The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, DVLA, says all prospective applicants for drivers’ license must strictly undergo a compulsory eye test at only centres designated by the authority.
Additionally, all those who have already obtained the license would be required to also undergo the compulsory test whenever they go for upgrade, renewal and replacements, effective 1st September, 2022.
According to the authority, this would ensure that any holder of a driver’s license in the country would meet a basic requirement set out in their regulations, as far as eye test is concerned.
The Central Regional manager of the DVLA, Mr Lawrence Adom, who disclosed this to the Chronicle, indicated that rolling out of the exercise formed part of the authority’s efforts to stem road accidents.
He said, “We rolled it out in June for new applicants, where they were made to go through the new process to get the test done by professionals at centres approved by the authority.
What we are doing now is the implementation of phase two of the regulation 29 of the road traffic regulation 2012 (2180) on eye test,” Mr Adom said.
Conditions set out by Regulation 29
It specified that prospective applicants for a learner’s license, a driver’s license or a renewal of driver’s license shall undergo an eye test and must have a minimum binocular vision of 6/12 or 20/40 as specified in the first schedule.
Also, the applicant shall have no defects, apart from the physiological blind spots in a minimum of 120 degrees of horizontal binocular visual field using 1114E setting on the Goldman or equivalent
It categorically specified that an applicant who suffers from a tunnel vision is disqualified from obtaining driver’s license.
It stated unequivocally that registered Ophthalmologist or Optometrist must certify the results of a vision test presented by an applicant to the licensing authority.
However, prior to the strict implementation of the regulation, staff of the DVLA were issuing clearance to applicants through the use of the Goldman machine.
Mr Adom explained that, “Now the approved centres will conduct the examination and transfer the information to us here, and we will only have to comply with whatever the specialists will say”.
He indicated that once the specialists cleared the applicants of any defect, the DVLA would go ahead and issue the license provided the applicants met all other requirements.
Appeal to the public
He appealed to the general public to see the exercise as one that has been carefully implemented to help fight the carnage on the roads saying any form of poor eyesight on the part of any drive was dangerous on the road.
“If it becomes necessary that an applicant has to wear glasses when driving, we indicate same on the license and offer adequate education to them so that they become aware of why they must not drive without putting on the glasses,” he explained.
The Police MTTU, he said, was aware of the signs on the license which indicated that drivers must wear glasses when driving and must be strictly enforced on the road and to ensure that offenders are made to comply.
According to Mr Adom, the DVLA has approved three centres in Cape Coast, after they met all the necessary requirements.
They are Firmer Eye Services, Department of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Cape Coast and Imperial Eye Care.
