Licencing and Eye Tests

[Devil]

Hi peoples,

I happen to be one of the unfortunates who need to head to an optometrist when its time to get a new licence (im currently a learner). This costs approx $50 for the eye test in addition to the licence application fees.

I intend to go for my restricted asap (after 10 september, counting down! :D ) Do you guys think its fair that only after 6 months I have to have another $50 eye test to get my restricted? I think its a bit gay.

Have sent an email off to the LTSA querying this. For people with slightly bung-eyes the licencing process costs about an extra $150 or so :(

Discuss.

[White trash]

I have a similar problem whenever I go for a WOF.

They INSIST on checking the front tyre tread depth when we all know it's never used........ :whistle:

[Devil]

I have a similar problem whenever I go for a WOF.

They INSIST on checking the front tyre tread depth when we all know it's never used........ :whistle:
Heh well at least you dont have to pay extra for it!

[Jackrat]

I resently renewed all my licences when I came back from over seas.
I didn't have to do an eye test other than the standard,Read the chart thing.
Maybe this is a new thing huh.
If so I think it should be covered by ACC,after all we have no choise in the matter.User pays no doubt. :angry2:

[Devil]

Yer, well its the shitty binocular kinda machine they do the tests with now that fuck me right off.

I have a slighty lazy eye, so over the years my other eye has become dominant. When I look at stuff, its my right eye pin pointing it and focusing, and my left is just along for the ride (badoom pshh). So when I look through the binocular thing its just my right eye looking and not my left.
Lucky we dont ride looking through binoculars eh! :bash:

[FROSTY]

Devil that makes NO sense --I'd double check that you do indeed need another eve check just to upgrade your licence.
Im pretty sure there is a period where that eye check remains valid for.

[Devil]

Yeah, hopefully its still valid for a period, eyes shouldnt deteriorate that rapidly (well...accidents aside :sick: ).

You people with 20/20 or better eyesight just dont know how lucky you are :(
(unless you got that from laser surgery, then you probably do know).

Slightly short sighted as well, hope to get lasered sometime in the near future. (damn, the cost could buy me a new bike...)

[Sk8r_Boi_]

Hey,

I have got a helmet visor that makes things bigger on the outside but not on the inside if ya know what i mean..........lol nah jokes ive never had the eye testing problem yet tho hope it doesnt happen to me or else! :disapint:

[Devil]

Hey SpankMe, can we have a checkbox that bans all that is stupid from a thread we create?

:baby:

[spudchucka]

Yer, well its the shitty binocular kinda machine they do the tests with now that fuck me right off.

I have a slighty lazy eye, so over the years my other eye has become dominant. When I look at stuff, its my right eye pin pointing it and focusing, and my left is just along for the ride (badoom pshh). So when I look through the binocular thing its just my right eye looking and not my left.
Lucky we dont ride looking through binoculars eh! :bash:
I have the same problem. You can pass the test simply by closing one eye at a time depending if they want you to read from left to right or right to left. Works for me anyway, other than the lazy eye thing I have 20/20 vision so actualy reading the thing is never a problem, just the method of testing.

[Hitcher]

I'm thinking seriously about getting my eyes lasered. The biggest problem I have with helmet fogging isn't the visor -- it's my glasses. In difficult situations I find that there is only so long I can hold my breath before blacking out! Those neoprene collar things that go over your mouth and nose and vent hot air back out under your helmet aren't designed to have glasses worn with them... *Sigh*

[rodgerd]

I'm thinking seriously about getting my eyes lasered. The biggest problem I have with helmet fogging isn't the visor -- it's my glasses. In difficult situations I find that there is only so long I can hold my breath before blacking out! Those neoprene collar things that go over your mouth and nose and vent hot air back out under your helmet aren't designed to have glasses worn with them... *Sigh*

Look carefully into the pros and cons. While laser treatment is sold as a no-risk panacea, it does have a fairly high failure rate (greater than 1 in 1000), where failure is defined as ending up with worse vision than before; my wife was looking at LASIK and when we did some research around it she decided it simply wasn't worth the risk.

[Devil]

Look carefully into the pros and cons. While laser treatment is sold as a no-risk panacea, it does have a fairly high failure rate (greater than 1 in 1000), where failure is defined as ending up with worse vision than before; my wife was looking at LASIK and when we did some research around it she decided it simply wasn't worth the risk.
And on the flipside, I know a few people who have had it done and cant believe the difference to their life its made.

[bungbung]

Hooray for Lasik - I got my eyes done in January. Its fantastic.

[PuppetMaster]

Least y'all have the option to have laser. Im cant have laser because I have had corneal grafts. I now have 4/20 in one eye and 10/20 (or something) in the other, thats without contact lenses ofcourse. With lenses I have almost 20/20 in one eye and 12/20 (or something) in the other.

[MacD]

The Drivers Eye Test Form (DL-12) is only valid for 60 days, which is why you need a retest after 6 months.

Quite a few people fail on the binocular part of the instrument screening test, but can pass a standard optometrist's eye test. Unfortunately that's how screening tests are generally devised. In order to pick up all the people with significant binocularity problems (including those people who drive around with double vision!), you wind up with a number of "false positives".

If you know you are likely to fail the instrument screening test, go to your optometrist first and see if they will do just a screening test at a lower cost than the full eye test. Most will do this is you've had an eye exam with them in the past year or two.

:cool2:

[Lou Girardin]

Yer, well its the shitty binocular kinda machine they do the tests with now that fuck me right off.

