Astigmatism and Exophoria(muscle control issues)-Reporting to DVLA

noonebelieves

Hi Scope MODS and experts,
I have been holding back on posting about this for a while, but I feel compelled to ask after seeing a few things in the news. I have been unable to find any specific advice or policies on the DVLA website.
I drive, albeit now for very short distances, mainly due to my fatigue. I have had some private modifications/alterations made to my car to accommodate my neuropathic symptoms.
My question is: I have astigmatism and exophoria, which affect my eye muscles, mainly when reading or seeing bright lights, causing teary eyes, superimposed vision (not double vision), visual fatigue, and blurring. As I have adrenal insufficiency, I am on steroids and have suffered from a condition called central serous retinopathy (fluid buildup in the eyes). Although this has resolved, it left mild permanent retinal scarring, damaging my photoreceptors.
Due to this, I have a visual ground perception problem, meaning I cannot clearly identify an object on a similarly colored background—for example, a white towel on a white bed or a dark comb on a dark surface. However, when I go outdoors, I wear varifocal transitional lenses with anti-glare coated glass, and I haven’t noticed any difference in my vision while driving.
I am very sensible in terms of driving and would never sit behind the wheel if I were unable to drive safely. I have good visual acuity with glasses (the kind of eye test you have at the opticians). I also regularly see my optometrists at the eye clinic and ophthalmologists due to these conditions.
When I discussed this with my ophthalmologists, they gave me the all-clear to drive and mentioned it briefly in one of their reports. However, after watching the news, I now have a significant concern: Should I be reporting these conditions to the DVLA, even though they do not impair my driving whatsoever?
The only issues I experience are at home, where they are effectively managed by visual aids and assistive technology readily available on electronic devices in this modern era.
I would truly appreciate it if someone could put my mind at ease, as I worry about asking the DVLA for fear of losing the little independence I have with driving and accessibility.
Thank you in advance for all your responses.

OverlyAnxious

Hi,

The eye tests for driving are surprisingly basic. You just need to read a numberplate from 20 metres away and have an acceptable field of vision in at least one eye.

Your optometrist should be able to tell you whether your conditions need to be reported to DVLA or not.

You can see the list for eye conditions online here:

Eye conditions and driving: If you have a car or motorcycle licence - GOV.UK

noonebelieves

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/994654#Comment_994654

thanks @OverlyAnxious , maybe I was worrying too much . My orthoptists( just realised I mentioned optometrist-Typo in my post ) and ophthalmologists mentioned I don’t need to . Maybe I should just stop worrying !! I thank you for taking the time to respond to my post.