What all does HGV Medical consist of?
The HGV Medical is divided into 2 parts: The Vision Assessment and The Medical.
Every HGV Driver is required to go through a needs a medical examination to drive. This blog will help you to learn everything about HGV Medical.
The Medical assessment is recorded on a form which is called a D4 Form. This form is submitted with your application form (D2) to the DVLA.
The Vision Assessment
Firstly step is to fill in the vision assessment section. This part of the form can be done by an optician or a full GMC registered doctor whoever is easily available.
What are the vision standards?
The eyesight requirement for HGV vehicles is higher than that of a normal car driver. The doctor or optician will ask you to cover one eye at a time, 3m away from an eye testing chart. Also known as a Snellen Chart.
Car Driver Vision Requirements
For normal cars, you must be able to read a car number plate 20 meters away. The reading can be with glasses or contact lenses if needed.
HGV Vision Requirements
This can be checked with the help of an eye chart. You must meet the minimum requirements for car drivers plus it needs to be just below 20/20 vision in one eye. The other eye must be able to read the top of the Snellen chart as a minimum.
If there are any issues detected with the eye test, the doctor will advise you on tests accordingly. This may mean getting your eye test done by an optician if you do not meet the standard. Glasses or contact lenses can be used to meet the standard.
The Medical Part
The Medical part can only be filled out by a registered doctor. The medical is thorough, and the doctor will ask you questions about your past medical history. The doctor will also examine you.
The HGV Medical part is split into 8 sections:
1. Neurological
2. Diabetes
3. Cardiovascular
4. Mental health
5. Substance misuse
6. Medical list
7. Sleeping disorders
8. Miscellaneous
Neurological
The doctor will cross-examine any previous neurological issues. These include things like strokes, seizures, TIA, blackouts, head injuries, Parkinson's disease, brain tumors or other neurological problems.
Diabetes
The doctor will enquire about your diabetes history and blood sugar levels in the past and for this you must carry your monitor with you.
Cardiovascular
Cardiovascular is basically a checkup related to your heart or blood vessels. This includes but is not limited to, previous heart operations, irregular heartbeats, angina, heart attacks, heart valve problems, conduction problems in the heart, and any investigations associated with your heart.
During the HGV Medical, the doctor will ask questions related to any cardiovascular issues in the past and will check your blood pressure as well as listen to your heart. More examination will be carried out in case there is some complication detected.
Mental Health
A mental health screening will be done. If there are no mental health issues int he past, then you will not need to delve into detail. However, if there are any issues then a detailed mental health history will be taken to depict accurately what has happened in the past.
Sleeping disorders
If you have any disorders which could cause you to feel lethargic or sleepy throughout the day these need to be declared. So if you have narcolepsy or obstructive sleep apnea. The doctor will ask you about this in more detail.
Miscellaneous
Here your height and weight is measured and checked. General health-related questions are asked and analyzed. This includes cancers that spread to the brain, liver, kidney, lung, or any other medical issues not mentioned.
The HGV Medical
The HGV Medical is a comprehensive medical and is pivotal for any driver. In most cases as long as your medical condition is well controlled then there is no issue. The DVLA may choose to do further assessments depending on the information given to them.
Over 90% of people pass the HGV Medical.