I have a slighty lazy eye, so over the years my other eye has become dominant. When I look at stuff, its my right eye pin pointing it and focusing, and my left is just along for the ride (badoom pshh). So when I look through the binocular thing its just my right eye looking and not my left.
Lucky we dont ride looking through binoculars eh! :bash:

Thats true. Optometrists lobbied the LTSA when the new licencing regime started, on that very point. The LTSA knew better, again.

[Devil]

The Drivers Eye Test Form (DL-12) is only valid for 60 days, which is why you need a retest after 6 months.

....snip.....

If you know you are likely to fail the instrument screening test, go to your optometrist first and see if they will do just a screening test at a lower cost than the full eye test. Most will do this is you've had an eye exam with them in the past year or two.

:cool2:
Hrm, I guess (assuming what you've told me is right) that ill just have to grease up to the optometrist :doctor:
Hrmmmph.

Thanks for the info.

[Hitcher]

Thats true. Optometrists lobbied the LTSA when the new licencing regime started, on that very point. The LTSA knew better, again.

The LTSA didn't listen to the optometrists' submission because they had already bought the eye testing machines!!

[scroter]

Least y'all have the option to have laser. Im cant have laser because I have had corneal grafts. I now have 4/20 in one eye and 10/20 (or something) in the other, thats without contact lenses ofcourse. With lenses I have almost 20/20 in one eye and 12/20 (or something) in the other.

the above is the name of your problem. got it too had to have contacts for about ten years now. sucks cant wear glasses ay. nor those comfy looking soft lenses either just a good old fashion shaped bit of glass.

your optomertrist test is only good at the AA for 60 days, sucks aye, you want to get on side with the optomertrist like me if i need to renew my licence i just phone him he fills one out and posts in the mail. cost zilch.

[Wenier]

well i've got 20/20 vision but am red/green colour blind and im pretty fucken sure i can see red and green! Now how does that one work a? (i no y but can anyone else figure it out).

[Devil]

ive got slight red/green colour deficiencies as well. I can tell red from green from orange fine. Just some shit doesnt contrast well when written down.

[Wenier]

yea theres a certain trick to it. That is that when you put those two colours (red and green) together in mixed groups i cant see it differently. If you've done those number eye test from the coloured dots you'll no wut i mean. When i get to the colours red and green to make up a number with there special pattern i cant see anything but dots of one colour.

[fillup]

If you are colourblind, you often will think that you can see all colours, and you can, its just that certain colours are 'confused'. The more extreme the colour vision abnormality the greater the range of colours that get confused :)

[Waylander]

Luckily my eyes are good enough that I can fake my way through the eye exam. The only thing I have trouble with is reading road name signs from more than 15 meters.

[Storm]

I must admit that when asked to read the third line from the test, I replied "what third line?" . Its a bit of a bugger having monocular vision, but I am still so grateful for my sight, limited in some ways though it may be( I cant use 3d glasses and I spent F%&^king hours trying to work those magic eye books :angry2: ), I can still ride and shoot straight , just cant pilot passenger vehicles. Only cost me $12 to get an update eye check here in Palmy, where the optomertrist is handily situated next to the AA !!

[inlinefour]

To tell you truth, I just go in and get a new pair of glasses along with the eye test required for the same. They are really good a nd supply me with a letter to take to AA/whoever to say that I've got good eyesight. :niceone:

[crazylittleshit]

I just got my full licence finally and Did the eye test try pulling the side of your eye it clears mine up great.
For some reason 1 of my eyes is just slightly domaninte.

[Wolf]

Least y'all have the option to have laser. Im cant have laser because I have had corneal grafts. I now have 4/20 in one eye and 10/20 (or something) in the other, thats without contact lenses ofcourse. With lenses I have almost 20/20 in one eye and 12/20 (or something) in the other.
I have a similar problem. Laser surgery would not correct my vision, I would need corneal implants or grafts or summat. I watch advancements in the field of corneal implants with great interest - and ever-deteriorating vision...

I calculate that, if I don't get something done, by the time I'm 75 I'll need the bridge of my nose steel-reinforced and counterweights at the back of my head to offset the weight of the glasses...

[ManDownUnder]

Look carefully into the pros and cons. While laser treatment is sold as a no-risk panacea, it does have a fairly high failure rate (greater than 1 in 1000), where failure is defined as ending up with worse vision than before; my wife was looking at LASIK and when we did some research around it she decided it simply wasn't worth the risk.

I had it done and part of the deal was that if it didn't work, he'd fix it up for free. He was happy with that so we went ahead.

All good first time up... so no worries (it was LASIK for the record).

Well worth it too... no glasses - no problems when raining/foggy/looking into ovens (except dutch ovens - hoo aaa!)... y'know.

All good - and if you can get that assurance from the eye doc - I'd really recommend it!
MDU

[ManDownUnder]

The LTSA didn't listen to the optometrists' submission because they had already bought the eye testing machines!!

But surely the committee involved would have had experts advising them...good grief - this infers they did it for monetary reasons, and possibly without planning it all out...

not possible - surely in this day and age... not possible...

[Hitcher]

But surely the committee involved would have had experts advising them...good grief - this infers they did it for monetary reasons, and possibly without planning it all out...

not possible - surely in this day and age... not possible...
The "experts" in this case weren't qualified eye-care practitioners.

[Wonko]

I had LASIK on both eye's 4 years ago. It was the best money i have every spent. If it was a choice between LASIK and a new bike, LASIK would win every time.

Yes every time.

My eyes were so bad that the big font size for major headings in the NZ Herald was all blurry and hard to read at arms lenght. The benifits outweighed the risks to me. I recomend it to anyone that thinks about it. I also make clear that there are risks.

Never having to remember where you droped your stuff at the beach in relation to the house colours.

No rain drops or fogging

Being able to wear sunnies

etc