fingermissing:
Get your blood pressure checked early as if it high on the day of medical you FAIL. If it high you have time to
lower it before medical you pass
cheers fingermissing,ill get that sorted too…rich
Quinny:
Suedehead:
Make sure you shop around when you book your medical,prices do vary a fair bit and the local gp is usually the most expensive.+1.
My GP wants £130. Got it for half of that online, and I had to travel to North Leeds, but even after factoring in that cost, I still saved around £60.
Better in my pocket…
Ken.
Know the feeling. My registered quack quoted £130 +vat,got it done at a surgery on the other side of town for £55.
An added bonus was the Doc was well fit and my blood pressure increased slightly 
The thought of going for a medical doesn’t do me any good because I alway panic at the doctors or dentists so having to have everything right on that day is a gamble for me. If you have any doubts you could go to your GP now and get your blood pressure checked, this will make sure you have time for any medication you may need to reduce it to an acceptable level by February. It’s no good finding out it’s high on the day because you’ll fail your medical. While you’re there you could ask him which line on his eye sight test board you’ll need to read to pass in February & he or she will show you there so you’ll also have time to go for an eye test and get glasses in time for your medical.
Some chemists will check blood pressure for you if you don’t fancy asking your GP but I’d advise you know it’s acceptable before going to have your nuts tapped.
You can search out a cheaper option if you wish but I always go to my own GP because he knows me & has all my records right there should he need to check anything. Let us know how you get on and best of luck.
BB
it no big deal
i’m half crocked and i passed
Getting ready to do my 3rd Last one cost me 99 quid for 10 minutes “work” then I asked the “lady” to sign my photo as I needed my photocard updated.Cheeky ■■■■■ said yes no problem that will be another tenner!
Sod the trucks should have been a bleedin doctor!
Another 8 behind me in the surgery.Works out to 10 quid a minute!!
Nice work if you can get it.Premises and equipment provided by NHS (us) and a nice afternoons work to pay for the Audi spider parked outside.Then home for tea.
One place in Leicester near the A47/inner ring road roundabout does them for about £40 to £50
cheers for all the advice,been to the docters this morning for a pre medical blood pressure test and all good. opticians a bit different,long site fine but short sight pish,i explained i only need glasses to read map books and she charged me £214 for two pairs of varifocals,it would have been cheaper to invest in a flippin sat nav…and ive found a chap in northallerton that does medicals for £50…my doc. informed me it would be £90+vat…its getting expensive to earn a living these days…thanks for all the free advice. rich.
You wuz robbed.
As long as your distance vision is OK you don’t need the specs. Most men over 40 or so have trouble reading up close and a £3 pair from Tesco does the job perfectly well.
The advantage of the varifocals is that you can wear them all the time, so there is less chance that they will drop out of a pocket and get trodden on. Once you get used to them you will be fine, but as I said - you didn’t really need them.
Try not to worry too much ,when you are out and about take a look at the bus drivers that you see. Then wonder who passed them.I paid £130.00 for mine as the nearest cheapo is 50 miles away.
yea i tried cheapo reading glasses to map read but couldnt see the road when looking back up again so it was getting too dangerous,these varifocals allow me to glance down at a map book and be able to see the road clearly when looking back up again…
alliance:
hi,i have my first medical in febuary,i feel relatively fit but is there anything i can do to be sure of a pass?
bung the doctor £50? 
cheers nate
Slightly off topic, I know, but…
The theory is that you can get a D4 form filled in for your medical anywhere in the EU.
I tried this in Southern Italy and it all came unstuck because the Italian medicos don’t use the Snellen eye test chart that we have in this country - everything else was OK, you know, can you stand unaided and remember your name
Yes. it wasn’t as rigorous!
Anyway, the DVLA bounced it 'cos of the eye test and as I’m ancient and wear varifocals, I came back to the Old Country and forked out £70 plus.
My old GP used to charge £30 and had drivers queuing out the door, but he got struck off for…best not say, or it will be another thread gone
3300John:
i think the option always goes a little on the strong side as i,ve herd many drivers say their new specs strain their eyes alot at first.
If youve never had glasses before then yes they will be a few problems at first whilst the eyes get used to the glasses.
Ive been wearing them since i was 12/13 years old and still get a few headaches with new ones - that is until my new ones a few monthes ago, no problems what so ever…
alliance:
hi,i have my first medical in febuary,i feel relatively fit but is there anything i can do to be sure of a pass? and what exactly do they look for in a medical?the only thing i am slightly worried about is my ■■■■ eyesight,up until a few months ago i could read an a-z in near blackness and now i struggle to read my large print map book in broad daylight,long site is fine but short sight is pish. thanks. rich.
I use my GP. Expensive but I claim it back against tax when I do my tax return.
He does an eye test.
“Can you read the top line of the schnellen chart pinned up on the wall?”
“Wall?”
He takes pulse and blood pressure which are good to have.
He fills in a questionnaire
Have you ever suffered from …
and lastly
and most importanly he asks for a cheque. He’s never asked for urine or taken blood
thanks for all comments and advice, completed my first medical without any problems just a bit lighter in the wallet area.thanks all. rich.