Clear vision ahead: The importance of eye care for truck drivers
National Eye Health Week takes place from the 23rd to the 29th of September, and as a truck driver, maintaining good vision is crucial to your job. Optical Express reported that road crashes involving drivers with poor vision accounted for roughly 2,900 yearly casualties.
Truck driving is a physically demanding role, but it is just as demanding visually – requiring constant vigilance and the ability to quickly identify or react to changing road conditions. Poor vision can affect a driver’s ability to judge distances, read signs, and detect other vehicles, reducing safety for the driver and other road users.
What requirements do truck drivers need?
Drivers must complete a D4 Medical Assessment when applying for an HGV licence – this occurs every five years after 45 and every year after the age of 65. As part of the medical, truck drivers must have a vision examination by a doctor, optician, or optometrist.
To pass the examination, drivers require visual acuity of at least 0.8 (6/7.5) on the Snellen scale in their best eye and at least 0.1 (6/60) in the other.
Group 2 HGV drivers need a horizontal visual field of at least 160 degrees – with an extension of at least 70 degrees left and right and 30 degrees up and down. No defects should be present within a radius of the central 30 degrees.
How often should HGV drivers have their eyes tested?
After 45 years old, drivers must complete their D4 Medical Assessment every five years and every year after 65. However, opticians recommend that every road user has an eye test at least every two years.
If a driver experiences the following, they should get their eyes tested immediately:
• Headaches
• Eyestrain
• Pressure behind the eyes
• Double vision
• Difficulty seeing during the night
• Halos around lights.
Under the law, employers must ensure their employees are fit to drive – this could cover several things, but eyesight is one of them. Employers should test their driver’s eyesight every six months by carrying out a number plate sight check 20 metres away.
What happens if I need glasses or contact lenses?
If an HGV driver requires glasses or contact lenses to reach the minimum vision requirement, they can’t have a spectacle power greater than eight+ dioptres.
For contact lenses, there is no restriction on contact lens power.
How to maintain good eye health
The National Eye Institute recommends the following to maintain good eye health:
• Eat a well-balanced diet with foods that help your vision.
• Exercise regularly to prevent diabetes and other conditions that can lead to vision problems.
• Inform an optician if you notice any changes.
• Wash your hands before putting them near your eyes or if you’re handling contact lenses.
• Protect your eyes when performing tasks that could damage them.
• Wear sunglasses that block 99% or 100% of UVA and UVB radiation.
• Follow the 20-20-20 rule – every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
• Try not to smoke – smoking is just as harmful to your eyes as it is to your body.
How do HGV visual requirements differ from those of other road users?
The visual standards HGV drivers must meet are higher than those of other road users. In the UK, drivers must have a visual acuity of at least 0.5 (6/12) on the Snellen scale. In addition, drivers must be able to read a car number plate made after the 1st of September 2001 from 20 metres.
The UK law on vision and driving falls below many European countries.
How is eyesight tested in the UK?
By a number plate self-test from 20 metres. A visual acuity/visual field test is mandatory in other European countries.
Who conducts the test?
A driving test examiner performs the test in the UK, Cyprus, The Netherlands, and Norway. Several European countries require an Optometrist/Ophthalmologist/Doctor to carry out the test.
What happens after someone gets their licence?
• The UK, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, and Sweden require no further visual tests.
• Algeria, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Spain, and Turkey require a visual assessment every ten years.
• Algeria, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, and Turkey require visual tests from 65 or younger.
What eye conditions prevent you from driving?
It’s vital to inform the DVLA if you have any of the following eye conditions:
• Blepharospasm
• Cataracts
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Glaucoma
• Eye loss
• Macular degeneration
• Monocular vision
• Nyctalopia
• Retinitis pigmentosa
• Visual field defect.
Drivers need to meet the following standards:
• Can read a number plate 20 metres away
• No double vision
• Have a regular field of vision in at least one eye.
If a driver is unsure whether they meet the visual standards for driving, they must get advice from a GP, optician, or eye specialist.
Is our vision the most important sense we use for driving?
90% of the information a driver receives comes from vision – with most maneuvers made based on a sense of sight. Vision cannot be substituted or supplemented and is the most important physical factor behind the wheel.
