Driving is not just about clear vision.
Imagine you are driving along Showground Rd from Castle Hill to Norwest in darkness at the end of a tiring day at work. It’s raining, there are roadworks and there is glare off the windscreen from the floodlights being used. Are you confident about your vision in this situation?
To be a safe driver, good visual acuity (sharpness) must be combined with good binocular vision and depth perception (stereopsis and eye teaming) to maintain a comfortable single image of the driving environment free of diplopia (double vision). There must also be a complete field of vision, free of visual field defects or scotomas (abnormal blind spots). Double vision and visual field defects can result from trauma, disease or surgery of the eyes or brain. Safe driving can also be compromised by excessive glare caused by cataracts and other opacities in the eye.
For a person to continue to meet the Austroads (RMS) criteria for driving they must meet certain standards. In our Norwest practice, Vision Excellence and Eyetreat keep up-to-date with the latest eligibility requirements to hold a licence to drive. With our testing that is specific for driving, we can assess your level of capability to meet the requirements, and to discuss alternative strategies when the standards are not met. We are fully equipped with perimetry for visual field analysis and comprehensive measurement of binocular vision, visual acuity and glare.