Eyesight requirements/glasses prescriptions

[Hardy2712]

Hello,

I am going for a medical soon as I have passed all the assessments. I am slightly worried about the requirements needed for vision.

I have perfect eyesight with my glasses but I am worried as there is a requirement to see with out them.

Is there anyone on here that has passed the eyesight tests on the medical and can post their prescription so I can compare.

Thanks for your help.

Hardy

 

[Sam82]

Hello,

I am going for a medical soon as I have passed all the assessments. I am slightly worried about the requirements needed for vision.

I have perfect eyesight with my glasses but I am worried as there is a requirement to see with out them.

Is there anyone on here that has passed the eyesight tests on the medical and can post the wet prescription so I can compare.

Thanks for your help.

Hardy

Congratulations Hardy2712 for making up to that stage. I have no exact information regarding glasses but someone told me that TOC don't like drivers with eye surgery, I don't know why.
Could you please share some information regarding your DM's interview i.e. which type of questions did they ask from you. I will really appreciate that. Many thanks in advance.

 

[benno79]

The first thing you'll do is an eye test. If you wear glasses take them with you
- contact lenses are not allowed. The required standard is 6/9, 6/12 distant
vision and N8 near vision or better if you wear glasses. If you do wear
spectacles your unaided vision must not be worse than 6/12, 6/18. This
standard may be varied, yet uncorrected vision must not be below 3/60 in
each eye.

As we've mentioned, contact lenses are not permitted and if you've had laser
eye surgery to correct vision, that rules you out for driving trains too.
The next stage is to test your colour vision, this is done using the Ishihara
Plates Test. It's always a good idea to visit your optician regularly and get
your eyesight tested.


Go to your optitions and ask them to do an eyetest for Railway group standards prior to medical if you are worried

 

[Steptwo]

As long as you can read the biggest letter at the top of the chart in each eye without glasses then you have nothing to worry about if your corrected vision meets the requirements.
Contact lenses are permitted by the way unless your particular toc says otherwise.

 

[FlashingYellows]

If you can see with your glasses then you are fine, as you will be tested wearing them. As above they will test your near and far sight and check for colour blindness. I worried about anything and everything coming up to the medical but there was no reason to, as I should have already known.

 

[DmanPoppet]

If you have a second pair, bring them with you as they will test you with both pairs.

 

[Hardy2712]

Thanks for all the info. I was just wanting to put my mind at ease if I knew someone's prescription and that they had past. (Ie -4.50 both eyes etc). I'll book in with the optician tomorrow.

 

[BestWestern]

I can't quote numbers I'm afraid, but I can tell you that my uncorrected eyesight is abysmal, and I passed the Guards' test! I wear contacts and that's absolutely fine, and I've worn them to a medical (admittedly not my pre-employment one, I had specs then). I see no reason why a Driver couldn't but a Guard could - we are all subject to eyesight standards.

You tend to find (or I have anyway) that the staff who do the medicals are pretty reasonable people; they're not out to fail people and won't do it unless they really have to.

 

[Hardy2712]

Thanks for all the info. Booked into opticians just to be on the safe side

 

[ukcinc]

Top tip nip down to your local opticans before you go have a eye test. If you meet the eyesight req then get them to write it down on a letter. Then go to the medical and hand it in. You will have to still do the test but if they are worried about they can see you have been to eye docs already and passed. I have the same problems when i go for network medicals and they always ask me to go to the opticains to get myself checked. Simples

 

[A-driver]

The requirements listed in this thread are most likely out of date to be warned as I would imagine any new driver will sit the new European medical which has stricter standards. I don't know exact requirements but it's no longer acceptable to just read the top line without glasses, I believe those who wear glasses need to read something like the top 3 lines on the chart un-corrected.

I know the European requirements don't come in completely for another couple of years however I believe most TOCs are now only recruiting new drivers to the enhanced standards for obvious reasons.

 

[benno79]

Has anyone got these new requirements in chapter and verse, I've had a quick search with google and can't find anything in black and white.

thanks

Ben

 

[Hardy2712]

Been to opticians this morning and they had the current railway standards and I was ok. Big relieve.

 

[benno79]

I'm in the same boat as you Hardy, my only concern is the new standards are brought in and I fail, goodbye job I assume.

 

[A-driver]

I'm in the same boat as you Hardy, my only concern is the new standards are brought in and I fail, goodbye job I assume.

I am fairly certain they won't take you on as a trainee if you don't meet the new criteria. Most qualifides are now getting periodical Medicals to the new standard. Quite what is being done with qualifides who don't meet the standard is not currently known.

 

[EvoIV]

The requirements listed in this thread are most likely out of date to be warned as I would imagine any new driver will sit the new European medical which has stricter standards. I don't know exact requirements but it's no longer acceptable to just read the top line without glasses, I believe those who wear glasses need to read something like the top 3 lines on the chart un-corrected.

I know the European requirements don't come in completely for another couple of years however I believe most TOCs are now only recruiting new drivers to the enhanced standards for obvious reasons.

I think the problem is that some TOCs apply their own criteria - which they're free to do, so as long as they exceed the legal minima and can be justified on health and safety grounds (to avoid discrimination claims). For reference, here is the new standard:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/724/contents/made

Go straight to Schedule 1 at the bottom...

For the record, the unaided visual acuity requirement has been removed, so it's my contention that for many the new requirements are less strict. The unaided acuity requirement was only ever there (so I've been told anyway) because of concerns about high prescription strength lenses causing distortion in the peripheral field of view. As such, this is a much more sensible way of doing things, they're saying that only those with lenses that are below a certain level of correction can be passed (which happens to be +8 for short sighted). The old unaided acuity standard was a bit of a bodge attempting to find the same thing.

