Sunglasses If you need to wear prescription glasses to drive, never replace them with non-prescription sunglasses when it is sunny. It is dangerous and you will be breaking the law. Instead, get a pair of prescription sunglasses (which need look no different to normal sunglasses) or clip-on lenses over your prescription lenses. When using clip-on sunglasses make sure you check their suitability for plastic lenses.
The Highway Code says that you should never use tinted glasses at night. Nor should you use them in conditions of poor visibility such as heavy rain, fog and snow showers. This rule also applies to sunglasses and tinted motorcycle helmets.
Drink and Drugs There are factors that can impair a driver's eyesight temporarily. For example, alcohol can reduce your vision as well as slowing your reactions to potentially dangerous situations and can cause drowsiness even when the driver is below the legal alcohol limit. Some drugs or medicines can also reduce or impair your vision so you should always check with your doctor whether a prescription is safe for driving. Tiredness, particularly on long journeys, can reduce your ability to see clearly.
The Eye Examination
We all rely on our eyes and good eyesight in almost every aspect of our daily lives. Access to information through reading or television depends on clear vision, while life itself can depend on the ability to see properly while driving, or just walking in busy streets.
Yet a significant proportion of people don't have their eyes examined at regular intervals, while many people have never had an eye examination.
Why? Part of the reason is that eyes, unlike teeth, don't normally let you know in an obvious way when something is wrong. Often, because sight deterioration can be very gradual, people genuinely don't notice that they are not seeing as well as they could. Regular examinations are important as the sooner a vision problem is detected, the greater the chance of successful treatment - this is particularly true with young children and the elderly.
More than just identifying whether your eyesight needs correcting, the eye examination can reveal a number of other underlying health problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes. It is a vital health check that should be part of everyone's normal health regime.
Unless otherwise advised, you should have an eye examination every two years. It may be necessary to have them more frequently, depending on your age and medical history. An eye examination is carried out by an optometrist or ophthalmic medical practitioner and usually takes about 20-30 minutes. This is what you can expect it to include:
