Driving and vision

Driving is an important mode of travel in most of the world and, because it facilitates many activities of daily life, it is seen as fundamental to concepts of quality of life. Up to 3.5 million people in the UK alone could be driving with eyesight below the legal minimum and this has huge implications for them and for all other road users. Ophthalmic clinicians, by the nature of their speciality, care for and work with people with varying degrees of visual capability. This article discusses the standards of vision for driving and evidence around vision and driving standards, particularly in relation to some of the issues that ophthalmic professionals may need to discuss with their older patients and clients in the practice setting.