a sight test will need to be advised to notify the DVLA.”

Under current rules, almost every driver undergoing a sight test would need to notify the DVLA (Getty Images)

At the time, the DVLA agreed to remove the list of eyesight conditions and confirmed it would ‘welcome the opportunity’ to work with the AOP to revise the current guidance.

Adam Sampson, chief executive for the AOP, explained: “We’ve continued to have an open dialogue with the DVLA on this important issue to work towards a pragmatic solution for our members, patients and the DVLA.”

Emphasising that the extent of the original list “would have been problematic for so many,” Sampson said he was pleased to see that the DVLA had listened to sector advice.

The list of conditions was deemed 'extensive' (Getty Images)

"The move is sure to remove an unnecessary administrative burden for practitioners but also alleviate worry for many patients,” he added.

The DVLA reviewed the list in October, following sector consultation, and the AOP said it would continue to work with the DVLA policy team to discuss further refinements.

It has also consulted with the Secretary of State for Transport’s Medical Advisory Panel on visual disorders and driving.

Motorists could be banned from driving if undeclared vision problems were found to be a factor in an accident (Getty Images/Westend61)

The rules the DVLA issued was that if vision was a factor in an accident, a £1,000 fine and three points issued to the driver is to be expected, only if the driver had not notified the DVLA of the condition prior to the incident. In more serious cases, it could result in a driving disqualification.

It came after the AOP discovered that two-thirds of drivers in the UK who use glasses are putting off updating their prescription, and up to 20 per cent of drivers had not had a recent eye test.