Good news!
Back in May 2023, post triple heart by-pass, I had a stroke, and subsequently lost my driving licence. The stroke effected my peripheral vision, otherwise I was very fortunate in no other limb issues. In Oct 2024 my ophthalmic specialist wrote to the DVLA on my behalf; as my case was complex, recommending that I be considered for the reinstatement of my license. Having filled out pages of questions, I finally received an invitation to have the DVLA eye test at there approved centre. My appointment was 24th January, understandably they do not let you know how your have done. Yesterday 26th February, a brown envelope arrived in the post, containing a driving licence! The following day a 16-page letter from the DVLA confirmed I should be receiving my licence in the next 2 weeks! For me this is amazing, I live in a small village which currently has a community bus service running twice a week, so being able to drive again will mean so much.
I’ve written this, for the benefit of anyone who may be going through a similar process, to give you an approximate idea of time scales. I also hope it may give hope to anyone in a similar position.
Best wishes to you all.
This calls for a celebration 
It goes to show you should never give up hope 
Enjoy your newfound freedom 
Lorraine
Stroke Improvement Group
Congratulations from me too.
I got my license back the Christmas before last, a lovely present, but a complete surprise. The DVLA took a very long time reaching a decision. When the license arrived it was the first I knew of it. I was unsure of what result to expect.
Like you, without my car I am totally cut off.
It took a year to get mine back but I thought it was due more to the backlog after covid. It still took me months of practice, around quiet streets and carparks with my hubby beside me before I ventured out alone 
This is amazing news @Forgecroft! Thank you for sharing, I’m sure this will give others hope. 
Anna
@Forgecroft that is fantastic news. Happy motoring.
This gives me hope. I’ll be keeping an eye out for a brown envelope and crossing my fingers in the mean time
Good news indeed! Did you only have an eye test at the approved centre, or was it a full driving assessment on-road in a dual control vehicle please?
I was only asked to do the eye test, I somehow managed to duck needing the driving accessment!
This is wonderful news .
Can I add my congratulations to those of others ?
I am so pleased for you as I well know what the loss of a driving licence can have as an impaxk on your life ,especially so if you are dependent on poor public transport .
having been in a similar position myself I was not successful in getting my licence back but fortunately live in an area with good transport.
It was really great to hear your story and i feel verry happy for you. I wish that i could be in the same situation as yourself and wish that i had an opthalmology doctor that was on my side like yours was. I had a stroke in August 23 to which i lost my left peripheral vision and subsequently lost my licence. I have been fighting since to try and get my licence back but my consultant just kept telling me no because he didnt think i could. How he knows what i can and cant do is beyond me. And its been over 2yrs now of my lost independence and its driving me crazy. I have applied myself for my licence to which they sent me some forms to be filled in to which i got another opthalmology doctor at a different hospital to assess me and fill out the form. There is just one question as to how independent i am that he cant fill out and im trying to get my gp to fill in, and thats not very easy. But hopefully one day I’ll be as lucky as you are, i hope and get driving again
I have everything crossed for you. The loss of independence is devastating
I too am seeking a helpful opthalmologist to support evaluation of re-licensing under the exceptional case process. I continue to be amazed at the number of clinicians who do not know about the DVLA procedure or interpret it wrongly. They are not being asked whether it is safe to drive - that is the purpose of the on road assessment. They are just being asked whether the applicant meets the listed criteria. I would have thought that an eye doctor could assess full functional adaptation at least as well as a GP. I hope the following background is helpful to readers:
The Royal College of Opthalmologists says that “Ophthalmologists often express some concern when asked by DVLA to provide confirmation
of functional adaptation to a field defect. Specific guidance has been
issued by the DVLA and the purpose of the report is to obtain some
information which will assist the assessment of whether it is safe to proceed to a practical driving test. Usually it will be impossible for an ophthalmologist to be sure whether full functional adaptation has taken place, but comments about whether a patient is working, playing sport, safely using a bicycle or other means of transport, and performance of other visual tasks may be very helpful.”
In 2023 DVLA requested that its relevant Advisory Panel review the advice provided to clinicians with regard to the assessment of an individual’s adaptation to the deficit in their field of vision. The Panel advised that “the assessment as to whether the legislative requirement for full functional adaptation (with regard to driving) has been achieved is provided by the on-road driving assessment. Panel advised that the information required by DVLA to allow consideration of an application for licensing as an “exceptional vision case” is the clinician’s confirmation that the individual appears to have fully adapted in their daily life so as to allow for an on-road driving assessment to be undertaken. The clinicians opinion may be based upon their assessment of the individual and include the individual’s self-declaration. DVLA agreed to consider the advice currently provided to customers, and also the accessibility of such information and application forms”. This DVLA work is still ongoing and was discussed at the March 2025 Panel meeting.
You will be aware of the DVLA existing guidance on this matter as it is contained in the standard letter they send about the exceptional case procedure.
Stephen
I’m sorry to hear that your opthalmic specialist isn’t supportive, i had multiple peripheral tests that showed my eyesight was stable, and met the parameters required by the DVLA, before she was prepared to write to the DVLA. The forms I filled in required the name and addresses of my GP, and other Consultants. To this day I’ve still not seen my GP since the initial referral for an Angiogram back in 2020. The DVLA eye test is different to what they do in hospital, to me it seemed exactly the same but with the benefit of using both eyes instead of individual. I can only assume my GP referred to the letters from each consultant that i was no longer in need of their support and used that to support my application. At no point did I need any further involvement. I do hope that you too may be back on the road soon.
After getting nowhere wirh any of my eye specialists or GP i contacted the driving assessment centre and i was advised that if you fail a field vision test then you can apply through your gp for a provisional disability licence, where you will be referred to them to assess your driving and they will advise if they think your able and safe to drive with added extras to help, and she sent me an email in which to show my gp, to which i have done so now just keeping my fingers crossed that he does as it states and i get referred. What gets me though is my opthalmology consultant says they dont think i can drive as i only have a 30% field of vision to my left and your meant to have 50%. But i know people driving that dont even have 30% and have never lost their licence or been told not to drive as they can move their head to see. Plus its not upto them as to what they think i can or cant do which annoys me.
So fingers crossed to all of us trying to get back on the road.
Sue
Good luck Sue, hopefully youGP will be supportive