Which medical conditions need to be declared to the DVLA?
You have to tell the DVLA about any notifiable medical condition. These include, but aren’t limited to:
- diabetes or taking insulin
- syncope (fainting)
- heart conditions (including atrial fibrillation and pacemakers)
- sleep apnoea
- epilepsy
- strokes
- glaucoma
If you develop a notifiable medical condition or disability, or you’ve been told before that you could continue driving with your condition or disability, but it’s become worse than when you got your licence, you need to tell DVLA.
If you feel okay to drive and your doctor has given you the all-clear you don’t need to tell anyone about driving after an operation.
If you’d like to know more about what medical conditions you need to declare to the DVLA, check out their website.
Can you drive with a visual impairment?
There are three elements to the standards of vision for car drivers:
- You must be able to read a car number plate from 20 metres
- You must have visual acuity of at least 0.5 (6/12) on the Snellen scale (or 20/40 vision)
- You must have an adequate field of vision (your optician can advise if your field of vision is limited)
If you need glasses or contact lenses, you can wear them to meet these requirements, but you’ll always need to wear them while you’re driving.
Some medical conditions, including some eyesight conditions such as, but not limited to, glaucoma, macular generation, and diplopia (double vision) must be reported to the DVLA so they can assess your ability to drive. If you don’t let the DVLA know about a medical condition that affects your driving, you can be fined up to £1000. Find out more about driving eyesight rules.
Can you drive if you’re deaf?
There are no restrictions on driving a car or motorbike if you’re deaf and you don’t need to tell the DVLA either.
There’s nothing to suggest that not being able to hear makes someone a less safe driver. Many deaf or hearing-impaired drivers have special detectors in their car that let them know when an emergency vehicle is approaching. So being unable to hear a siren isn’t an issue.
Can you drive if you’re colour blind?
Yes – you can drive if you’re colour blind. While much communication on the road includes a colour element, such as road signs and traffic signals, it’s generally possible for colour-blind drivers to understand them. You don’t need to tell the DVLA if you’re colour blind.
Can you drive after surgery?
You really shouldn’t drive after any medical procedure until your doctor says it’s safe to do so. If you’ve had a general anaesthetic, you mustn’t drive for at least 48 hours to allow the drugs to leave your system.
If you’ve had an injury or procedure that’s likely to affect you for three months or longer (for example, a broken arm), you must let the DVLA know. If you’re able to keep full control over the vehicle, you may be able to continue driving with an injury, but if you don’t report this, you could invalidate your insurance policy or face criminal charges for driving without due care and attention.
