Glasses and Contact Lenses

[nottienoo]

Hi everyone

I am starting to panic a little now as I have been trying to research Northern Rail requirements for wearing contact lenses and glasses and I am getting REALLY confused. I have an assessment on 16th Jan, and I have read that "contact lenses are sometimes permitted" and I know all the bumpf on what distances and acuity levels are required.

What I want to know is if there is anyone who works for Northern Rail or any other TOC on here that wear contact lenses / glasses and if they are actually permitted? I don't think my eyesight is that bad (most of my mfamily members are FAR worse) but am getting scared in case they reject me for it!

Thank you

 

[TheVicLine]

Hi everyone

I am starting to panic a little now as I have been trying to research Northern Rail requirements for wearing contact lenses and glasses and I am getting REALLY confused. I have an assessment on 16th Jan, and I have read that "contact lenses are sometimes permitted" and I know all the bumpf on what distances and acuity levels are required.

What I want to know is if there is anyone who works for Northern Rail or any other TOC on here that wear contact lenses / glasses and if they are actually permitted? I don't think my eyesight is that bad (most of my mfamily members are FAR worse) but am getting scared in case they reject me for it!

Thank you

Yes you can wear contact lenses but you will need to take your glasses to the medical and also have them with you when you are driving if it is a drivers position.

 

[nottienoo]

Oh ok that doesnt sound too bad (yes it's a drivers position). They havent given much information about the medical to be honest, but I assume that it will be another day after the assessment (if I pass!) and I will probably take everything with me anyway!! Thanks for the answer

 

[TDK]

Hi, this is pasted from an outside source:

Eye Test:

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

 

[nottienoo]

That seems really bizarre to allow wearing of glasses but not contact lenses?? Is this direct from Northern Rail? I usually wear contacts more than my glasses because of getting teased at school more than anything and for comfort!!!

 

[TDK]

That seems really bizarre to allow wearing of glasses but not contact lenses?? Is this direct from Northern Rail? I usually wear contacts more than my glasses because of getting teased at school more than anything and for comfort!!!

This was taken from a site that gives information on train driving generically, Northern may have different policies, you will need to check with them. I was to belive that contact lenses could be worn but this could cause a risk if one pops out whilst you are actually driving a train.

 

[sw1ller]

That seems really bizarre to allow wearing of glasses but not contact lenses?? Is this direct from Northern Rail? I usually wear contacts more than my glasses because of getting teased at school more than anything and for comfort!!!

I am led to believe that your manager would have to check that you have corrective eyewear before you drive the train and if you're wearing contacts then the manager cannot be satisifyed that you can see basically.

 

[TDK]

That seems really bizarre to allow wearing of glasses but not contact lenses?? Is this direct from Northern Rail? I usually wear contacts more than my glasses because of getting teased at school more than anything and for comfort!!!

This is the group standard for contact lenses for train drivers:

A2.1.2 Contact lenses
Contact lenses are permitted provided that:
a) the wearer has demonstrated that the lenses can be tolerated in place for the
duration of a complete turn of duty of the maximum rostered length
b) the nature of the work and the working environment is suitable for the
wearing of contact lenses
c) a pair of spectacles capable of correcting the user’s visual acuity to 6/9, 6/12 is carried
d) the contact lenses are not coloured, other than a handling tint which is
permitted.
If contact lenses are worn, assessments of visual acuity shall be made without
lenses in place, with spectacles, and with contact lenses.
Where contact lenses are prescribed and corrective spectacles are not an
alternative for documented medical reasons, the requirements of section A1.4
may be applied.

This is from the RGS site

 

[nottienoo]

Ok thats interesting, I wear daily lenses which I can wear up to 18 hours without any problems, I have two spare sets of glasses too, I just have a terrible feeling I could fail on my eyesight which would be truly heartbreaking since I have failed a Navy medical (literally by a point) on the same thing

 

[TDK]

Ok thats interesting, I wear daily lenses which I can wear up to 18 hours without any problems, I have two spare sets of glasses too, I just have a terrible feeling I could fail on my eyesight which would be truly heartbreaking since I have failed a Navy medical (literally by a point) on the same thing

Go to the optitions, download the group standard for train drivers and ask the optition to carry out an eye test for you using that standard, then you will know if your eyesight is up to it or not and it will save you worrying, you can of course photo copy or take the original prescription to the medical with you to let them see if you are borderline