UK lags behind on drivers’ vision

Specsavers Corporate Eyecare has voiced concerns over driving vision standards at work following the publication of a consensus paper by the European Council of Optometry and Optics.

The UK was singled out for still using number-plate testing, not requiring a professional vision assessment and not retesting driver eyesight as standard. It is one of the five remaining countries where it is the job of the driving examiner to check vision rather than a medical professional.

‘With lax laws on the requirements for driver vision, the risks on the road increase and this can put employees and therefore also their employers at risk,’ says Specsavers Corporate Eyecare director of strategic alliances Jim Lythgow. ‘While inconsistencies remain so great and the UK continues to trail behind the rest of the EU, a low-cost blanket scheme covering all drivers is a sensible precaution to take.’