driving license GCA

[Avadip12]

hello has any of our over 70s community had their driving license refused due to GCA . The forms are a nightmare. Thank you

[piglette]

This is the UK government list of illnesses that can cause you to not get a driving license. Over 70 you must get a new licence every three years anyway. Who has told you that your licence is refused?

gov.uk/health-conditions-an...

[Avadip12 in reply to piglette]

Thank you for that info

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to piglette]

Not quite true that the are illnesses that could result in not having a licence granted - no end of them say no problem when you follow the link! In most cases it is you must INFORM DVLA but not that they would stop you.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

None whatsoever-despite losing sight in one eye.

I advised DVLA (as it was then) of my situation in 2012 they advised it was not an issue, so long as sight was okay in other eye. It was -and still is…

As I’m now 77, I have renewed my licence a couple of times since then… not sure what you mean by forms are a nightmare. Never found them so…

Do you have other illnesses?

[Avadip12 in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you very much

[Bramble2000]

Hi, not GCA related but I can indeed confirm that the forms are a farce! My driving license is on a 3 year review mainly due to diabetes. At Chistmas I got sent the forms and sent them back. Two weeks later I got sent them again with an apology saying they’d sent the wrong forms prior. I filled them in again. I then got sent more forms saying they needed more information. This is where things got really complicated. On my forms they didn’t say what exactly they were referring to. Three years ago I had a single episode of Scintillating Scotoma that lasted ten minutes which I told them about (got sent for a DVLA sight test and passed by the skin of my teeth). So I wondered if they were referring to that. I put it down again even though I’d had no symptoms for three years. I told them that on the form. They wanted me to go to another DVLA sight test. It’s not a normal test and you can only have it done at specific places in the letter. Off I went only to be told that I’d been booked into the wrong place even though there were others having the exact same sight test there! It took another three attempts for them to get the test centre right for me to have the test. I passed. The stress was unbelievable. It took three months. When I eventually got my license for three years, the cheeky beggars had taken off the three months!! If you end up going to a specific test centre, check and double check that it’s the right centre and the the staff have actually booked you in! All the best. X

[piglette in reply to Bramble2000]

It annoys me so much when the problems we get are often due to pure incompetence on the part of the powers that be in doing something an eleven year old child could do with no problem..

[Bramble2000 in reply to piglette]

Very true

[Avadip12 in reply to Bramble2000]

Yes this the trouble my sister is experiencing, she is the one that asked what others experienced , she had double vision and blurring with her GCA . It is giving her stress . Thank you for your information

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Avadip12]

Well that’s slightly different to mine - and others who have lost sight in one eye, but the other is fine.

Think your sister need to discuss with optician/optometrist - they will check to see if she can pass the eyesight test. If she can okay, if not then she cannot drive. If her sight is okay, then tell her to ask for written confirmation that she can attach to licence application/renewal.

[Avadip12 in reply to DorsetLady]

That you , that sounds straight forward

[Toolie2]

I found it really easy to renew my license even though I hadn't driven for years, had changed my address and couldn't find my old paper license! And I'd lost most of the sight in one eye. I've renewed it again since then with no problem.

[Avadip12 in reply to Toolie2]

Fabulous