Car Insurance with an eye condition

laura678

I have recently been diagnosed with an eye condition, however I am still able to continue driving as I still am within the legal requirements for vision. I know I need to contact my insurance company and the dvla, but does anyone please know if my insurance will be considerably higher or if it will remain the same.?

forgotmyname

Only way to tell is contact them.

laura678

I shall be contacting them, I was just trying to see if anybody may have any information that would be useful

vaio

Depends on the condition and what questions your insurer asks

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/232964/At_a_glance.pdf covers the medical side and generally anything that needs to be notified to DVLC also needs to be disclosed to you insurer with likely increase in premium.

Having said that, it looks like most vision things are pass/fail. Pass and you are fine, fail and you can't drive so insurance is moot

What's your condition?

rs65

laura678 wrote: »

I know I need to contact my insurance company and the dvla

Do you?

I thought you only have to notify anyone if your vision doesn't meet (or can't be corrected to meet) the standard for driving.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/226892/INF188X1.pdf

laura678

Thank you for the replies, I have had problems with my eyes for 8 years now and has just been confirmed with having a rare condition called AZOOR which affects both eyes. The doctor at the hospital said should I wish to continue driving I must tell dvla and insurance company. I know I may get called by the dvla to do a further visual fields test and may end up with it being revoked over the next few years anyway, so I am a little scared with what may happen and if it means my insurance goes up considerably I probably won't be able to afford it anyway. I guess I just wanted to be prepared as obviously I value my independence.

vaio

The link above covers what you need to report, I'd print out the vision bits (inc the appendix) and get your medics to read it and then confirm whether or not it needs to be reported, insurance matters follow that.

Avoid reporting if you can obviously, in my experience the knee jerk initial response from dvlc is to take your licence off you and even if you keep your licence the result of ticking the "DVLC aware, no restrictions" box ends up with doubled premiums from a lot of insurers

laura678

Thank you for your help, I will try and get hold of the doctor again and see what happens. I do think once I have told them I will probably have it revoked or won't be able to afford the insurance anyway which seems a little unfair as I am an experienced safe driver and still meets the required standards.

Quentin

You say the retinopathy affects both eyes.

The doctor is correct. This does need reporting.

vaio

With all due respect, something like

VISUAL FIELD DEFECTS:
Disorders such as severe bilateral glaucoma, severe bilateral retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa and other disorders producing field defect including partial or complete homonymous hemianopia/quadrantanopia or complete bitemporal hemianopia...

needs a medic to pick the bones out of it taking into account the clinical symptoms of the OP. Is the OPs condition "severe"? etc etc.

Hospital doctors are busy and sometimes resort to stock/play safe answers. I know a case where this happened but when the doctor actually read the guide & consulted with the medic only hotline at DVLC the stock/safe answer was reversed and they concluded there was no need to notify.

Given the consequences (either way) it's definitely worth getting it right

Quentin

vaio wrote: »

Hospital doctors are busy and sometimes resort to stock/play safe answers. I know a case where this happened but when the doctor actually read the guide & consulted with the medic only hotline at DVLC the stock/safe answer was reversed and they concluded there was no need to notify.....

In the case of retinopathy in both eyes there is no possible "reversal". ("severe" etc doesn't come into it)

The doctor is correct.

The consequences for ignoring the doctor's advice (which will now be recorded) and then getting involved in a claim related to this won't make it worthwhile having ignored it!