Driving and Hemianopia

In Europe, Australia and most US states there are strict criteria for visual loss and driving.  You need good vision on both sides to pass the visual field criteria.  In the UK at least, if you have previously held a license to drive a car, don't have other visual problems and have adapted fully to the visual loss, it is possible to have an assessment in a dual control vehicle (follow this link to the document describing the process).  Unfortunately, Group 2 (lorry and bus) license holders can't get their licenses back in this way; the vision crtieria are stricter (see this link to the UK DVLA "At a glance guide").  If you perform well you can be formally assessed by the DVLA and it's possible to get your license back, though I'm not at all cure it's likely.

These are the criteria to be assessed as an "exceptional case" in the UK (Group 1 drivers only):
- Visual loss present for at least 12 months
- The condition causing the visual loss mustn't be progressive (stroke is OK)
- There is no other visual impairment, including glare sensitivity, contrast sensitivity, impaired twilight vision, uncontrolled double vision (prisms may be OK to control this)
- You must have sight in both eyes
- There is "clinical confirmation of full adaptation".  A doctor would need to confirm this.


Although there still isn't good evidence that training your vision will increase your chances of getting your license back, there is reason to hope for the future.  Studies have started to find some factors linked with better driving performance.  This recent study in particular is interesting.  The researchers arranged for people with visual loss affecting both eyes, and some people without visual problems, to be taken out in dual control cars.  This is the sort of process that would happen to see whether people with longstanding hemianopia might be able to drive again.  The driving instructor had to pass or fail the drivers.  6 out of 10 people with hemianopia passed the test.  Those that failed had problems keeping lanes and scanning.  Those that passed spent more time concentrating on their central vision and made big scanning head and eye movements towards their affected side.