You must wear glasses or contact lenses every time you drive, if you need them
To meet the driving standard, drivers must be able to read a number plate from 20 meters away(Image: Getty)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has given advice to drivers who need to wear glasses, as millions of motorists have been reminded to make sure they meet the ‘standards of vision for driving’.
The DVLA said drivers who fail to meet its minimum standards could be prosecuted. It’s also important to inform the DVLA of any issues with your eyesight, whether it affects one or both of your eyes, or your remaining eye if you only have one.
When informing the licencing agency, the Gov.uk website states this this does not include being short or long sighted or colour blind and that drivers also do not need to say if they’ve had surgery to correct short sightedness and can meet the eyesight standards.
To meet the driving standard, drivers must be able to must be able to read a number plate from 20 meters away, which is roughly the length of five parked cars, also meeting the minimum standard by having a visual acuity of at least decimal 0.5 (6/12) measured on the Snellen scale with glasses or contact lenses, if necessary.
The DVLA also warns that you must have an adequate field of vision which is the required extent of peripheral (side) and central vision needed to operate a vehicle safely, typically defined in the UK as at least 120 degrees horizontally. This ensures drivers can spot hazards, pedestrians, and other vehicles without significant vision loss or defects in their central or peripheral gaze.
You can ask your optician for a further test to determine this.
However, if a vision related medical condition is reported, there is a chance you may be referred for an eyesight test with a contracted optician but this will be free of charge. The government website adds: “DVLA will then considers all medical evidence provided as part of a driving licence application, including the result of the eyesight test.”
For motorists choosing to get an eyesight test elsewhere the government website says: “You can submit the results of an eyesight test done by another optician as long as it includes an ‘Esterman visual test’. DVLA do not guarantee they will accept an eyesight test done by other opticians. You’ll need to pay for the test yourself.”
Lorry and bus drivers have a different visual acuity requirement, needing to measure 0.8 (6/7.5) on the Snellen scale in your best eye and at least 0.1 (6/60) on the Snellen scale in the other eye.
This standard is allowed to be reached using glasses with a corrective power not more than (+) 8 dioptres, or with contact lenses, but There’s no specific limit for the corrective power of contact lenses.
Drivers of these vehicles must have an uninterrupted horizontal visual field of at least 160 degrees with an extension of at least 70 degrees left and right and 30 degrees up and down. No defects should be present within a radius of the central 30 degrees says gov.uk.
The DVLA advises you may still be able to renew your lorry or bus licence if you cannot meet these standards but held your licence before 1 January 1997.
Drivers about to take their practical driving test will need to correctly read a number plate on a parked vehicle and if you can not you’ll instantly fail your driving test and the DVLA will revoke your licence.
If you choose to reapply for your licence, the DVLA will ask you to have an eyesight test with DVSA. This will be at a driving test centre. If successful you’ll still have to pass the DVSA standard eyesight test at your next practical driving test.
