Healthy Driving
Sensory loss
Acknowledgment: This section has been developed by DVA Senior Medical Adviser using information from Austroads guide for Practitioners.
Vision - Good vision is essential to driving a car. Any noticeable loss of vision will lessen your ability to drive safely. A driver with serious visual loss may fail to see another vehicle and/or pedestrians and will take much longer to notice, and react to, a potentially hazardous situation. Sufferers of:
- Cataracts
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Glaucoma,
may be able to keep driving, but will need to have regular eye checks. If you suffer from these conditions or have any other vision problems, it is important that you talk to your GP, optometrist or ophthalmologist about how often you should be having your eyes checked.
Hearing - mild to moderate hearing loss doesn't appear to affect the ability to drive safely. Hearing loss is no impediment to driving a private car.
For more information regarding Sensory Loss refer to 'Making Sense of Sensory Loss' module in this manual.