Had a mini strke in October and apart from some visual field loss in my right eye everything else is ok .dvla says i cant drive which is devastating. I have booked another field test ? Has anyone else had this problem?
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Hi @sandraplaskow and welcome. All is not lost, you are still in the early stages of recovery. There is always time for things to improve, I got my license back a year after my stroke.
I’m sure there will others along soon better advice in this regard. How has your stroke affected in other ways?
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@sandraplaskow hi & welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear of your mini stroke.
As i had visual issues after my stroke I wasn’t able to drive for 3 months or until i was cleared by DVLA. I had to attend a eye sight test at Specsavers which included a field test. I had to wait a while but I was cleared to drive.
I believe you are obliged to inform DVLA if you have any remaining issues one month after a stroke & it is always better to tell them than them revoke your licence.
It is devastating when this happens however there is plenty of time for your eye sight to improve.
Good luck with your field test.
Best wishes
Ann
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i want to get my licence back i can even get a mobility car - but i have realised i will have to wait ,i got pacemaker fitted at christmas so it was a toss up to what condition caused me to crash my work van ,the stroke or irregular heartbeat,
when i drive again i will have to go automatic as my left side is weak ,and i wouldnt fancy doing all those gear changes , i think i would be a liability on the road ,i would be ok on a good day, but on a bad day when i didnt want to drive ,i wouldnt get the choice i would get nagged into driving then and as usual i would comply for an easy life , so i think best to wait and use my free bus pass
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Thanks for your post I heard from dvla yesterday and am devastated,I had the letter and am appealing to them ,having another field test on 1st February and seeing hospital ophthalmology on 30th January,which field test machine should I go for? I had a mini stroke with no other symptoms and have been confidently driving,apparently my right eye is 30 when it should be 50 ,left eye is clear.is there hope?
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Thank you Simon ,I know its early days and I know and hope there will be improvement in 4 to six months and I am prepared to wait .Should I see a private optometrist? Or try to find local neuro rehab centre? So many questions!!
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I can only say what happened in my case. I had to have a field test done at Specsavers and although I had one done by ophthalmology too they would only take the specsavers one as that’s who the DVLA use. Each case may be different & the DVLA are the best to advise you.
As Simon mentions the eye sight standards are a legal requirement & we have to meet them. It is absolutely devastating when they tell you you can’t drive. I hate driving & was still very upset. 1 minute you can drive the very next minute you can’t. It was about independence for me.
There is always hope & many people return to driving after a period of time. Have you been given eye exercises to do? If not look some up & ask the ophthalmology team for some.
I wish you luck with your appeal.
Yes i had specsavers do the eye test and i have looked up eye exercises ,can they help? I live in hope! I am proactive and will get a second opinion from an independent
optometrist , Thanks for your support ,there will be more questions I fear!
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I have been doing eye exercises for my issues but they are different to your issues. It’s definitely worth asking to see if there is anything you can do to improve your visual field.
Have a look at this topic. It mentions some sites that others have used.
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I have been where you are now and my advice is to wait a few months to see if there is any improvement.
I my case,several years after surrendering my licence and with a visual field defect that meant that my eyesight did not meet DVLA requirements,I was offered the opportunity to apply for a temporary licence to be tested at a disabled driving centre.
I had to submit a dossier of evidence to support that I was fit to drive.
In my case I submitted a letter from my doctor and a letter from a consultant at Moorfields Eye Hospital.
I wa sthen issued with a temporary provisional licence vald until the date of my assessment which meant that I could take lessons on the road in a dual control car with a specialist disabled driving instructor.
On my assessment I first had to read a number plate at the required distance ,then use a machine to judge my reaction times,be assessed for any physical impairment by a nurse and then I drove around an off-road course for 15 mins.
Only then was I allowed to go out on the road for an hour of mixed roads and speed limits.
Feedback from the assessor was that I would have passed adriving test but they were looking for a higher standard.
I had perhaps been too cautious in staying below the speed limits rather than driving up to the limit.
They also said that there was no evidence of my visual field defect
A report was then sent to DVLA medical group who make the decision on driving.
Ultimately their decision in my case was not to give me my licence back.
This process took about a year.
Trust that you find the above helpful.
There is always a chance of improvement and even if there is none ,there may be a route back to driving.
I wish you good luck.
Tony
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Thank you Tony,i know its early days i have seen my GP today to ask loads of questions .I am having another field test in March and will see if there is any change.I will be proactive in trying to get my licence back asap and thank you for setting out your journey ,sandra
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I was told I had to send my licence back as I suffers two seizures in hospital it’s been over A year now and I
Applied last oct for my licence but still not heard anything from anyone as yet. I’m desperate to get my independence back
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Hi wow you sound too young bless your heart sorry to hear yes very frustrating! 4 years oh no that’s awful and I’m moaning about 15mths! But like you I was a very independent soul worked hard in a job I
Loved only to be struck down with a AVM which caused me to
Have a stroke and very nearly took my life.! Hood you improve also x
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I had another field test at the hospital on tuesday which was improved from the last one at the hospital,but the specsavers field test for the dvla was different? I am hoping for exceptional circumstances to try to get my licence back,do you have to wait a year and do you only get one chance? The eye doctor at the hospital gave me the impression that my stroke was not when i experienced visual aura but some time earlier than that? I am confused now as to when i had my mini stroke.?
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Thank you , cant understand why you would only get one chance if there is continuous improvement? Ii have seen my gp and will do again in the near future,i was driving completely confidentally for 3 months with no problems!
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@sandraplaskow did you read the assessment for medical professionals that @SimonInEdinburgh posted at the start? Chapter 6 deals with eyes and gives exceptional circumstances. In my opinion there wouldn’t be any point unless you can pass the test at specsavers. This is the phone number for DVLA medical line maybe they could better guide you 0300 790 6806. Hopefully you can get continued improvement. Good luck
Steve
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Thank you ,yes i have read and spoken to dvla and will do so again after my next visual field test
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I too was in exactly same predicament .Thankfully I am now back driving again
Reading your story reminds me so much of me at the same stage . I was desperate to get back to work and driving in particular . I had left sided vision field loss . originally it was almost entirely gone on the left with me walking into door frames that i simply couldn’t see
I fell out with Specsavers on several occasions as i was jumping the gun . Every time i was aware of a small improvement i booked another test and failed
I have no particular specialisation in this field i can only speak of my own experience
I was advised by ophthalmologist at my local hospital that it is possible for the brain to reroute following stroke and make new pathway’s to repair lost sight due to stroke or tia
Please don’t quote me on that i have no specialist knowledge .
In my case it took from April to August off road until i was eventually passed fit to drive by local hospital
I was fortunate and i am aware of that so i can only hope you have the same experience .
I did every eye exercise possible BTW
I don’t know if it helped but it made me feel better at the time
My vision is now better than it was before my stroke . My prescription has improved
Good luck Sandra
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Thats is an uplifting story and am so pleased you had a great result ,how did you eventually persuade the dvla that you were ok to drive and what evidence did you produce? I am presently on holiday with no need to drive and my last result at the hospital was much improved. I cannot bear thinking of the whole summer not being able to drive , in your experience should i have field tests every 6 weeks? How long from start of your stroke to be able to drive?
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By the way did specsavers have to do your final test? And did the dvla take your doctors recommendations?
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