Confusingly, the RSSB are updating their legislation at the moment and intend to split the drivers requirements away and put the requirements for guards and despatchers etc. in a new publication. That new publication will use the old standard for vision. So, in theory someone could be a legal driver but not meet the requirements to be guard. If I was to apply, it would apply to me, I can meet the TDLCR regs but can't necessarily meet the old vision standard. Hopefully they will correct this post-consultation, but who knows.

And as I said, some TOCs are arbitrarily putting more stringent requirements on top of the legal minimum, which only serves to muddy the water (and it looked pretty brown beforehand...)

 

[benno79]

thanks for clearing that up

 

[Hardy2712]

I think the problem is that some TOCs apply their own criteria - which they're free to do, so as long as they exceed the legal minima and can be justified on health and safety grounds (to avoid discrimination claims). For reference, here is the new standard:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/724/contents/made

Go straight to Schedule 1 at the bottom...

For the record, the unaided visual acuity requirement has been removed, so it's my contention that for many the new requirements are less strict. The unaided acuity requirement was only ever there (so I've been told anyway) because of concerns about high prescription strength lenses causing distortion in the peripheral field of view. As such, this is a much more sensible way of doing things, they're saying that only those with lenses that are below a certain level of correction can be passed (which happens to be +8 for short sighted). The old unaided acuity standard was a bit of a bodge attempting to find the same thing.

Confusingly, the RSSB are updating their legislation at the moment and intend to split the drivers requirements away and put the requirements for guards and despatchers etc. in a new publication. That new publication will use the old standard for vision. So, in theory someone could be a legal driver but not meet the requirements to be guard. If I was to apply, it would apply to me, I can meet the TDLCR regs but can't necessarily meet the old vision standard. Hopefully they will correct this post-consultation, but who knows.

And as I said, some TOCs are arbitrarily putting more stringent requirements on top of the legal minimum, which only serves to muddy the water (and it looked pretty brown beforehand...)

Thanks very much for that! Really set my mind at ease now! I fall way way under the maximum of -8!

 

[Red18]

Has anyone got these new requirements in chapter and verse, I've had a quick search with google and can't find anything in black and white.

thanks

Ben

Check out chapter 2.3.4 (page 8) of the GORT3451 document here...

http://www.railopsgroup.co.uk/resource-centre/

 

[A-driver]

I think the problem is that some TOCs apply their own criteria - which they're free to do, so as long as they exceed the legal minima and can be justified on health and safety grounds (to avoid discrimination claims). For reference, here is the new standard:



http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/724/contents/made



Go straight to Schedule 1 at the bottom...



For the record, the unaided visual acuity requirement has been removed, so it's my contention that for many the new requirements are less strict. The unaided acuity requirement was only ever there (so I've been told anyway) because of concerns about high prescription strength lenses causing distortion in the peripheral field of view. As such, this is a much more sensible way of doing things, they're saying that only those with lenses that are below a certain level of correction can be passed (which happens to be +8 for short sighted). The old unaided acuity standard was a bit of a bodge attempting to find the same thing.



Confusingly, the RSSB are updating their legislation at the moment and intend to split the drivers requirements away and put the requirements for guards and despatchers etc. in a new publication. That new publication will use the old standard for vision. So, in theory someone could be a legal driver but not meet the requirements to be guard. If I was to apply, it would apply to me, I can meet the TDLCR regs but can't necessarily meet the old vision standard. Hopefully they will correct this post-consultation, but who knows.



And as I said, some TOCs are arbitrarily putting more stringent requirements on top of the legal minimum, which only serves to muddy the water (and it looked pretty brown beforehand...)

Out of interest as someone who dosnt speak optician speak how do these new requirements compare with the current unaided 3/60 requirement?

The new requirements are something starting to be discussed on the 'ever reliable' railway rumour mill! Several drivers at my depot are rather concerned as they don't believe they meet the new standard.

 

[Hardy2712]

My eyesight is -5.00 (well within the -8) and I can quite easily see the letter 'A' on the snellen chart that is 3/60. On normal snellen charts the biggest letter is normally for 6/30 which is harder to see than the 3/60. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Red18]

I think the problem is that some TOCs apply their own criteria - which they're free to do, so as long as they exceed the legal minima and can be justified on health and safety grounds (to avoid discrimination claims). For reference, here is the new standard:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/724/contents/made

Go straight to Schedule 1 at the bottom...

Ok, well now I'm confused..
The information provided following the link (above) is dated 2010.
The link on my previous post takes you to the latest requirements coming into effect in March 2013.
So not sure what is the most up to date now.

 

[EvoIV]

Here is the proposal for the updated GO/RT3451:

http://www.consultation.rssb.co.uk/Consultation/ConsultationDetail.aspx?ConsultationPackID=436

TOCs have been applying these Euro standards since October 29th last year, despite the rules as written not keeping up. Note that the new standard applies to brand new drivers only for now, with existing drivers not being moved over to the new system for a while yet (October 29th 2018)

As to whether the new standards are more or less stringent, it's hard to say because it's such an individual thing and there is only a loose correlation between unaided acuity and required prescription. This is the problem I had with the unaided acuity standard. One person who requires, say, +4 diopters of correction might easily see the big letter on the Snellen chart unaided, while another with the same strength lenses might not be able to. The new standard does have a derogation clause though, so even if someone fails to meet the new standard, they can theoretically get a derogation if a medical expert agrees. I'm no expert though and time will tell.

 

[Red18]

There is a link there to Iss4 of the GORT3451 which I believe is the latest standard.